Advances in Design for Inclusion

This paper will discuss some of the challenges of teaching students to build empathy and learning how to utilize it within a design project. It will discuss challenges encountered within two college level classes: an industrial design studio and in a class on human factors and ergonomics. Two project examples will be presented for the studio, a universal design project and a project to design an assistive device. An example of an empathy activity used in the lecture based human factors class is presented.

At the same time with the latest global demographic phenomena, have developed and quickly spread different design approaches related to the more general definition of “Design for inclusion”. Among them, the Design for All seems the most appropriate to spread social awareness oriented to the inclusion, in addition to being particularly effective for the training of young designers, because it forces them to consider the constraints and opportunities arising from the complex system of target project. The text describes some educational experiences conducted in recent years in Italy, in the University of Chieti-Pescara, referring to a number of application areas: bathing, shopping, sign systems, preparation and consumption of food and drink, gardening. The text highlights the importance of the training time to increase awareness of young designers on the issues of human diversity and social inclusion, and at the same time the way in which the DfA approach would encourage innovation, particularly through effective design concept.

This paper explores the relationship between designers and users from the perspective of care. Methods included a critical investigation of literature about the ideal care relationship, interviews with Hong Kong residential designers about their opinion on “designers as care professions” and analyses of these designers’ strategies for interacting with users. The research reveals that designers tend to view themselves as collaborative partners in satisfying users’ needs from the user-centered design perspective. This design approach leads designers to focus on each individual’s desire. But largely ignored their role as active influencers in changing user’s behavior and improving people’s relationships. This study suggests that designers consider residential design from a care-orientated perspective to build a more harmonious relationship with users.

The authors’ aim is to look for a possible new contribution in combining messages on different channels to compose a multisensory communication which relies only partially on words and a designated language. The research focuses on understanding human multisensory experiences through testing. This paper focuses on first step which analyses, in multicultural groups of musically trained students, the relations between three elements which synergize quite early in spontaneous actions, sound, light and colors, testing occurring associations of color while listening to sounds categorized by tonality, major and minor, chords with their reversals, loudness and intensity, scales, musical motives and source instruments. The aim of this first step is to understand which associations could be considered mainly associable and the similarities in the feelings that color, light and sound may generate (in both balance and counterbalance) enucleating the differences.

The global population is rapidly ageing and older people are experiencing physiological behaviors that affects what and how they buy. During the next 10/20 years older consumers will be a relevant driver of purchasing expenditure in USA and Europe and China has the fastest growing population of ageing people. As longevity requires new thinking, the authors’ compare the demand of products/services required by ageing consumers and the related offer to propose a possible positioning borderline between ageing consumers and companies, evaluating how and if the latter respond to the ANAs (Abilities, Necessities, Aspirations) of consumers with ageing friendly products/services. Analyzing the reasons why there are frequent dissonances between ANAs of ageing consumers and marketers for ageing, the authors have identified possible routes of convergence between the two stakeholders in the recognizing/identifying/pathos patterns among them to understand the challenges and opportunities of longevity and emerging generational lifestyles to promote innovation.

This paper presents initial work packages of a research project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) concerning age-appropriate, user-centered design of physical human-machine interfaces (HMIs). To facilitate individualization of physical human-machine interfaces, it is essential to describe their gestalt precisely by means of quantifiable design parameters. So far, this has not been done in such a way as to support designers and engineers effectively in their task of making the transition from conceptual ideas to physical, user-centered interfaces. A holistic design parameter model of physical interfaces is elaborated within this paper. Furthermore, a methodical approach for adapting the machine’s design parameters to the skills of an older user is presented using the example of rotary control elements. This is based on a literature review and a subsequently conducted expert survey. Furthermore, corresponding compensation options by means of adjustments to the machine’s design parameters are discussed. To this end, the results of two preliminary user studies are presented which simulate a fine motor adjustment task and a forceful gross motor task. This in turn leads to an initial adaptive design for a rotary control element. Finally, an outlook regarding the next steps of the research project is given, whereby various design parameters are to be evaluated and assessed with regard to their suitability for adaptive adjustment.

The main body of research clearly highlights the world’s population is rapidly expanding. When this fact is combined with the increase in life longevity due to medical and social advances it alters the demographic balance in relation to age. Hence, the number of people aged 65 and over is constantly increasing. The potential of Smart Technologies and IoT-based devices to improve health has increased rapidly in the last few years and users are now in a position to contribute to the development of the interaction process and need to be properly trained on benefits of using new technologies. IFTTT (If This Then That), Blockly, and other similar tools provide a new perspective on web-based services, and represent an innovative and inclusive instrument to manage small automated tasks between Internet-connected devices by using a simplified interaction approach. The main research question of this work is: how could senior users benefit and adopt smart devices in a proficient way and how can emerging technologies such as automation services enhance safety, health and well-being for people with different abilities? The research method is based on a participatory, Inclusive Design approach, developed through interviews and focus groups, among a restricted number of people of different age and gender, design and usability tests in the further stage. The aim of the work is to make existing technologies more accepted, usable and inclusive for as many people as possible. This goal will be achieved by analysis and by creating a set of interactive and easy to use information and tools for automating different processes, to improve the performance in Activities of Daily Living and increase the connection and socialization between citizens, their family and friends. Applets for Seniors could be seen as a different approach to enable users with different abilities in interacting in a friendly way with new technologies and could be also used as a User Experience facilitator for people who are not familiar with smart devices.

The increasing emergence of social and healthcare costs due to constant ageing trends of the world population requires to find new solutions to support and prolong people’s independence within the everyday living environments. A research pool among Italian universities, industries and public agencies for the management of services to the person is developing a project called Habitat, aiming at elaborating and testing a platform based on the Internet of Things, thence enabling to create supportive and reconfigurable environments by implementing, improving or re-designing some of the objects of everyday use. The research methodology will be that of the User Centred Design, while the design tool for giving solutions to the end-users’ needs is the Quality Function Deployment (QFD). This article wants to investigate the role of design research within the Habitat project, and it will focus on the definition of the characteristics and contributions of design methods applied to a research project aimed at developing useful innovation for real users by a multidisciplinary team.

The design for the elderly is a highly topical research theme: the progressive ageing of the world’s population over the past few years has forced us to direct our attention to problems concerning the third age, particularly on promoting a lifestyle that is not only healthy and active but also as independent as possible. These are the main topics of the HABITAT project, which is financed inside the POR FESR 2014–2020 program of the Regione Emilia Romagna in Italy. This program aims to develop and test a platform based on the Internet of Things for the realization of caring and re-arrangeable environments. This research project was the starting point that led to focus on a wider study of the methodologies for the Inclusive Design. It created an opportunity to develop wider guidelines regarding both Inclusive Design and IoT, which will be specifically tested in the same project, making it a case study.

This paper outlines a wardrobe study conducted within a larger research investigation that aims to examine the daily clothing choices and preferences of older female consumers in China to inform clothing design for this demographic. Based on inclusive design principles, the paper discusses the method and results of a wardrobe study designed to gather evidence of clothing preferences from 27 Chinese women aged between 55–70 years old. Four favourite casual outfits were selected by each participant from their own wardrobe. These were then photographed on the body and flat, with garment details recorded. The visual data from the wardrobe study was collated into a textual format enabling quantitative content analysis to be applied to find areas of commonality and divergence in participants’ choices regarding clothing design features, fabrics, fastenings and fit. The results of the study provide information that could assist in developing design guidelines for fashion designers and companies manufacturing clothing for ageing female Chinese consumers.

Fall is one of the major problems in the world’s ageing population. An ample amount of literature is available on different interventions that are practiced in developed countries as key tools to face the consequences derived from elderly fall. These includes: addressing personal behavior training, muscle exercise, technology interventions, and products like: hip-protectors, sole-sensors, fall detection, monitoring system etc. In developing countries like India similar approach may not be sufficient to overcome fall problem in elderly. This study is an initiative to understand the salient risk factors that influence Indian older adults’ perspective on fall problem and its related interventions. The study is carried out using qualitative method of research. Direct observation, in-depth interview with open-ended questionnaire is used and transcripts are analyzed using coding process. In India “Geographical Area”, “Financial Condition” and “Family Structure” plays an important role in the quality of elderly livelihood. Two other intermediate factors: “Awareness of elderly fall problem” and “Awareness of fall related intervention” and sub-categories like: “Willingness to perform exercise/use of other intervention”, “Fear of Falling (FOF)”, “Sense of security”, “Hesitation for taking help” and “Informal measure for fall” are emerged during the analysis process. Another factor influencing Indian elderly’s perception on fall and related intervention is the older adult’s concern about their ability as they are old. Before addressing Indian elderly fall and suggesting/designing/developing new tool or technique related to fall understanding of Indian older adults’ perspective on fall and its related intervention is very important.

Aging population comprises 12% of the global population in 2015 constitutes a deep pressure on existing social protection and health care system. There is no doubt that prevalence of dementia will continue to accelerate alongside the world’s ageing population and even more quickly in Asian countries. Government reports shown that the proportion of elderly living alone gradually increase that lowered the accessibility to regular social connections, mutual support and communication with people. This paper discusses co-design experience of game sets through participatory research with living alone elderly with dementia, game sets for cognitive impairment should compose with different stages to become more flexible due to diverse cognitive abilities. They should cover at least two areas of training focus underpinned by the principles of universal design. Research finding will help improve the patient’s participation due to unfavourable design of existing play tools that may harm the result of training.

Japan has one of the highest proportions of elderly people in the world. This is causing problems in medical institutions, as increases in age-related hearing impairment leads to communication difficulties. Proper communication is particularly essential when explaining medications. This study examined communication with 86 patients at a hospital pharmacy using a table-top communication support system, Comuoon. Results showed improved hearing for 49% of patients. Overhearing of sensitive information was also investigated, with 94% of patients responding that they were unable to hear what the pharmacist was saying to another patient. The use of partition boards to minimize reflection of the speaker’s voice and improve Comuoon’s effectiveness was also investigated. Three types of boards were placed at the pharmacist’s counter and volume was measured with each. Results showed that the board with space between the panels reduced reflection of sound and made the sound from the Comuoon clearer.

Between 2012 and 2015, an analysis of more than 300 rent escrow cases in the city of Baltimore revealed that neither judges nor plaintiffs in rent escrow cases understood or were correctly applying the relevant laws [1, 2]. Tenants didn’t understand the applicable laws or available remedies, and were unable to fill out their rent escrow applications accurately. Judges knew that the documents provided by tenants were probably filled out incorrectly, so they routinely ignored these documents. Thus, many rent escrow cases were decided based on established custom rather than on the facts of the case or relevant laws, and the results tended to favor landlords [1, 3]. A year of iterative design, testing, and re-design resulted in a rent escrow form that could (1) help tenants understand their options and provide accurate information to the court, and (2) provide judges with accurate information while simultaneously reinforcing their understanding of the applicable laws.

Autonomous driving is a topic of extensive research; however user views on this new technology are largely unexplored, especially for an inclusive population. This paper presents a survey and two focus groups, investigating driving habits and attitudes towards autonomous cars of an inclusive group of UK drivers. A subset of survey participants were invited to attend one of two focus groups, to discuss handovers of control between car and driver. Maintaining safety, trust and control were themes commonly identified in both focus groups, while unique views and concerns, relating to different characteristics of the group were expressed. These results can inform an inclusive, user-centred design of autonomous vehicle interfaces, especially for the safety-critical use case of driver handovers of control.

The space layout design of control actuators is very important for the ergonomic design of automobile cockpit. This study take truck cockpit as the research object, and designed a truck cockpit model as the test platform. Then, recruited 75 seasoned truck drivers as subjects, and evaluated the space layout of control actuators according to the subjective feelings of subjects. Finally, the most comfortable angles and position of control units were obtained. Based on the experimental results, the recommended range of cockpit control device layout is given. The results of this study can provide a reference for the design of truck cockpit.

The display-control compatibility was an important principle of the interface design which included the display part and the control part at the same time. The study investigated the effect of different display-control compatibility designs of 2 samples intelligent electric rice cookers on the different user groups’ operating performance. A 2 (display-control compatibility: high vs. low) × 3 (different user groups: youth group, middle-aged group and elderly group) within-subject factorial design was used in this experiment. The usability testing method was adopted. The subjects’ electroencephalo-graph (EEG) was recorded over the whole experiment. The results showed that the task completion rate of the intelligent electric rice cooker with high compatibility design was higher than that of the low compatibility design between the youth group and middle-aged group, but the situation of the elderly group was reverse. The task error rate and the operation time of the intelligent electric rice cooker with high compatibility design were lower than that of the low compatibility design cooker among the three groups, which of young group was less than that of middle-aged group and elderly group. The main effects of the operation time of display-control compatibility and user group were significant. The operation satisfaction of the cooker with high compatibility design was higher than that of the low compatibility design. The emotional fluctuation of intelligent electric rice cooker with high compatibility design was smaller than that with low compatibility design. In short, the usability of the high compatibility intelligent electric rice cooker was apparently higher than that of the low compatibility intelligent electric rice cooker among different user groups.

Rapid ageing in Japan raised questions whether the washbasin height was still valid. Preliminary observation revealed that existing height was lower than acceptable. Experiment was conducted to examine the preferred height of both spout and bowl during face wash. Senior subjects were asked to wash their face without any imposed conditions, and preferred height was determined. Spout height ranged between 810 mm and 960 mm, with an average of 890 mm, much higher than existing spout. Observation of posture identified two types, i.e., some moved up and down their hands, while others moved their face. Preferred height of the bowl ranged between 675 mm and 875 mm, with an average of 771 mm. It was also higher than commercially available standard designs.

The collaborative economy involves many different fields and it is difficult to define what activities are comprised. General impact evidence is inconclusive. However, some of them address problems about indirect discriminations, labour security and inequalities, the lack of regulation. Considerations about ‘inclusion’ and ‘exclusion’ states are needed for services involved in shared consumption. The authors propose the ‘Sharing-Based Services’ (SBS) conceptual framework to study and analyse a set of services. In particular, this paper describes an analytical tool (I-SBS) comprising an approach and the activities to consider the aspects of the ‘inclusion’ and ‘exclusion’ in SBS. The series of design workshops to evaluate the tool has been described in detail. The analytical tool, the design results, and the process of design workshops are presented as the main results.

Self-driving cars are already being tested in our roads, and several benefits to society are expected with their mainstream use. They also present an opportunity to increase independent mobility for people with disabilities and the elderly. To achieve this, however, the in-car interaction should be redesigned to be suitable for these groups of previously excluded car users. An investigation of existing literature helped us identify two main challenges that could impact the adoption of self-driving cars by such users, namely, their acceptance and multimodal in-car interaction. To mitigate such challenges, we propose in this paper a model that frames the process of universally designing the in-car interactions to increase usability for everyone, while maintaining safety. We argue that integrating universal design early in the development of in-car interaction will ensure their accessibility and usability by all people.

The main concern of this study is designing a framework in which the instructional material whether visual or aural can be presented in accordance with the cognitive capabilities and limitations of the learner. One of the main issues in the simultaneous application of aural and visual modalities is the amount of the capacity of the working memory of the learners and difference between the speed of integration of verbal and visual modalities in the working memory. Therefore, the existence of a dynamic system that can provide an estimation of the cognitive load of the user in the real-time could help the instructor in the presentation of the material.

This paper presents recommendations for avoiding or eliminating unnecessary barriers to mobile application usage by older generations. The aim of this paper is to help ensure that the design of mobile applications is accessible for elderly persons. The recommendations are written in such a way as to be easily understandable for both app developers and app commissioners. In order to examine the needs of the 65-plus generation with regard to user-friendly applications, a research project was conducted with 10 elderly users. This consisted of three phases: a focus group, usability tests of four commonly-used mobile apps, and, finally, an open discussion with the test group about their experience. The objective of the research was to discover the views of older users and to identify specific barriers encountered when using mobile applications. Based on the results, ten key areas were identified for age-appropriate mobile app design.

Limited communication abilities are associated with important psychosocial challenges and people with intellectual disability (ID) are no strangers to this reality. Interventions involving specialized high-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems have shown positive outcomes but important difficulties involving access, maintenance and social acceptability are experienced. Mainstream mobile technology has been suggested in response to these issues. This retrospective and exploratory multi-case study reports on the experience of 7 adults with ID who used an iPad® as a AAC. Descriptive analyses showed an increase in use of tablets as AAC, compared to their prior specialized system, as well as gains in expressive and general communication abilities. These results suggest that tablets may be an efficient tool to support communication needs for people with ID and can contribute to their social as well as their digital inclusion.

Technological innovations offer many opportunities for design in the context of wearable computers and smart objects and their interaction with user and with ubiquitous computing systems. These technologies can be used to make new products and services designed to collect, increase and share information, knowledge, and emotion, through platforms, which support higher social awareness. If applied to the field of wellness, they can interact among each other, with the network and with the person, to drive and assist people, including socially vulnerable groups, towards an active and dynamic life, and they can become a means for monitoring the state of the user’s wellbeing and health. The aim of the research was to use the strategies of Human Centred Design to identify innovative scenarios and solutions able to involve people in an increasingly active and healthy life, as a commitment towards oneself and as a social responsibility.

This study evaluates the growth of the governmental Brazilian web, presenting indicators such as web pages which adopt the standards W3C, page language and size of “brazilian web” under .gov.br. The results presented also evaluate the implementation of accessibility and markup web standards in the past 5 years, and authors conclude that, although the “brazilian web” is growing, it doesn’t adopt all standards for markup and web accessibility.

Within the framework of the project, four (4) functional prototypes were designed, which, due to their versatility in terms of their manufacturing possibilities with low technology processes and low cost materials, have allowed the learning processes of crawling, The development of fine motor skills and the cross pattern, important techniques, as they allow children with IMOC to achieve high degrees of autonomy in the performance of activities of daily living. For the development of the project the authors used a combination of the Systemic Model of Analysis PSD-Built Environment and the approaches of Universal Design and User-Centered Design that proposes in the first instance to determine the profile of the user and establish their anatomical, biomechanical, anthropometric, Cognitive and socio-cultural. Once this was done, an interdisciplinary work was established with the professionals of the areas of physiotherapy, social work, special educators of the Lupines Foundation to validate the advances in the projects. During this process, functional validation, usability and safety tests were developed.

Intelligent personal assist systems such as Apple’s Siri and Google Now are becoming more and more ubiquitous. In this study, we examine the presentation of information by an intelligent personal assistant system to determine whether the manner of information transmission varies by adding vibration to information. We suggest the following: (a) Adding vibration to information affects impression changes, regardless of the quality of information; (b) When adding vibration to information, the positive impression change is in the order of no vibration < interval pf 1000 ms < interval of 100 ms; (c) Concerning the degree of negativity, the most negative impression is received at an interval of 1000 ms.

Energy Efficiency (EE) and Universal Design (UD) are topics high on governmental policy and research agendas which have been considered separately both in research and practice. This research hypothesizes that comfort can be a conceptual link that can represent both EE and UD features. In order to understand the broader meaning of comfort at home from the perspective of inhabitants in the context of home renovations, and to test our hypothesis, we conducted 3 qualitative studies with different user groups. The results confirm that users associate with comfort all aspects related to EE as well as with most aspects in UD. In addition, results indicate that EE can be an integral part of UD if both are considered from a comfort point of view. These are presented in a theoretical framework for comfort that can be used to further study a potential integration of the EE and UD fields.

The paper applies the Inclusive Design Cube (IDC) and the Socially Inclusive Design Cube (SIDC) to examine the current design of one of the largest inclusive playgrounds in Hong Kong. The three dimensions of the IDC (i.e., motion, sensory and cognitive capabilities) and the social dimension of the SIDC are used to evaluate how the play facilities and the environment cater the needs of the disabled in the case study. Children with different kinds of disabilities are concerned in this paper. It is argued that the three capabilities are correlate with each other, and they should be considered as a whole in inclusive playgrounds. It also discusses the needs of social inclusiveness in play and its importance in densely populated cities.

The comfortable universal design is scarce about the objectivity because the comfortable universal design undergoes the psychological and physiological influence. In this experiment, evaluates objectively about the wall colors which composes the pleasant interior for the elderly. Methods of experiment are psychological evaluation and physiological measurement. We use the medical care room of a nursing home for the elderly as laboratory. We use Semantic Differential method for psychological evaluation, and get two factors. Factor one is to be comfort etc., factor two is to be bright etc. We measure a heartrate and analyze heartrate change, and also measure a secretion quantity of salivary amylase for physiological measurement. Result of heartrate measurement, degree of relaxation of Japanese traditional colors are higher than another colors. Result of salivary amylase measurement, we find three colors which contain a lot of factor-score of factor- one. In this experiment there are no intentional relations among degree of relaxation which are measured by SD method and physiological measurement.

This paper presents a work in progress, that is part of a Post-Doctoral Research and aims to develop and test a new chromatic planning methodology for urban furniture. This methodology records all environmental colors from a chosen settlement in order to establish its dominant colors and, consequently, make it possible to define the urban furniture colors, which should make a chromatic and luminosity contrast with the environment. Simultaneously, this contrasting color application to urban furniture will enable its elements to stand out from their background, transforming them in inclusive factors as they become more visible for people with vision difficulties. The urban furniture chromatic planning will, also, contribute for the local identification and, in big cities where all the neighborhoods may have each one color for its urban furniture, it will ameliorate the city orientation. In this case study, the chosen settlement – Bucelas – is a small rural town near Lisbon.

The rights of disabled persons have been recognized as inviolable through legislation in many countries, and they are now reinforced with the UN Convention of Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD). It is however still arguable whether the true nature is correctly understood. Regarding public transportation, people are rarely given alternative mode to choose. However, all users should have the right to enjoy universal service, i.e., the system must be accessible and usable for everybody in a non-discriminatory manner. The provision of special transport services as the first choice derives from the concept of giving privileges and it denies the fundamental idea of non-discrimination to be realized. All public transportation system has to be reexamined toward the ultimate goal of full inclusion, cost and time-wise in particular, enabling full appreciation of life – education, work, enjoyment, and leisure.

As a design and evaluation method for developing assistive technology for people with disabilities, the authors developed a new method for describing and analyzing daily behavior as graph structure data based on the MODAPTS method, which is widely used for the analysis of operations in industrial plants. As an example in this study, we focus on helping hemiplegic people to cut vegetables for cooking. By applying a living systems analysis using the developed method, the authors newly created a prototype of a passive kitchen robotic arm that does not need electricity. The robotic arm has a mechanism for holding vegetables by holding the vegetables from above. The authors conducted experiments to evaluate the usefulness of the developed passive robotic arm.

The need for a living environment that responds to the needs of users with their different abilities, outside of standardizations, is increasingly felt as autonomy, independence and wellbeing are the result of real usability and adaptability of the spaces. The project to improve the inclusivity of living space need to be characterized as an interdisciplinary process in which the integration of specialized contributions leads to adaptive customization of space solutions and technological that evolve with the changing needs, functional capacities and abilities of individuals.The purpose of the research is to implement the resilience of user-space system through the analysis of dimensional, structural, functional, and psycho-emotional characteristics of the person in the performance of daily activities in the course of the evolution, progressive loss, and potential recovery of physical skills in relation to the enhancing effects induced by performance capability variables of elements, equipments, and living spaces.

This study aimed to explore possibilities in applying Ergonomics and the Inclusive Service Design approach for evaluating and designing services more inclusive in a developing world city. The study comprised a series of evaluation workshops with staff members of two public services in Guadalajara, Mexico. A questionnaire was developed to collect opinions of 123 participants on the usefulness of this approach for improving the services in which they were working. Results suggest that participants considered Ergonomics and Inclusive service Design as useful tools to cover the needs of a broader number of users without neglecting the needs of people providing the service. However, the results also suggest that exist several financial and political obstacles to implementing this approach in that context. This paper argues the potential of Ergonomics and Inclusive Service Design for service improvement, especially in the context of less developed countries.

This paper reports the findings of a preliminary study that intended to understand how wheelchair rugby athletes feel about the clothing they wear while playing the sport and how the available clothes make them feel. 61 non-professional wheelchair rugby players from 21 different teams/clubs in the United Kingdom participated in this study. To understand the players’ opinions, this study consisted of a mixed-method approach, with data collected through a focus group and a questionnaire. The results show that, on top of the lack of availability of sports-wear for this specific sport, which compromises the athletes’ satisfaction, comfort and performance, there is also a need on the part of the athletes for this type of specialized equipment. This study showed that there is a need for this type of sports-wear, hence the importance to act and develop more specialized garments to satisfy this population not just in terms of safety, comfort and performance but also in terms of inclusivity.

This paper presents an anthropometric data collection methodology to measure and identify the body measurements and shape of overweight and obese children, using 3D body scanning technology. The sample comprises of children residents in the North of Portugal between the ages of two and eleven, of both genders. The described procedure is part of an ongoing research linked to a project of the Doctoral Program in Textile Engineering at University of Minho, which aims to develop appropriate clothing, considering the anthropometrics and the ergonomics needs of the children from this specific population. The stages of data collection are presented. As a conclusion, considerations about the data collection points out some improvement opportunities and suggestions for similar studies.

The discussions around aging provide ideas to explore new solutions for the problems related to the elderly’s quality of life. This research includes a study about clothing and accessories design and production needs for this growing niche of the world’s population. It presents part of the collected results to develop more ergonomic clothing, with special consideration on the ergonomic, thermo physiological and sensorial comfort variables. In particularly, the elderly population dependent of care was the main target of this study. A survey was applied to the caregivers in the cities of Guimaraes (Portugal) and Teresina (Brazil) to better understand their needs and the impact garments and accessories have in their daily tasks. The main goal of this study was to elaborate more comfortable clothing, emphasizing the flexibility, softness, adaptability and adjustability to this changing body.

This article aims to identify and analyse the use of ergonomics/human factors principles in the context of the haute couture clothing creation process, which presents itself with specific characteristics of the remaining segments of fashion production. With particular attention to the individual body of the end user and their intimate interaction with all the main variables of the garment production, haute couture moves between the subjective dimension and social surroundings of the wearer. For this specific range of the market, ergonomics becomes an inseparable element of the design method in Haute Couture and a key factor for the communication of the brand and its associated values.

Among the human chromosome abnormalities, Down Syndrome is the most prominent. Social perception challenges include prejudice, myth and exclusion, with social inclusion having been subject of several studies. From this perspective, the main objective of this study is to contribute to a higher social inclusion of people with Down Syndrome. This is addressed by an anthropometric characterization study of Down Syndrome individuals, performed with the technology of body scanning (3D Body Scanner). The presented study can support the development of inclusive clothing, adapted to people with special needs, promoting the anthropometric and ergonomic aspects of shape, comfort and aesthetics, which would lead to an increased quality of life, self-esteem and security, contributing to a higher inclusion in our society. The results from the data obtained through the measuring tables provided by the 3D Body Scanner System allow the identification of the main body shapes of the analyzed sample, as well as the main variables of their measurements. The impact characteristics from this specific population in the garment design process is also discussed.

Inclusion of all persons in educational process relates with the accessibility of educational environment, encompassing the information and communication technologies, teaching methods, and support services. The objective of ongoing research project UNIALL: Accessibility of Higher Education for Students with Special Needs, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union, is to propose the methodology for inclusive design of educational environment for diverse people. This can help to prevent any type of discrimination of the students with disabilities or learning difficulties. The project uses human-centred approach to propose solutions that can be flexibly adapted to diverse abilities of each individual in educational environment.

This project describes the development of an available e-learning design project for teaching innovative IT network program to visually impaired students. The program contains a virtual classroom, accessible learning materials, a remote computer laboratory, and delivery of the learning materials by teachers with vision disables. [1] The Cisco Program Course in Advanced IT was improved, and the accessible on-line learning environment was developed to supply the courses [2]. These teachers were used to assist with accessible methods and providing the materials to the visually impaired students. Estimate results shows that visually impaired students situated both locally and distantly got equivalent grades, as the sighted students, because of additional time to comprehend and experiment via the virtual classroom and remote computer laboratory. In addition, the use of visually impaired teacherss has resulted in more advanced approaches to understandable teaching methods and a successful program.

It was observed that within the field of design that the Primary Caregiver (PC) for a Person with Motor Disability (PWMD) has remained both poorly understood and studied. The research and approaches in some disciplines have focussed on emotional and psychological aspects such as the evaluation of anxiety and depression based on the type of problem that their patient has, and not on the physical activities that they perform. This is why it is necessary to understand and analyze within the field of design the role played by the PC and the physical risks that they are exposed to while lifting and moving a PWMD. In addition, a review and analysis of technical aids and transfer equipment for PWMDs that are currently available in the market are made in order to propose design improvements which include relief and other benefits for the PC

This study aims to propose a model to translate static two-dimensional images into three-dimensional tactile images, to be 3D printed, as a way of transmitting information to blind people. The translating model was created from an exploratory method of the literature, which was divided in three steps: 1. Bibliographical review about tactile images, 3D printed tactile images, 3D printing and a search for an analysis model of static two-dimensional images; 2. Tabulation of data found in the bibliographical review and; 3. Model proposition from data crossing. The result is a proposed translating model divided in 4 levels, containing information from recommendations for the creation of tactile images, and a graphic analysis framework.

Recent studies and estimates provided by several agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) claim that the number of cases of children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) has increased in last years. In general, the affective environment of a patient with ASD is affected due to several factors related with patient’s behavior and his/her affective relation with their parents and relatives. Hence, in this paper we present a comprehensive approach to support the psychological and therapeutic intervention on children with ASD. Our proposal relies on integrative ecosystem that combines knowledge modeling tools (ontologies) with intelligent ICT tools (robotic assistants, multi-sensory stimulation rooms). With this hybrid approach, it is possible providing an effective intervention process not only for patients with ASD, but also parents and relatives of those patients. This proposal has tested in two stages, a first one with 47 children without autism, and a second with the support of 36 children with ASD and 5 specialists of CIMA Foundation. The results show high levels of acceptance in both children and specialists.

This works presents a survey on recent technologies applied for Refreshable Braille Displays (RBD): these devices allow the dynamic rendering of refreshable Braille characters, analogously to a computer monitor rendering text and other visual information. Although commercially available RBD share a similar technology based on piezo actuators, and feature a single line of characters at a relatively high cost, alternative solutions have been proposed in recent years. They include adaptation of existing actuators and technologies to the rendering of Braille, and innovative materials used for developing actuators appositely designed for RBDs. In this survey, we compare performance of the above methods analyzing potential benefits and limitations of the different technologies.

This paper aimed to evaluate the constraints associated with Passengers with Special Assistance Need, regarding accessibility, comfort, safety and reduced mobility. A wide view on the subject has identified the main problems, such as financial losses to airport operators and airlines, and the constraints to which users suffer during the process, often highlighting the difficulties experienced by those who use Assistive Technology.

In Quebec (Canada), digital inclusion of people with intellectual disability is a matter of concern. It appears that certain obstacles are jeopardizing most of these people’s access to information and communication technology in their daily lives. The resulting digital divide is impairing recent efforts to promote social inclusion. In 2016, the Montreal, Quebec, Group for trisomy 21 (RT21) (Regroupement pour la Trisomie 21) created a Technology in Support of Autonomy program to promote the digital inclusion of people with intellectual disability. TASA consists of daily activities using iPads. Each activity is adapted to the participants’ own life goals and helps develop their self-determination and autonomy. The study associated with this program has two main objectives: (1) make a project implementation assessment and (2) draw a portrait of participants’ digital inclusion trajectory over nine months. The results suggest that the program improves the participants’ ability to use technology and thus supports certain dimensions of digital inclusion.

Excessive pressure applied on bony prominence during a long period is the main extrinsic factor associated to pressure ulcers (PU). This is a common situation in patients using a wheelchair as a movement support for most of the day activities and patients with cerebral palsy. In this work, a system to measure and monitor the pressure levels generated between a person and a wheelchair is developed for pressure ulcer prevention. The system consists of 64 capacitive sensors on an xx cm2 area; the pressure levels are shown permanently on a smartphone and recorded to analyze on a computer through a graphical user interface (GUI) in Matlab. Each sensor support a load of 9.00 kg and the complete system has an energetic independence of 48 h. The results indicated a high-pressure level of 479.56 kPa on 12 cm2 area during long periods of time.