Fall 2007
Your source for current news and announcements about the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (I.D.E.A) in Buffalo, NY.
Jordana Maisel : Editor
Heamchand Subryan : Technical Assistant
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IDEA Center Receives New Contract from U.S. Access Board
The IDEA Center has received a new contract with the U.S. Access Board to continue its research on the anthropometry of wheeled mobility users. Anthropometry is
the measurement of human body characteristics and abilities.
From 1999-2005, with funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), the Center developed standardized methods for digital
data collection of 3-D measurements on the sizes and reaching abilities of wheeled mobility users and the maneuvering clearances needed by users of manual
wheelchairs, power wheelchairs and scooters. The project is a pioneering effort in 3-D anthropometry. Over 200 individuals were then measured to establish a
prototype database. With additional funding from the U.S. Access Board, the sample size has now been increased to almost 300 people, all from the Western New
York area.
In partnership with the University of Pittsburgh’s Rehabilitation Sciences Department, data is now being collected on 100 more people in Pittsburgh. The new
contract will allow the IDEA Center to collect data from 100 more people at another site in the Southeast or Southwest. The new contract will also fund the
development of collaborations with researchers and standards developers in other countries.
The long range goal is to develop an international database to support improvements in accessibility design standards and policies and the development of
accurate and realistic human models of wheeled mobility users that can be incorporated into 3-D design programs.
The work is co-directed by Edward Steinfeld, Professor of Architecture, and Victor Paquet, Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering. David Feathers, a Post
Doctoral Fellow at the Center, and Clive D’Souza, a Doctoral Student in Industrial Engineering, have been instrumental in the development of the research methods
and database. Several architecture students have participated as research assistants in the project over the last seven years.
Opportunities to Participate in Universal Design Research - Join the over 800 individuals already participating!
We all know from first hand experience how easily the built environment can frustrate our performance of even the simplest activities. Whether it is making our way
through the entrances of public restrooms, crossing streets at intersections or just putting away groceries in our kitchens, good design can ensure that the built
environment makes performance of such activities easier for all of us.
One of the research projects directed by Architecture professor Gary Scott Danford at SUNY Buffalo’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Universal Design
and the BuiltEnvironment involves identifying those environmental design features that are the most problematic for everyone. If we can identify the most problematic
environmental design features, it will help us set priorities for their redesign that will make life better for all of us.
We launched our first surveys in May 2007. They can be found at the Built Environment Research Site on UDEWORLD . These surveys ask participants about problems they have
performing routine activities commonly encountered in three built environments: Public Buildings, Public Streets and Residential Environments. Participants will be
eligible for random drawings for cash prizes. After completing the online surveys, participants will be given an opportunity to join others in message board
discussions about the environmental design features that make performing specific activities problematic.
We are happy to report that we have received responses from over 800 participants (as of November 15, 2007). We will be recruiting additional participants for this
phase of the research through the end of this year.
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We welcome and greatly appreciate your involvement in this research project. If you belong to other forums or listservs, or know of anyone else who might be
interested in participating, please feel free to forward the website address.
Contact Jordana Maisel at jlmaisel@buffalo.edu with any questions or comments.
IDEA Center to Launch New Continuing Education Program
The IDEA Center proudly announces a new continuing education program that will launch this winter. This program is designed for anyone
(e.g., advocates, builders/contractors, planners, architects, occupational and physical therapists, and policymakers) interested in learning about the
universal design of places, products, and systems with a particular focus on the implications of a life span perspective.
This continuing education program is an introduction to universal design. It will cover:
- Principles and knowledge bases relevant to many design problems
- Methods for obtaining information about designing for the life span
- Best practice examples to demonstrate the value of universal design
For more information about the curriculum, course start dates, and registration deadlines, please visit the Continuing Education Program site on UDEWORLD.
IDEA Center Announces New Project with AARP and Concrete Change
 Atlanta, GA Habitat for Humanity visitable home
The IDEA Center, in partnership with Eleanor Smith and Concrete Change, was recently awarded a new contract from AARP for the project "Issue Paper:
Visitability". The paper takes a comprehensive look at Visitability, including a review of its historical context, a comparative analysis of current
initiatives and their effectiveness, and a review of barriers (both real and perceived) to implementation. The paper also includes over twenty focused
interviews with builders, residents, advocates and public officials who are all somehow involved in the Visitability movement.
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| Visitable home in Eggebaeken, Denmark | Visitable home in Bolingbrook, IL |
Please stay tuned for an announcement on the paper's publication in early 2008.
IDEA Center Collaborator’s Design Standards Adopted by State
Korydon Smith, Assistant Architecture Professor at The University of Arkansas and a partner in the RERC on Universal Design and the
Built Environment’s Education Consortium, recently developed usability standards that have been adopted by the Arkansas Development Finance Authority
(ADFA). The standards represent a major step towards providing accessible, low-cost housing for all citizens of the state.
Currently the law requires that 5 percent of multi-family housing units funded by the ADFA must be merely visitable by persons in wheelchairs. Under the
new guidelines, 7 percent of all multi-family housing units funded by the ADFA must meet the highest standards of usability - from level entries and wide
doors that accommodate those in wheelchairs to appliances and systems equipped with sensory cues for users with sight or hearing loss.
The ADFA's decision to incorporate these usability standards culminates three years of research and work by Smith, who is principal investigator for the
Arkansas Universal Design Project.
For the complete article announcing the new standards, please visit Daily Headlines. The house was one of ten homes constructed for the show,
although it was the only house with no-step access and an accessible path of travel throughout.
The no-step entry was provided through the garage.
IDEA Center’s Staff Summer and Fall Conference Presentations
Edward Steinfeld, Professor of Architecture, gave the keynote presentation at the Design for All Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sept. 6. He spoke on
the Aloha Spirit through Universal Design." He also did a presentation on the status of the Visitability movement in the U.S.
Beth Tauke gave several presentations this fall during her sabbatical semester.
Access to the Design Professions
She gave two presentations that were part of the 2005-2007 Access to the Design Professions: Design for Social Justice Program - Partnerships in
Recruiting, an Adaptive Environments project directed by Elaine Ostroff and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
 Figure 1: Access to the Design Professions - Design for Social Justice group at St. Mary’s School for the deaf. From left to right: R.J. Multari, Elaine Ostroff, Daniel Santangelo, and Hilary Hannah
The first presentation, entitled "Becoming an Architect: Opportunities and Challenges for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing," was delivered on
September 17, 2007 at St. Mary’s School for the Deaf in Buffalo, NY. Tauke worked with two deaf students, Daniel Santangelo and Hilary Hannah to develop
an interactive presentation about their experiences in a university architecture program. This presentation included a general description of
architecture, a description of architectural education at the university level, the opportunities and challenges for deaf and hard of hearing students in
architectural education, and tips for succeeding in both the design studio and the program in general. The UB team, Hilary Hannah, Daniel Santangelo,
R.J. Multari (Director of Advising for UB’s School of Architecture and Planning), and Tauke worked with St. Mary’s instructor Kirsten Helm, who
coordinated this event for all the high school students.
The second presentation, entitled “UD at UB: Universal Design as a Success Strategy for
University at Buffalo Students, Faculty and Staff,” was part of the University at Buffalo’s Teaching and Learning Center Teaching Effectiveness Fall
Lecture Series. Tauke was part of a panel with Mr. Randy Borst, director of the Office of Disability Services and Dr. Ruth Berry, a faculty member from
the Graduate School of Education. Her presentation was on universally designed approaches to course design, and was delivered on October 12, 2007. In
addition, she presented this material to the graduate students in Dr. Berry’s course along with a workshop on the same topic.
College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning – University of Cincinnati.
On October 2-4, 2007, Professor Tauke lectured and participated in graduate courses and reviews at the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning
– University of Cincinnati. As part of the IDEA Center University Education Consortium initiative, Tauke worked with faculty and students at The Center
for Design Research and Innovation, directed by Professor Craig Vogel. Her presentations and discussions focused on the importance of inclusion in the
built environment, the application of universal design-based research, and ways to reconsider the design of products and systems to meet the needs of
aging populations.
Inclusive Design Symposium - Madison, Wisconsin
Tauke was a featured speaker at the Inclusive Design Symposium: Building Awareness in Madison, Wisconsin on October 31, 2007. This symposium was
sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services/Pathways to Independence, and was initiated as part of a plan to ensure that by 2012,
Wisconsin will have created an environment that fully includes persons with disabilities in the core activities of community life, including employment.
The specific goals of the symposium were to 1) initiate a statewide discussion on the development of a systematic and coordinated plan for increasing
awareness of Universal Design principles for professionals, students, agencies, and the public, and 2) create a venue for cross-disciplinary discussions
for furthering community inclusiveness.
In her lecture entitled "Strategies for Promoting Universal Design" Tauke introduced the Universal Design Identity Program sponsored by the National
Endowment for the Arts, a project focused on building awareness and understanding of Universal Design through an international, multi-sensory identity
program.
Universal Design Conference - Oslo, Norway
On November 20, Tauke will present a lecture on the work of the IDEA Center at the Universal Design: Ten Years in Norway Conference held at Oslo
University College. She will be part of a panel that focuses on the challenges of research, development, and practice in the area of universal design.
Winter Climate Study Conference Publications
The following publications on winter climate research, a project of the RERC on Universal Design and the Built Environment, were recently accepted or
presented by researchers at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute:
Li, Y., Fernie, G., 2008. Pedestrian Crossing Speed under Different Weather Conditions. International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence
(ICADI), St. Petersburg, FL, February 21-23. (accepted for podium presentation)
Juma, S., Li, Y., Hsu, J., Fernie, G., 2008. Changes in Heart Rate Variability in Response to Cold Exposure. International Conference on Aging,
Disability and Independence (ICADI), St. Petersburg, FL, February 21-23. (accepted for poster presentation)
Gupta, P., Li, Y., Fernie, G., 2008. Effects of Temperature and Time of Day on Pedestrian Walking Speed. International Conference on Aging, Disability
and Independence (ICADI), St. Petersburg, FL, February 21-23. (accepted for poster presentation)
Hsu, J., Li, Y., Fernie, G., 2008. Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Change in Response to Cold and Icy Conditions. International Conference on Aging,
Disability and Independence (ICADI), St. Petersburg, FL, February 21-23. (accepted for poster presentation)
Li, Y., Snoek, J., Mihailidis, A., Fernie, G., 2007. Temperature and pedestrian walking speed. Walk 21 Toronto 2007- Putting Pedestrians First. Toronto,
Canada, October 1-4. (podium pres.)
Hsu, J., Li, Y., Fernie, G., 2007. Pedestrians’ physiological responses to varies winter surface conditions. Walk 21 Toronto 2007- Putting Pedestrians
First. Toronto, Canada, October 1-4. (podium presentation)
Li, Y., Hill, S.W., Row, B., McIlroy, W.E., Mihailidis, A., Fernie, G., 2007. Walking in the cold: body temperature and heart rate during North American
winter. Journal of Biomechanics, vol. 40, Suppl. 2, pp.S334.
Upcoming Conferences:
International Conference on Aging, Disability, and Independence (ICADI)
The fourth International Conference on Aging, Disability, and Independence (ICADI) will be held February 20-23, 2008 at the St.
Petersburg, Florida Hilton Hotel. ICADI brings together researchers, practitioners, business leaders, consumers, and policy makers to focus on
independence-related issues of aging.
With seven tracks - including Smart Homes/ Robotics, Assistive Technology, Transportation, Injury Prevention, Telehealth, Livable Homes and Communities, and
Work and Aging - participants will have the opportunity to experience state-of-the-science research and development, learn what's new in the business
community, and update practice and service skills. Ed Steinfeld (Director of the IDEA Center and Co-Director of the RERC on Universal Design and the Built
Environment) is once again responsible for coordinating the Trackon Livable Homes and Communities.
The IDEA Center is planning a pre-conference program on The 21st Century Community, which will focus on Evidence Based Practice in UD. The papers presented during the pre-conference will form the basis for a book on the topic. However, we would like to recruit authors for additional papers to include in our book from among the best presentations that are not going to be in the Conference Proceedings.
Make Plans Today!
Register online for the conference at the ICADI Registration Page. Our conference hotel, The Hilton
St. Petersburg (1-800-445-8667), is close to selling out, so make your reservations today! The conference room rate is $139 per night - please use
our group convention code of ICA to get this group rate.
Early Bird Registration ends November 30, 2007, so register today!
21st World Congress Rehabilitation International (RI)-Quebec 2008 "Disability Rights and Social Participation: Ensuring a Society for All"
The call for abstract and early registration is now available. Take advantage of reduced rates!
Congress Dates: 25 -28 August , 2008
Quebec City Convention Center
The RI-Québec 2008 World Congress presents an exciting opportunity to The RI network, consisting of more than 700 organizations in approximately 100
countries, is a catalyst for developing innovative approaches and providing solutions.
For more information, please visit the following websites: riquebec2008 or riglobal
Global Universal Design Educators Online News
 The Global
Universal Design Educators Monthly Online News (GUDEON) is being published with support from the IDEA
Center. The quarterly publication is produced and distributed for the Global Universal Design
Educator’s Network by Elaine Ostroff, Editor and Publisher, and Diane Richard, Researcher and
Editorial Assistant. The Network is a loose coalition of people committed to universal design
education. In addition to reaching the Network's 300 subscribers, a link to the most recent edition of
the GUDEON and its table of contents will now be distributed to the IDEA Center's
E-Newsletter subscribers. The GUDEON will also be translated into Japanese and reprinted in the
quarterly print Universal Design Magazine.
For links to archived issues go to Universal Design Network.
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