Towards 3rd Generation Universal Design: Exploring Nonclusive Design.

In this paper, we identify and describe early signs of a shift towards 3rd generation UD, of which "nonclusive design" is an essential part. The paper explores the significance of such a shift using examples of the built and designed environment and of signage. Nonclusive design means design that resists categorisations of bodies/roles and that does not come with predefined or presupposed limits in terms of who it is meant for. We outline seven themes characterising the shift towards nonclusive design: 1) from included to undefined users, 2) from person to function, 3) from adaptism to variation, 4) from separation to convergence, 5) from reactive to proactive, 6) from unaware to aware, and 7) from explicit to tacit. Nonclusive design directs attention to context instead of the individual, focusing on possibilities, functions and facilities. It has a convergent character, highlighting variation and unity rather than separation. Nonclusive design presupposes awareness, knowledge and proactive development void of adaptism. It incorporates human variation without reiterating patterns of norm-deviation. We argue that the continued growth of UD demands, is part of, and contributes to a shift in culture, with nonclusive, intersectional thinking as a key future driver. In such a culture, 3rd generation UD can contribute as a common guiding mindset, as a source for innovation, as a way to listen for diversity in all its forms, and as a way to lead towards a sustainable society.

The struggle for access - a qualitative document study of how people using wheeled mobility devices experience exclusion and discrimination.

PURPOSE: The overall aim of this study was to describe experiences of discrimination due to inaccessibility among people using mobility devices. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a thematic qualitative analysis of 88 complaints about wheeled mobility device use, inaccessibility, and discrimination submitted to the Swedish Equality Ombudsman (DO) during 2015 and 2016. RESULTS: The analysis resulted in three themes: instigating change by invoking laws and regulations and highlighting lack of compliance; demanding to be recognised, understood, and listened to; and struggling for equal access and social participation. Regulations and treaties were invoked as the basis for complaints by people using mobility devices regarding their lack of access to physical environments and impediments to their enjoyment of their full right to participate in and contribute to society. The complaints described feelings of discrimination, the disadvantages and exclusion due to physical inaccessibility, and experiences of being prevented from living one's life as others do. CONCLUSIONS: Complaints filed by people using mobility devices showed that they were denied access to a wide range of contexts, including offices, theatres, restaurants, schools, and public transportation, though they desired to live an active and social life outside their homes. Filing a complaint was a way to take action, highlight present inaccessibility, and express a hope for change.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONDifficulties experienced by people using wheeled mobility devices can reveal knowledge important for revising existing design and renovation standards for housing and public buildings.Documenting facilitators and barriers in different environments is important for giving voice to the needs of wheeled mobility device users and revealing standards that need to be strongly enforced or revised.People using wheeled mobility devices should be supported in finding solutions in inaccessible environments, both to fulfil their wishes and to enable their participation in society.

Stroke and Universal Design.

Universal Design (UD) is usually stated to be "for all ages and abilities". Given that stroke is a major source of disability, it is important that UD recommendations take stroke-specific problems into account. Within the framework of EU project STARR, we have investigated user requirements of stroke survivors. In this project we have used a mix of interviews, focus groups, design workshops and technology tests to come up with a set of design recommendations, which we present as a first step towards universal design recommendations which are inclusive for stroke survivors. Our general recommendations are: make it fun, do not make people fail, empower and encourage. The technology needs to be highly adaptable to different sets of abilities. Safety, but also aesthetics and simplicity is important, but it is pointed out that designs should not be "childish" - this can be felt to be degrading. It is important to be able to see and follow your progress and win small victories often. Consider social applications and activities - being able to connect to others in the same situation can enable discussions and provide peer support. More stroke consequence specific recommendations are to design to allow one-sided use (hemiplegia), avoid sensory and activity overload (fatigue), complement speech with images (aphasia), limit demand on memory, support learning and avoid errors (memory problems), and include multiple modalities in your design (reduced vision or hearing).

Towards a More Inclusive University - Supporting Teachers Through Universal Design for Learning.

The diversity among Swedish university students is steadily increasing. The students have different backgrounds, experiences, interests, learning styles and abilities. Also, there are more students with disabilities at Swedish universities, especially invisible disabilities. Teachers need to adapt their teaching and curricula, and can no longer wait to do this until they spot a student with diverse learning preferences. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to make a university more inclusive, by increasing the flexibility of how students can take in information, express their knowledge and be motivated in learning. Seven key persons at a Swedish university took part in focus group interviews about their views and experiences of diversity and inclusion. They represented key administrative and pedagogical functions, as well as a student organisation and learning support for students with disabilities. Qualitative content analysis of the interviews resulted in 10 themes: a) Attitudes and treatment b) Accessibility and participation c) Knowledge and competence d) Support and resources e) System and processes f) Organisation g) Teachers and education h) Students and student organisations i) Actions and solutions j) Future work. Conclusions: While the university has good support for students, more support for teachers is needed. Thus, the next step will be the development of a course module for teachers to be included in a regular pedagogical development course for teachers at the university. Furthermore, there is a need for more knowledge about inclusive student activities, taking place outside of lecture rooms.

Bringing Human Diversity into Design Processes Through Empathic Modelling.

Most products are developed while adapting to requirements from industrial production and logistics. To break that trend and design for people, we suggest focusing on those who put the strongest demands on the final solution. They cannot compensate for bad design solutions and are thereby, like sniffing dogs, guiding designers to meet peoples' needs. We always use a combination of empathic modelling and involvement of people with reduced functions to find new solutions to the problems a product is supposed to solve. We have used this method in the teaching of Universal design at different universities for more than ten years. The students find the exercises to be a very entertaining eye-opener leading to development of empathy for human diversity all while the level of innovation in their design work increase. To constantly make design students understand barriers that can occur due to bad design solutions we utilize a toolbox simulating different kinds of functional ability. It also includes a handbook that describes workshops, evaluation methods and design processes that can be performed using the tools. The goal is to guide efficient, innovative and inclusive design processes. By simulating diversity among people, the designer can interpret the needs of different users and use that as a starting point and for evaluating design solutions during the creative process.

Co-Constructing Universal Design in Citizen Science Workshops.

This paper reports on a series of workshops that took place at two Swedish museums during 2017. The workshops were inspired by a citizen science approach, where the participants were not only on the receiving end but also active in producing new knowledge. The importance of turning to peoples' lived perspectives are often brought forward as crucial to understanding how inclusion and exclusion are played out in real life. The study aimed to introduce and discuss Universal Design (UD) of museum exhibitions, by engaging visitors and staff in bringing forward content for joint discussions. As there is an ongoing shift from traditional work on accessibility towards UD taking place in Sweden right now, the study was also part of raising the awareness of UD within the disability movement and at the museums. Museum visitors representing different disability organizations worked together with museum staff in photo exercises, supervised by two researchers. In total, 31 participants took part in six three-hour workshops. The workshop format encompassed three steps. First, one of the researchers introduced UD, after which the participants were divided into mixed groups with both visitors and staff. Their task was to take photos of museum features that were in line with, or in conflict with, UD. At the end of the workshop, all groups gathered to discuss what they had found. In this paper, we tell about the examples the participants brought forward and the ensuing joint discussions, and discuss the further implications for UD.

Eliciting Parents' Individual Requirements for an Inclusive Digital School System.

Parents often have a busy time sorting out their life puzzles, including getting information about their children's activities in school. More and more communication between teachers and parents take place via digital school systems. It can be hard for parents to find the information they are looking for and the teacher decides when information is sent and what communication method to use. All parents, but especially parents with disabilities, might have individual preferences on how to receive information and how to adapt meetings at school. In this paper we present a project where we involved parents and teachers in focus groups, an idea workshop and iterative user trials of a digital prototype. The goal was to elicit parents' individual requirements for an inclusive digital school system, where they can store their individual preferences about how and when to receive information from school and what requirements they have on meetings at school. Preliminary results show that we managed to create open and focused discussions among parents and teachers. The parents reacted very positively on an onboarding page with the possibility to quickly and easily enter preferences after their first log in, but more work needs to be done on how preferences are categorized on the onboarding page. Finally, parents need to get clear feedback from teachers and school when they have entered or updated preferences, so they can trust that their preferences will be met.

An activity systemic approach to augmentative and alternative communication.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss and highlight how Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) can contribute to the understanding of the different factors at play when a person is using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). It is based on data from a 3-year project concerning activity-based vocabulary design of voice output communication aids (VOCAs). Four persons who used AAC and their assistants were interviewed about shopping activities and their views about a vocabulary that included pre-stored phrases. A CHAT model, the Activity Diamond, was applied in an analysis of the data. The result was a multiplicity of human, artifactual, and natural factors, in which six themes were identified: Attitude/Preference, Expectation/Trust, Goal/Power, Place/Space, Time/Learning, and Usability/Accessibility. The themes are exemplified and discussed in relation to AAC.