Entering through the same door - Universal design put simple

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Entering through the same door - Universal
design put simple

• Soren Ginnerup
• Danish Building Research Institute
• Consultant to the COE group on Universal Design
  2006

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Definitions converging

• Headlines in Europe
• universal design
• design for all
• integral accessibility
• accessible design
• inclusive design
• barrier-free design
• transgenerational design
• accessibility for all

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Universal Design Strategy for all aspects of
society

• Aiming at accessible and usable
• built environments
• communication
• products
• services
• Accessible and usable
• to everyone
• to the greatest extent possible
• preferably without adaptations or special
  solutions

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Implementing the UN Convention

• What does the Council of Europe (COE) offer to
  member states on Universal Design?
• Coordinated resolutions
• Recommendations to governments
• Plans
• Examples

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Selected points in recent COE history

• ResAP(2001)1 Tomar resolution on Universal
  Design
• Curricula on the built environment
• Rec(2006)5 Action Plan on promoting rights and
  full participation
• Framework for actions 2006-2015
• ResAp(3)2007 Full participation through Universal
  Design
• Recommendations on a broader scale

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COE Recommendations to governments (1)

• Promote full participation in community life
• prevent the creation of new barriers
• design solutions usable by all
• integrate Universal Design principles into
  policies, legislation and practice

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COE Recommendations to governments (2)

• Succesful Universal Design look at the process
• Promote the application of Universal Design in
  implementation of the 2006-2015 Disability Action
  Plan

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COE Recommendations to governments (4)

• Ensure widest possible dissemination of the 2007
  resolution on Universal Design
• awareness-raising campaigns
• co-operation with the private sector
• co-operation with civil society
• NGOs of people with disabilities

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Concentrate on the process stages

• Is everyone here a professional in processes?
• Ensure efficiency in
• Adoptions and decisions
• Coordination
• Implementation
• Evaluation

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Adopting principles and making decisions

• What do we intend to do?
• built environment, transport, commu-nication,
  services?
• For whom?
• groups to include?
• When?
• In 5, 10 or 20 years ?

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Adoption and decisions

• Approaches should be
• Coordinated
• Harmonized
• Intersectorial
• Particular emphasis on
• Mainstream policies with built in Universal Design

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Adoptions and decisions

• Examples
• Legislation building regulations
• strictly enforced
• refurbishing included
• more than just persons in wheelchairs
• Discrimination acts
• Standards
• covering all user groups decided upon
• clear links from legislation to standards

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Co-ordination

• Making sure we work together
• Locally, internally in member states,
  internationally
• Acquiring more knowledge on UD how do we get it
  down to earth?

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Co-ordination

• Examples
• Assigning responsibility to high-ranking persons
  in organisations
• Information on legislative measures, social
  services, products, assistive technology

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Implementation

• Doing it!
• Some of the prerequisites
• Adequate funding and resources for projects
• Detailed requirements
• Standards
• Guidelines

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Evaluation

• Making sure we are getting there
• Are we really achieving full integration?
• Do we need to make corrections on the fly?
• Maybe change the whole setup?

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Evaluation

• Examples
• Quality assessment
• Feedback
• Instruments for measuring of effects
• Follow-up procedures
• Involvement of user organisations

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COE Report on Universal Design

• Universal Design
• What?
• For whom?
• How?
• Examples of UD aspects
• Disability action plan provides issues to be
  covered
• Focus on process stages

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COE and Universal Design in short

• COE provides backing to UD
• Resolution 2007 (3) on Universal Design
• Recommendations to member states
• Strong supplement to UN Convention implementation
  of accessibility components
• COE Action lines for UD
• Disability Action Plan 2006 2015
• points out Universal Design and accessibility
  issues
• COE Examples
• Report on Universal Design

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Universal design put simple

• We should be able to enter via the same door, in
  all aspects of society
• literally or metaphorically
• The concept is simple!
• But it should be handled professionally
• - in all stages of the process!

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• Thank you!