Society for Disability Studies

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DIS 470: Interdisciplinary Project in Disability Studies
Spring, 2008
Faculty
Stephen Gilson, Ph.D.
201 Corbett Hall
Stephen_Gilson@umit.maine.edu
Voice-581-1263
V/TTY- 581-1084
Elizabeth DePoy, Ph.D
201 Corbett Hall
edepoy@maine.edu
Voice-581-1469
V/TTY- 581-1084
Overview: The disability project provides the opportunity for students to apply knowledge about disability to the actualization of a disability-related project in the student’s area of interest. With guidance from the DIS 470 instructor and the student’s advisor, students may participate in ongoing projects or identify new disability-related areas for project activity. Students may take this course to complete the requirements for the disability concentration or to work with guidance on a project of interest. The course provides the opportunity for collaboration across disciplines.
Credits: 1-6 (depending on requirements and/or interest)
Prerequisites: DIS 300, 400, & 450, or by permission
Course Objectives:
In this course, students will:
1. Identify a current problem in access and/or opportunity related to disability;
2. Synthesize disciplinary specific and disability knowledge and skills to enact a project activity;
3. Monitor and modify activity based on feedback;
4. Assess the outcome of activity;
5. Use appropriate technology in all activity.
Readings and Resources:
Selected readings will be assigned. A course-pack can be obtained at Gossamer Press and a copy will be located in 220 Corbett Hall.
Teaching-Learning Methods:
A variety of teaching-learning projects, planned collaboratively among the instructor, student, academic advisors in the student’s major and in the disability concentration, and field instructor will comprise the methods used in this course.
Student Responsibilities:
All students are required to attend class and meet with faculty regularly.
Student Accommodations:
Any student who because of a disability may need special arrangements or accommodations to meet the requirements of this course is encouraged to see me at your earliest convenience.
If the accommodation the student requests for a disability requires material resources or for some reason cannot be provided by the faculty members, please inform the school's disability liaison in writing of your request. In turn, you may be asked to file documentation with a central university office. It is possible that university experts will confer with the liaison to determine what kind of accommodations should be made to facilitate your participation in class.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Project #1-Product assessment- 30%
Paper due on Feb 24. Please post to the First Class folder.
Read and post a one paragraph summary on the First Class folder for the following readings by Feb. 15.
Universal Design Performance Measures for Products
Evaluating the Universal Design Performance of Products
Case studies on Universal Design-( Read all case studies contained in the links)

Compare and contrast the two products below on the following questions:
1. Describe the appearance and materials used in each product.
2. What is the rationale for these designs?
3. Compare the product designs for:
Attractiveness (aesthetics)
Contemporary design
Independence of use
Size and shape
Extent to which the design distinguishes group membership?
Stigma potential
Appeal to specific groups
Price

Products
Chairs (Wheel chair and Windsor chair)

Upright mobility (Segway and Walker)

Upright self propelled mobility (Hiking Stick and Cane)

Skiing aids (Poles and Outriggers)

Shower seat #1 and shower seat #2

#1

#2

Complete the universal design product assessment for each product. Use the information in your object comparisons

Project #2- Space assessment….40%: Select one of the following spaces and assess it for social, physical, economic, sensory access
Read and post a one paragraph summary on the First Class folder for the following readings by March 15.
Envisioning Universal Design: Creating an Inclusive Society
Equal Access; universal Design of Libraries
Creative Development of a sustainable Universal Design environment
Toward universal Access in the Workforce Development System
Paper due on March 23. Please post to the First Class folder.
Please read excerpt below:
DePoy, E. & Gilson, S. ( in press) Universal Design and the Human-Environment Juncture Continuum
The theory of universal design maps an approach to shaping diverse environments for the widest range of difference (Nasar & Evans-Cowley, 2007). Unlike accommodation, which fashions special solutions to barriers encountered by atypical individuals who cannot access or use standard environments and resources, or inclusive design (Imre & Hall, 2001) which seeks to eliminate barriers for disabled populations, universal principles ostensibly guide a socially just design process from its initial conception through its maintenance, stewardship, and evolution. Underpinning this approach is the value that human difference is inherently good, exists, changes, and should be an important element that drives the design and care of abstract, virtual, built, and natural environments and resources (DePoy & Gilson, 2007).
However, because of its historical emergence as a response to disabled bodies, universal design is often mistaken for and limited to an inclusive response to disability. The distinctions among terms such as barrier free design, inclusive design, accommodative design, adaptive design, universal design, universal access, and maximum usability are often unclear. As the basis for this discussion, we define each in Table 1 below.

Table 1-Defintion of Terms
Term Definition
Barrier free design Practices focusing on retrofitting standard environments typically in compliance with legal access statues such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and Disability Discrimination Act, UK and Australia.
Accommodative design Response to disabled populations within the constraints of what is “reasonable.”
Inclusive design Attitudes, values and practices focusing on the needs of disabled people (Imre & Hall, 2001).
Adaptive design Customized environment and products for disabled individuals (DePoy & Gilson, 2004).
Universal design The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design." ().
Universal access The ability of the greatest number of people to reach environments and resources ( DePoy & Gilson, 2004).
Maximum usability The ability of the greatest number of people to participate in and use environments and resources respectively (DePoy & Gilson, 2005/6; 2007).

Given its roots in disability rights and responses, it is not surprising that universal design is often used interchangeably with disability-focused design concepts highlighted in Table 1. More recently, universal design has been expanded to refer to planning for other groups who have experienced barriers to environments and resources, such as those who have limited literacy, cultural practices and preferences which are not consistent with environmental standards, economic limitations, and so forth, introducing even more variables and factors to be considered and clarified as universal design.
We therefore distinguish universal design as a set of thinking and action processes that seek to reduce disjuncture or ill fit between humans and environments and maximize full juncture, or access and usability for the broadest range of individuals and groups. Thus, we delimit design as the human processes, and the outcome of design as the continuum of human-environment juncture, from disjuncture to full juncture.
Because design thinking and action are creative processes that result in dynamic and evolving outcomes, human-environment juncture is not discretely divided into measureable standards. Table 2 below presents the three levels of juncture for your analysis.
The Children’s Museum of Bangor
Bangor Public Library
University of Maine Art Museum
BAT bus
Bangor Mall
Grasshopper Shop
Orono Post Office
Interview and Observation: Through systematically interviewing and observing users of the space (employees, consumers, service recipients, etc.) determine the level of access according to the chart in Table 2 below. Include a verbatim transcript of your interviews, your analysis, and your rationale for the choice of juncture level.
Table 2-Three levels of Human-Environment Juncture
Full Juncture Compliance Juncture Disjuncture
Environmental, space, and product design outcomes which take into account the full diversity of human bodies, ideas, experiences, and preferences and hold full participation as its value foundation. Environmental, space, and product design outcome which responds to compliance with minimal legal physical and sensory access standards. Environmental, space, and product design outcome which does not account for access for diverse human bodies, preferences or experiences.

Project #3-Virtual assessment: 30%.
Read and post a one paragraph summary on the First Class folder for the following readings by April 15.
Designing University Techscapes
Universal Web Access
Paper due on April 25. Please post to the First Class folder.
There are two parts to this assignment.
1. Use the disk provided for this project.
2. Assess each for readability by pasting two paragraphs into the following web-based readability assessment.

Using all of the data that you obtained from your assessments, classify sites according to the criteria in Table 3 above and compare what distinguishes one from another. Give your rationale for the selection of level of juncture/disjuncture.
CLASS SCHEDULE:
We will meet as a class four times during the semester, Feb. 5, Feb. 26, March 25, and April 29 (our year-end celebration).