Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
3. Simple and intuitive use
4. Perceptible information
5. Tolerance for error
6. Low physical effort
7. Size and space for approach and use
These seven principles can guide environmental evaluations by considering the needs of
multiple users who may require assistive solutions to participate fully in a given space.
This is especially important when considering assistive solutions for communal settings
such as schools, which involve multiple users in various capacities, such as students, par-
ents, and administrators. In this example, multiple users of the school could collaborate
with a multidisciplinary team of professionals to explore an assistive solution that would
be usable to all patrons and visitors of the school. This assistive solution would be reflective
of decisions made regarding AT, the environment, and the users while embedding choice
for all people in the design (Knecht 2004). For instance, classrooms would be designed
so that multiple users with a broad spectrum of functional abilities would benefit from
assistive solutions that support full participation for all: AT would support various learn-
ing styles; desks and tables would be adaptable to meet the physical and sensory needs of
all students, teachers, and parents; and auditory systems would support communication
for all participants in the classroom. Incorporating UD philosophy into the EA process
offers more inclusive assistive solutions. The UD philosophy also offers a pragmatic way
to evaluate environments that most people use in their daily lives but ones that are seldom
considered when making AT decisions, such as train stations, airports, schools, museums,
and places of worship.
In addition to considering accessibility and UD to support assistive solutions, it is impor-
tant for the user and multidisciplinary team to evaluate sustainability within the physical,
social, economical, ecological, and temporal contexts during the EA process. In evaluating
the environment for sustainability specific to environmental impact, some cities, town-
ships, and private authorities have created their own standards. For example, in the United
States, the Green Building Council (2011) has developed a green building certification sys-
tem, entitled Leadership Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). This system offers a
useful framework for evaluating and rating new and retrofitted construction in terms of
energy efficiency and use of resources and materials that are locally available and easy
to maintain. The LEED rating criteria allow projects to achieve a certified, silver, gold, or
platinum rating that is based on incorporation of sustainability components into design
(U.S. Green Building Council 2011). Although LEED's recognition extends internationally,
other sustainability standards offer similar methods of rating “green” design, such as the
Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) in the
United Kingdom, Greenstar in Australia, and the Comprehensive Assessment System for
Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE) in Japan (Parker 2009).
We propose that standards of sustainability and green design be applied to both the
environment and AT when considering an assistive solution. For example, information
may be collected from a user who experiences mobility impairment while at home. During
this data collection process, the user and multidisciplinary team can discuss both cur-
rent and future needs to arrive at an assistive solution incorporating both the AT and the
environment into a single “sustainable” solution. In this case, the user may be prescribed
a wheeled mobility device made of recycled materials and a ramp constructed of locally
grown resources. Additional recommendations may be made to install nonskid flooring
