Studien syftar till att ge ett kunskapsbidrag kring specialpedagogers erfarenheter av tydliggörande pedagogik i grundskola och gymnasium. Vi använde kvalitativ intervjumetod med tematisk analys som metodansats. I vår studie genomförde vi semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta specialpedagoger som utifrån sina roller beskrev hur de arbetar med tydliggörande pedagogik på individ-, grupp- och organisationsnivå samt vilka utmaningar, hinder och möjligheter de erfarit i det arbetet. I resultatet framkom att specialpedagogernas beskrivningar av innebörden av tydliggörande pedagogik varierar, från exempelvis hjälpmedel och arbetssätt till lektionsdesign, enhetlig struktur och förhållningssätt. Informanterna såg tydliggörande pedagogik som en självklar del av undervisningen för att möta elevernas behov, att det är bra för alla, men särskilt viktigt för elever med exempelvis neuropsykiatrisk funktionsnedsättning. Informanterna poängterade att arbetet med tydliggörande pedagogik handlar om ett förändringsarbete, ett arbete som ofta drivs av specialpedagoger. Detta förändringsarbete kan utgöra en utmaning då det kräver att all personal arbetar tillsammans och stöttar varandra, men även att skolledningen är positivt inställd och delaktig i arbetet. Resultaten diskuteras utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv där begrepp som kommunikation, medierande resurser och proximal utvecklingszon är centrala. Vi drar slutsatsen att tydliggörande pedagogik kan ses som en medierande resurs som bidrar till att lärare lättare kan utmana elevernas proxiamala utvecklingszon.

I detta examensarbete undersöker jag två övergripande frågeställningar gällande fysisk tillgänglighet. Den första frågan rör varför enkelt avhjälpta hinder, det vill säga retroaktiva krav på ökad tillgänglighet, har tillfogats Sveriges bygglagstiftning. Den andra frågan rör hur arbetet med åtgärdandet av de retroaktiva föreskrifterna har utförts i svenska kommuner. Motiven bakom uppkomsten av krav undersöks genom en genomgång av äldre byggregler och handikapputredningar. I undersökningen konstateras att tillgänglighetskrav har funnits i svenska byggregler sedan länge, men att omfattning och formuleringar har varierat. I studien visas att nuvarande lagkrav är förhållandevis lika äldre byggregler och två huvudsakliga förklaringar till behovet av en retroaktivt verkande lag konstateras. Den första förklaringen är att en stor del av den byggda miljön har tillkommit innan tillgänglighetskrav ställdes i lagstiftningen. Den andra anledningen är att aktörer inom plan- och byggprocessen har saknat tillräcklig kunskap för att kunna verkligställa de övergripande målkrav som ställts sedan början av 1980-talet. Studien visar också att arbetet med enkelt avhjälpta hinder utgör ett medel för att tillgodose denna kunskap bland berörda aktörer. Arbetets andra frågeställning är om några specifika strategier har varit särskilt effektiva i arbetet med enkelt avhjälpta hinder. Genom litteraturstudier och intervjuer i en kommun plockas sju faktorer fram och testas mot resultatet i en av SKL genomförd undersökning av tillgängligheten i svenska kommuner. Det går inte att dra några generella slutsatser från testet, men genom litteraturstudien och intervjuerna bedöms två faktorer vara kopplade till hur framgångsrikt arbetet med enkelt avhjälpta hinder har varit: hur väl arbetet har planerats och hur samarbetet med funktionshinderrörelsen har utformats. / In this thesis, I examine two main questions regarding accessibility. The first question concerns why retroactive requirements for increased accessibility, enkelt avhjälpta hinder (easily eliminated barriers), have been added to the Swedish building legislation. The question is examined by a review of older building codes and reports published by disability commissions. The review found that accessibility requirements have existed in building regulations since the 1960s. The extent of the requirements has varied, but many requirements set in the new policy are relatively similar to those in older building codes. The study gives two explanations for why the new policy is needed. First, a majority of the built environment in Sweden was constructed before any accessibility requirements were legislated. Second, the actors in the planning and building process have previously lacked sufficient knowledge on disability. The study shows that the new policy is a means to raise the knowledge on disability and accessibility. The second question concerns how the new policy has been implemented in Swedish municipalities, and whether some specific implementation strategies have been particularly effective. Through literature reviews and interviews in a municipality, two main factors are identified as crucial for the success of accessibility adaptations: how well the work has been planned in advance and how the collaboration with the disability movement has been arranged.

Civil engineers have many responsibilities to the public, among them designing safe, efficient, and reliable structures and infrastructure. But what is the responsibility of civil engineers towards ensuring that intended users can use these structures and infrastructure without encountering barriers? This research looks at the intersection of universal design (UD) and civil engineering to find if civil engineering students should learn about accessibility and UD during their undergraduate education and if civil engineering professionals should be held accountable when barriers are designed and constructed into the built environment. To answer these questions a survey was distributed to 222 building design professionals to gather their opinion and experience on the subject. Results show that civil engineers have limited knowledge of UD and accessibility requirements in the built environment and that they overwhelmingly believe that students should learn about these subjects during their civil engineering education. Furthermore, most participants agree that civil engineers do have a responsibility to ensure that the built environment is accessible to everyone. Based on the survey results, it is recommended to integrate a course about accessibility and UD in civil engineering curriculums. The curriculums of undergraduate civil engineering programs at Canadian universities were analyzed and it was found that no course discussing these subjects currently exists, but that there is space to implement them in a broader “social impacts of civil engineering” course. It is recommended that the CEAB recognizes accessibility and UD as useful and necessary subjects of education for civil engineering students. Finally, case studies of recent accessibility assessments of buildings are presented. It was found that while progress is being made in designing and constructing accessible structures, many are still not meeting all possible UD recommendations. The participation of professional civil engineers who have learned about accessibility and UD during their civil engineering education could improve the outcome of these projects. The findings of this thesis indicate that it is time to acknowledge civil engineers’ responsibility towards society and the need for a consistent approach to education about its social impacts, in particular about accessibility and universal design.

Information appliances such as notebook computers and cellular telephones are becoming integral to the lives of many. These devices facilitate a variety of communication tasks, and are used for employment, education, and entertainment. Those with disabilities, however, have limited access to these devices, due in part to product designs that do not consider their special needs. A usability evaluation can help identify the needs and difficulties those with disabilities have when using a product and universal design principles can then be applied to enhance accessibility and usability. This study addresses the usability of two of the most common information appliances - notebook computers and cellular telephones. The usability of notebook computers was evaluated using a remote ethnographic method where participants recorded usability-related critical incidents. Participants included those with a wide range of abilities, such as legal blindness, total blindness, and upper extremity physical disabilities. Objective and subjective measures were used to determine the effects of several specific design parameters for cellular telephones. The notebook computer study revealed that participants have difficulty with non-standard keyboard layouts, the use of isometric pointing devices, case latches, and inadequate system feedback. User performance and ratings in the cellular telephone study were the best with the 12 mm lateral pitch and 0.7 mm key height, while the fewest task failures were committed using the 0.5 mm keystroke. Participants also preferred telephone models with large <Power>, <Send> and <End> keys located in prominent locations, and 22-point and 36-point display fonts. These results were used to generate product-specific design guidelines that can be used to design notebook computers and cellular telephones that are more usable and accessible for users with visual and upper extremity physical disabilities. Universal design implications are also discussed. / Master of Science

Detta kandidatarbete behandlar tillgänglighetsanpassningarför ökad inkludering på torg i två svenska kommuneri södra Sverige. Jämförelser mellan torgen visar påmöjligheter att förbättra tillgänglighetsanpassningarna påtorgytorna för att utöka tillgänglighet och inkludering istadsmiljön. De utvalda torgen som studien kretsar kringär Lilla Torg i Malmö stad samt Mårtenstorget i Lundskommun. De potentiella tillgänglighetslösningarna harframtagits genom studier av ett prisbelönat bidrag i EU:stillgänglighetstävling Access City Award från åren 2018 och2019. Det utvalda bidraget är staden Viborg i Danmark.Forskningsfrågorna har varit (1) Vilka omgivningsfaktorerhämmar målgruppers inkludering på torgytor i den byggdastadsmiljön? Och, (2) Vilka aspekter och kvaliteter kananses skapa en tillgänglig torgyta för alla målgrupper?Torgytor kan skapa hinder på grund av bristandetillgänglighetsanpassning och undanröjande av enkeltavhjälpta hinder med hänvisning till kulturhistoriskavärden. Tillgänglighet är inte enbart ett fysiskt krav förden byggda stadsmiljön enligt Plan- och bygglagen utanäven en medborgerlig rättighet enligt UN CRPD. Arbetetredovisar även malmö- och lundabornas uppfattningarpå de tillgänglighetsanpassningar som finns eller börfinnas på torgytorna. För att ta reda på bakomliggandeorsaker till genomförande av tillgänglighetsutformningav stadsrummet och vilka regelverk kommunerna måstefölja, intervjuades tjänstemän från Malmö Stad och Lundskommun. För att få en jämförande bild intervjuades ävenrepresentanter från två funktionshindersorganisationer.Resultatet av detta kandidatarbete är potentiellatillgänglighetslösningar som kan appliceras på de utvaldatorgen. De framtagna lösningarna fungerar som exempelpå hur torgytorna kan inkludera alla besökare. Vår slutsatsär att goda tillgänglighetsanpassningar för tillgänglighetoch inkludering på medeltida torgrum behöver utgåfrån en drastisk förändring av kommunikationen mellanstadsplanerande delar av kommunen och invånarna istäderna. Kommunerna bör även skapa ett aktivt samarbetemed funktionshindersorganisationer och rörelser somarbetat med tillgänglighetsfrågor för att vidareutvecklakunskapen inom tillgänglighetsanpassningar som kan taplats i staden. / This bachelor thesis deals with inclusion and accessibility adaptations of two medieval town squares in two municipalities in southern Sweden. The selected squares that the research study revolves around are ‘Lilla Torg’ in the city of Malmö and ‘Mårtenstorget’ in Lund municipality. The thesis is a comparative study that has resulted in potential renewal solutions that can be applied to the squares to increase equal access to the urban environment. The solutions have been inspired by one of the prize-winning cities in the European Access City Award competition from the year 2018 and winner of year 2019. The laureated city was the city of Viborg, which is a medieval city situated in Denmark. The Access City Award is an annual award ceremony in which the European Union awards European cities that actively work with accessibility adaptations and the removal of easily eliminated obstacles to increase inclusion for people with physical and cognitive disabilities. The research questions were: Firstly: What factors inhibit inclusion for people with disabilities on medieval town squares? And, secondly: What aspects and qualities can be considered to create accessible town squares of medieval origin for all potential user groups? The thesis provides a clear overview of aspects and different factors that constitute an inclusive and welcoming urban environment for every citizen. Our cities usually consist of older buildings that not always are adapted progressively to avoid access problems and obstacles that an older urban environments can create for various user groups. Town square, which are specifically addressed in this thesis, can often create obstacles due to the lack of accessibility adaptations and the removal of easily eliminated obstacles. This is often attributed to their cultural-historical values. However, cultural-historical values are aspects of the city that can questioned, since, when it comes to medieval squares, they have often undergone substantial changes over time. The visual expression is one of the reasons for why municipalities often tend to avoid physically reshaping such districts and squares so that they do not lose the city character of the city. To find out more about underlying motives for the accessibility adaptations that the two Swedish town squares in this study have undergone officials from both the City of Malmö and Lund Municipality were interviewed. In addition, representatives of Swedish disability organisations were interviewed about necessary changes to realizes in such areas. As a backdrop to the study, legal frameworks that monitor Swedish urban design were mapped. Legal frameworks of specific interest for this research study is both international conventions and national laws, regulations and guidelines that apply to building matters and the implementation of accessibility and usability requirements. Our study has primarily focused on the UN Convention 26 on equal rights for people with disabilities as well as the Swedish Planning and Building law and ordonnance with their adherent regulations on accessibility adaptations and the removal of easily eliminated obstacles. However, the national local government act allows for different physical realisations of these requirements. This circumstance may contribute to the fact that different types of urban environment are differently adapted. In consequence, visitors to town squares can experience urban spaces as inclusive, less inclusive or purely excluding. Our stance is that accessibility, not only within the built urban environment, is a requirement and not an option, therefore, there is a need for communication between urban planning organizations of the municipality and the actual users of the city. The result of this thesis is twofold. Firstly, the work will also present views of citizens in Malmö and Lund concerning their perception of accessibility adaptations of two medieval town squares. These views strengthen our arguments that the studied sites are not sufficiently adapted to suit all types of visitors. Secondly, this thesis proposes a set of potential solutions that can be applied to medieval town squares to address accessibility, inclusion, and usability problems. These solutions are based on exemplary models of how the squares can be adapted for all visitors and interviews with stakeholders. Our solutions open with a drastic change in the ordinary communication between urban planning organizations and the inhabitants of the cities. A functioning dialogue between the municipality and the users of the built urban environment is the key to a gradually more adapted city where everyone feels and physically can be included in the urban environment. By holding regular meetings a number of times during the year, a municipality can gather opinions about issues that the inhabitants think should be changed or improved to solve accessibility, inclusion, or usability problems or easily removal obstacles that may compromise daily activities that take place on medieval two squares. Municipalities should also initiate active collaborations with local organizations or movements that work with accessibility issues to further develop knowledge that entail accessibility, usability, and inclusion in the city. The element that both Malmö and Lund should mainly consider is the ground covering at the squares. Smoothing the ground can be a drastic physical change, but it would solve a few problems that visitors experience. Although the ground covering at Mårtenstorget in Lund has already been redesigned, citizens and visitors believe that this is still a problem for certain target groups. The same concerns apply to Lilla Torg in Malmö as the ground cover has not been adapted to be more accessibility. Although the cites want to retain the cultural-historical values and the visual expression of the old city centers, there are no factors that can prevent the municipalities to implement such a drastic transformation. Materials such as granite, small and large stone can still be used to maintain the visual expression. Working with contrast markings on the ground surface and with adaptations for people with visual impairments is another point both cities should adapt. Both Lilla Torg and Mårtenstorget lack guidance routes and distinguishable edges, that makes it difficult for people with visual impairments to navigate the squares. Seating should also be updated in the squares, the benches found at Lilla torg lack back and arm supports, by simply replacing the existing furniture creates a more welcoming atmosphere for persons with functional variations. According to our observations, more seating should be installed on Mårtenstorget, although the square surface is also used as a car parking space, the parking area should be clearly defined to provide clarity in that urban space and to create a more organized atmosphere. This change will also allow for more seating to be mounted on the square. By using creative solutions and universal design in terms of accessibility, cities with the help of citizens can create more welcoming and inclusive city spaces.

The elderly visually impaired is not only a neglected user group within interaction design but also a large one in our society. Within this user group, I discovered that they do not get enough exercise because of their inability to move in public spaces without feeling unsafe. To feel safe, they would have to use both their rollator and their white cane at the same time; an impossibility. This paradoxical issue brings forth design opportunities of both physical artifacts with combined effectiveness of a white cane and a rollator. Also, it includes an exploration with a user-centered design approach on how haptic feedback could help them navigate. Haptics being the suitable alternative for a non-visual interaction. An add-on attached to the existing rollator with sensors and haptic feedback would enhance the feeling safety of an elderly visually impaired and would enable them to move in public spaces to get their exercise.

Digitala spel har tidigare utvecklats för att på olika sätt stödja rehabilitering av patienter både fysiskt och psykiskt. För att lyckas med dessa spel krävs specifika element för att skapa en spelupplevelse. Dessutom krävs anpassning av det grafiska gränssnittet för att patienten ska ha möjlighet att använda spelet trots sina begränsningar. Dessa spel har dock haft fokus på specifika fall eller sjukdomar, exempelvis rehabilitering efter stroke. Problemet denna studie ämnar att lösa är det faktum att sjukhuspatienter får för lite motion. Då det blir vanligare att patienterna har egna rum blir de bekväma och isolerar sig, något som resulterar i minskad social interaktion. För att adressera detta problem utvecklade studien en spelprototyp för sjukhuspatienter. Studien genomförde åtta användartester som observerades och följdes upp med intervjuer för att utvärdera den slutgiltiga prototypen. Resultatet sammanställdes till en lista med riktlinjer för hur spel kan designas för att motivera patienter till rörelse / Video games is a proven solution to your website to support patients rehabilitation, both physically and mentally. A numbered I was a great of elements are required to create a successful game for the specific audience. The game needs a combination of components to create a game experience and customization to the graphical user interface to support the user's limitations. These games are usually created for a specific kind of rehabilitation, i.e rehabilitation for stroke patients. This paper aims to study the issue with hospitalized patients not getting enough exercise during their stay. Since more and more patients receive separate rooms they also get less social interaction due to isolation. The study will develop a digital game prototype for hospitalized patients with the aim to solve this problem. The study performed eight user tests for the final prototype. The tests consisted of observations followed by interviews. The test results were then compiled into a list with design guidelines about how to create a digital, motivational, exercise game for hospitalized patients.

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When discussing games and the experience of gamers those with disabilities are often overlooked. This has left a gap in our understanding of the experience of players with disabilities in virtual game worlds. However there are examples of players with disabilities being very successful in the virtual world video game World of Warcraft, suggesting that there is an opportunity to study the game for usability insight in creating other virtual world environments. This study surveyed World of Warcraft players with disabilities online for insight into how they used interface addons to manage their experience and identity performance in the game. A rubric was also created to study a selection of addons for evidence of the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The study found that World of Warcraft players with disabilities do not use addons more than able-bodied players, but some of the most popular addons do exhibit many or most of the principles of UDL. UDL principles appear to have emerged organically from addon iterations over time. The study concludes by suggesting that the same approach to user-generated content for the game interface taken by the creators of World of Warcraft, as well as high user investment in the environment, can lead to more accessible virtual world learning environments in the future.

The significance of students being able to express and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding in all content areas has always been important especially in the sciences. Students under the Next Generation Science Standards will be required to participate in science discourse through a variety of approaches. This study examined student engagement and student demonstration of content knowledge in inclusive science classrooms through a quasiexperimental research design which included four case study participants with a learning disability. The researcher also evaluated student content knowledge through the implementation of Universal Design for Learning-Expression (UDL-E) through a non-replicated control group design. Data were collected through a variety of sources including: researcher observations, review of student academic records, interviews, surveys, UDL-E products, and pre-test and posttest scores. Researcher observations spanned over a 10 week period and were coded and analyzed quantitatively. Findings from a Repeated ANOVA demonstrated no statistical significance, however based on interviews with students; findings show that the students did enjoy exploring the opportunity to express their knowledge using the Expression principle of Universal Design for Learning. Student time-on-task did remain equally as high during UDL-E and students’ inattentive behaviors decreased.