South Africa has a deeply entrenched relationship with the global Disability Rights Movement and the social model of disability, the roots of which were nascent as early as 1964 in Nelson Mandela’s Rivonia Trial speech. Since South Africa’s transition to democracy in 1994, steps have been taken through legislation and policy to give expression to disability rights. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 recognises disability equality together with race and gender equity and other rights. In 2007, South Africa was one of the first countries to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and the UNCRPD was established as a national objective through the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2015 (WPRPD). The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, 2000 references universal design, universal access and reasonable accommodation as tools to achieve disability equality through safe, equal and dignified access. From 2008, new regulations were applied to public buildings, public space, transport and housing, and new infrastructure standards were introduced to promote accessibility. The DoT’s Moving South Africa study (1999) identified barriers to all forms of transport for special categories of passengers. In 2007, the Department of Transport (DoT) developed the Public Transport Strategy to help guide, support and monitor municipalities in implementing accessible public transport systems, and 13 major municipalities were selected to test the implementation of the Integrated Public Transport Network (IPTN): Johannesburg, Cape Town, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City, eThekwini, Polokwane, Rustenburg, Mbombela, Msunduzi, and Mangaung. A thirteenth was added in 2013/4, George. The Public Transport Network Grant (PTNG) was aimed at helping municipalities to accelerate the construction and improvement of accessible, affordable, integrated, efficient and sustainable public transport networks within the 20-year timeframe provided in Moving South Africa. The National Land Transport Act, 2009 mandates universal access in public transport. In 2016, in pursuit of this aim, the DoT published the Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan, as well as the first standards for pedestrian crossings in line with WPRPD requirements. The DoT developed the Universal Design Access Plan (UDAP) for the 13 IPTN municipalities to record and measure progress towards a universally accessible transport system. This master’s dissertation examines and evaluates the implementation of universally accessible transport systems in the 13 IPTN municipalities, between 2010 and 2020, within this context. / Dissertation (MTRP) University of Pretoria, 2021. / Department of Transport / Town and Regional Planning / MTRP / Unrestricted

Accessibility in back-end development is often overlooked, with the majority of discussions and efforts centered on front-end design. To make applications usable for a wider audience, developers must also prioritize incorporating accessibility from the back-end. Back-end web accessibility encompasses the design and development of web-based systems and applications that are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. This involves optimizing the underlying code and infrastructure for accessibility and implementing features that enable users with disabilities to navigate and interact with the site or application. Ensuring back-end web accessibility is crucial for creating an inclusive online environment accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities. Presently, there is a significant gap in research regarding back-end accessibility specifics. This study investigates the challenges in implementing back-end accessibility, explores best practices, and aims to facilitate future research on its impact on user experience and system performance.

Packaging design has historically relied on visual properties to engage the customers and to communicate the product. However, such an approach is non-inclusive and vulnerable to data loss. The current paper supports the notion of a multi-sensory design that integrates multiple communicative properties (visual, auditory, tactual, olfactory and gustatory), in order to make the experience available to everyone, to redu-ce data loss and to contribute to happiness. A decade of studies has proven that a multi-sensory design (MSD) approach, can impact at a cognitive level by contributing to the mental well-being through senso-ry activation and product engagement. Thus, MSD has both an economic and an ecological value. As the United Nations are continuing their efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals, an MSD approach could help reach these goals; mainly Goal 3 Good health and well-being, Goal 12 Responsible consumptions and Goal 13 Climate actions.  The purpose of the current study is to understand how sensory elements are applied, and in what way they are manifested in packaging design today. To achieve the objectives, the current study has applied a quantitative content analysis in order to understand how MSD is applied in packaging design. Moreover, the analysis aimed to understand how sensory properties are used for marketing communication, and to find possible correlations between the level of applied MSD, the product materials and the price. For the analysis, 13 chocolate products from different price ranges were selected; as chocolate consumption is associated with evoking emotions. The content analysis revealed that all sensory properties, with the exception of olfactory, were present on all packages. Although olfactory was found on the packages that used a combination of card-board and plastic materials, the result was non-conclusive. Additionally, the analysis found that visual properties were dominant in marketing communication and that plastic materials emitted most sound. Fur- thermore, the analysis did not find that the higher-price products had more sensory elements.

The less glamorous aspects of a transportation system'­s infrastructure, such as signage, ticketing systems, and wayfinding elements, typically get little or no attention from creative professionals. Instead they are purchased directly from manufacturers as minimally customized off-the-shelf components. Paradoxically, these parts that go unconsidered and undesigned are what transit riders most directly interact with, and what most affects their experience of the transit system/product. This thesis focuses specifically on the Washington DC Metro Area Transportation Authority's (WMATA) Metrorail, aiming to reshape the entrance segment of this public transportation experience by increasing both appeal and accessibility. The design process began with primary and secondary design research, using observational and interactive methods to produce an informed picture of Metrorail users'­ current perspectives. A design strategy was then developed from the collective research findings, which led to a period of blue-sky ideation and finally the design of elegant and accessible mass transit entrance system components. / Master of Science

The world population is increasing while the average age rises steadily. With this, the percentage with any kind of physical impairment is also increasing. Today, a large part of our built environment is planned for people without disabilities. The inaccessible environment prevents people with disabilities to live independently and participate in the society. Everyday activities, such as shopping or visiting friends and family is something that most people take for granted, but is for many people impossible. This divides the population into two: the ones with a disability and the ones without one. To investigate and evaluate the accessibility today, a comparison was made between Sweden and Australia. For this, research questions were stated and answered through a literature study. A case study was also performed to highlight the differences and similarities in the built environment. The thesis is limited to physical impairment and dwellings. Building legislation in Australia is limited to the state of Victoria. Both Sweden and Australia has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of persons with disabilities, but this study showed that there is a long way left before the built environment is fully accessible for all. Sweden has a clear legal framework and standards regarding accessibility in buildings, but yet many newly built dwellings do not meet the requirements. Australia has not come as far, and the current building legislation barely mentions accessibility. Also, the demands today regarding accessibility only needs to be considered when building 20 or more dwellings, where the demand is 5 % or at least one accessible home. This could be showed by the fact that today it is common that people of all ages with physical impairments are forced to live in age care homes. / <p>Validerat; 20150531 (global_studentproject_submitter)</p>

This digitalization has in many ways contributed to greater inclusion but access to the digital community is not evenly distributed in the population, and we can see that groups of citizens do not feel involved in the transition to a digitalized society, or are not involved as much as they would actually like. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss how designers and developers to a greater extent can be able to take account of accessibility requirements for people with mental and cognitive impairments. The discussion is based on the study “Pilot study on accessibility of electronic communications for persons with mental disabilities”, literature reviews and my experience from almost 25 years of work in the field. The design and development processes I primarily want to highlight are those that produce digital products and services in what we call the mainstream.  Mainstream is the society in which we act as citizens have rights and duties, and where we should be able to realize our dreams, wishes and needs, where we find friends, family, education, livelihood and meaningfulness in the activities and the tasks we perform. The persons who participated in the study describe situations where: Design and development processes often fail to meet the need for cognitive simplicity. Many in themselves relatively simple functions, processes and activities can, used together create new and unknown difficulties. Support processes malfunction. Knowledge of user requirements is missing or does not reach out to the people and the processes where this knowledge would be useful. The people also describes that they are never involved in the design- and development processes, and that the knowledge and experience they possess is not being utilized. There is a need for a transfer of knowledge from the areas that produce knowledge today (rehabilitation, assistive technology, special solutions) to the mainstream. There is a need to explore and describe the knowledge and experience persons with mental and cognitive disabilities possesses. There is a need to work closely with persons who have mental and cognitive disabilities directly in mainstream-solutions in order to improve the digital society. Methods seem to be further developed on how to do this cooperation, in research, in innovation and in ordinary societal processes. The thesis presents a proposed framework for the design and development processes to be able to meet accessibility requirements for persons with mental and cognitive disabilities. / Digitaliseringen har på många sätt bidragit till ökad inkludering, men tillgången till det digitala samhället är inte jämnt fördelat i befolkningen. Vi kan se grupper av medborgare som inte känner sig delaktiga i övergången till ett digitaliserat samhälle, eller som kanske är med fast inte lika mycket som alla andra och inte lika mycket som de egentligen skulle vilja. Avhandlingens syfte är att med utgångspunkt från studien ”Pilotstudie om tillgänglighet till elektronisk kommunikation för personer med psykiska funktionsnedsättningar”, aktuella litteraturöversikter och snart 25 års arbete på fältet diskutera hur designers och utvecklare i högre utsträckning ska kunna beakta krav på tillgänglighet för personer med psykiska och kognitiva funktionsnedsättningar. De design- och utvecklingsprocesser jag i första hand är intresserad av att belysa är sådana som producerar digitala produkter och tjänster inom det vi kallar mainstream, det samhälle där vi agerar som samhällsmedborgare har skyldigheter och rättigheter och där vi efter bästa förmåga ska kunna förverkliga våra drömmar, önskemål och behov. Där vi hittar vänner, familj, utbildning, försörjning och meningsfullhet i de aktiviteter och de sysslor vi utför. De personer som medverkat i studien beskriver situationer där: Design- och utvecklingsprocesser ofta misslyckas med att tillgodose behov av kognitiv enkelhet Många i sig relativt enkla processer och aktiviteter skapar sammantaget nya och okända svårigheter Stödprocesser fungerar dåligt Kunskap om användarnas behov saknas eller når inte ut till personer eller till processer där den skulle göra nytta Personerna beskriver också att de i inte är delaktiga i design- och utvecklingsprocesser och att den kunskap och de erfarenheter de besitter inte tas tillvara. Det finns behov av en överföring av kunskap från de områden som producerar sådan idag (rehabilitering, hjälpmedel, särlösningar) till mainstream. Det finns behov av att utforska och beskriva den kunskap och erfarenhet som finns hos de berörda personerna och till sist finns behov av att direkt i mainstream-samhället och tillsammans med personer som har psykiska och kognitiva funktionsnedsättningar göra detta samhälle mer tillgängligt. Metoder för hur detta ska gå till förefaller behöva utvecklas. Det gäller särskilt metoder för hur personer med psykiska och kognitiva funktionsnedsättningar ska få inflytande över och vara delaktiga i design- och utvecklingsprocesser. Avhandlingen presenterar ett förslag till ramverk för hur design- och utvecklingsprocesser bättre ska kunna möta kraven på tillgänglighet för personer med psykiska och kognitiva funktionsnedsättningar. / <p>QC 20160303</p>

Complex interactive behaviour involves cognitive, sensation and motor behaviour and may consist of several sub interactive behaviours. It needs to be examined from different points of view. Although explaining everything in one model is not currently possible, it is possible to connect information from different sources to get a better understanding of the interaction to benefit product design. The long-term objective of our study is to develop a methodology for interactive virtual design assessment to study the interactive behaviour and achieve compatibility. This study summarized two experiments which covered many aspects of interactive behaviours in seated posture. Experiment one addressed manipulation behaviour and the hand control design of the car. Experiment two addressed seated reaching behaviour and ATM design. The two experiments are the basis of the advanced study for interactive virtual design assessment. They explored the limitations and advantages of digital prototypes and physical prototypes and suggested that digital prototypes and physical prototypes should be combined to provide design variations and to support human factor testing.

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Language is a system of communication made up of syntax and semantics. The syntax of a language of accommodation is a series of design gestures made within the building, whereas the semantics are the meaningful moments created by these gestures. This thesis is an exploration of the language of accommodation in design. Accommodations in the building were approached through the social model of disability lens. The social model of disability is a framework in which to view the world developed by disabled activists. This lens is based on the idea that a physical impairment does not disable someone, but rather that the artificial barriers we, as a society, create are the factors that truly disable someone. If we as architects approach the world through the social model point of view, we can remove access barriers before they are ever built. We are in a unique position to shape the world around us so why not create an architecture that everyone can enjoy. If we as architects designed with the social model as their point of view, there would be fewer debilitating barriers and no need to go back and make accommodations once needed. An inclusive building is one that includes disabled users, not one that goes back to adapt to users with different needs. A building that is designed for the group with the highest specialized needs, will work better for every user. This project aims to use language, a system of syntax and semantics, to discuss accommodation in architecture. Currently there is an abundance of inaccessible barriers in our public schools system. The early childhood center proposed in this thesis was designed to accommodate disabled users as the main users creating a building of inclusivity instead of accessibility. / Master of Architecture / Language is a system of communication made up of syntax and semantics. The syntax of a language of accommodation is a series of design gestures made within the building, whereas the semantics are the meaningful moments created by these gestures. This thesis is an exploration of the language of accommodation in design. Accommodations in the building were approached through the social model of disability lens. The social model of disability is a framework in which to view the world developed by disabled activists. This lens is based on the idea that a physical impairment does not disable someone, but rather that the artificial barriers we, as a society, create are the factors that truly disable someone. If architects designed with the social model as their point of view, there would be fewer debilitating barriers and no need to go back and make accommodations once needed. An inclusive building is one that includes disabled users, not one that goes back to adapt to users with different needs. A building that is designed for the group with the highest specialized needs, will work better for every user. This project aims to use language, a system of syntax and semantics, to discuss accommodation in architecture. The early childhood center proposed in this thesis was designed to accommodate disabled users as the main users creating a building of inclusivity instead of accessibility.

Studiens syfte är att analysera hur pedagoger, elever och skolledare vid en gymnasieskola uppfattar fenomenen inkludering och tillgänglig undervisning genom att undersöka deras syn på möjligheter och utmaningar med att som elev inskriven i gymnasiesärskolan delta i undervisning på nationella program på gymnasieskolan. Vi har genomfört sju semistrukturerade intervjuer med målet att finna variationer i uppfattningarna kring inkludering och tillgänglig undervisning hos de olika aktörerna. Tidigare forskning har visat att begreppet inkludering används på olika sätt vilket resulterar i att skolors arbete med inkluderingsprocesser tar sig olika uttryck beroende på vilken definition man utgår ifrån. Studier visar även att heterogena grupper kan ha en positiv effekt för både elever i behov av särskilt stöd och för elever utan samma behov samt att särskiljande lösningar ofta har en stigmatiserande effekt. Trots detta anser många lärare och rektorer att just heterogeniteten i klassrummen är en av de största utmaningarna. Tillgänglighet handlar om hur väl en verksamhet fungerar för personer med en funktionsnedsättning. En tillgänglig lärmiljö handlar om att ge alla elever förutsättningar att vara delaktiga och inkluderade i utbildning. En väl genomtänkt undervisning som är varierad, utmanande och i förväg anpassad efter alla elevers behov kommer att leda till att minska antalet elever i svårigheter. Ett sätt att göra detta är att använda sig av Universal design for learning, en uppsättning principer som utgår ifrån att alla elever lär på olika sätt och att läraren därför behöver använda sig av olika metoder för att möta alla elevers behov. Resultatet av vår studie visar att informanterna uppfattar att ett gemensamt förhållningssätt är viktigt för att kunna möta alla individer. Skolan ses som ett litet samhälle där alla ska ges möjlighet att möta mångfald och olikheter. För att inkludering och tillgänglighet ska kunna uppnås uppfattar informanterna att det krävs en vilja att inkludera alla elever samt att det är viktigt att olika professioner på skolan samarbetar. En annan viktig förutsättning för en lyckad inkludering är ett relationellt perspektiv samt en vilja att anpassa undervisningen efter de elever man som lärare har framför sig.