Universal design is often confused with handicap access. This mistake isn’t limited to the average person just learning about universal design, it is one also made by the pros. I recently saw two designs that were supposed to be universal and missed the target. The first was an expensive wayfinding...
Technology
What are some of the technologies that support universal design (and aging-in-place)? PERS (personal emergency response system): These are those medical devices that you wear at home that link to a central station where help can be dispatched quickly; these little devices give you and loved ones great peace of...
Obama and Sultey
In our nation, there is much relief and hope with the coming Obama administration. I like seeing him speak, I look forward to his words, and I am excited about his choices. He seems personable and genuinely caring. On December 10 he announced members chosen to be on his green...
Steve Jobs
For all of us there is never just one starting point, one missed opportunity that is lost and never recovered. It is always a string of beginning moments, there is always a time to start anew, always a chance to step into a new vision. As with many of us,...
Mid Century Modern Hits Retirement Age
A little humor stumbled upon. For larger pic: click here...
Tags: humor, retirement
Gadgetmania!
Ages ago, the only gadget was a pair of specs. When not used, they hung neatly from one’s neck. If I hung today’s gadgets from my neck, I’d soon be crippled. Gadgets start with the cell phone. Next would be the TV clicker. But given today’s level of remote controls,...
Dragon
Much assistive technology ends up benefitting us all; fax machines and closed captioning are two biggies. Yet another one is making it big: speech-to-text, also known as speech or voice recognition software. Originally designed as an alternative input device specific to the challenges of typing, it now is increasingly used...
Assistive Technology & UD, Part I: What Is It
It’s expensive to have a disability. Why? Is it cheaper to design and build for the masses than it is to design for inclusivity? Or, are our designers and builders just ignorant and don’t know any better? Or, is it because we still think that people with disabilities are rare?...
Assistive Technology & UD, Part II: Physical
When an able-bodied person thinks about disability, it’s physical disability that comes to mind for most. A whole range of physical limitations blurs into a blue and white symbol of a person in a wheelchair, special parking spaces near entrances, and the odd cavernous feeling bathrooms. This oversimplification misses the...
Assistive Technology & UD, Part III: Hearing Loss
My grandfather, a Russian immigrant, had diminishing hearing as he aged. As a lover of gadgets and an early adopter of technology, he soon fitted himself with a modern (1960’s) electronic hearing aid. He had a microphone concealed as a tie pin, a gizmo in his pocket, and a loudspeaker...