Global Resources and Promising Practices for Building and Refining Accessible and Inclusive Smart Cities from Darren Bates LLC.
Accessibility can be viewed as the “ability to access” and benefit from some system or entity. Accessibility involves removing the barriers faced by individuals with a variety of disabilities (which can include, but is not limited to: physical, sensory, cognitive, learning, mental health) and the various barriers (including attitudinal and systemic) that impede an individual’s ability to participate in social, cultural, political, and economic life. Disabilities can be temporary or permanent.
The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers).
Accessibility is not to be confused with usability, which is the extent to which a product (such as a device, service, or environment) can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use.
Accessibility is strongly related to universal design which is the process of creating products that are usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities, operating within the widest possible range of situations.
A key challenge faced by Smart Cities is to ensure the engagement and inclusion of all people including citizens with disabilities and those that are aging. An accessible Smart City is purposefully designed to include all people and equitably meets the needs of both people with disabilities and people who self-identify as non-disabled.
A Smart City isn’t smart if it doesn’t support the needs of all citizens.
__________________________________________________
With the pressure of urbanization mounting around the world, it is crucial to discuss the future of smart cities and the need for inclusivity in innovation. On September 12th, WDCEP together with the PeaceTech Accelerator brought top leaders from around the world together to tackle challenges regarding the future of transportation, the workplace and workforce. For the Inclusive Smart Cities Summit, leaders…
Read More
Like many other fast-growing urban centers, my hometown of Austin, TX has reached a historic tipping point triggered by Austin’s rapid urbanization. Austin City Leadership recognizes it must engage in vastly new approaches to adjust and calibrate to social and economic challenges amplified by the lightning speed of technical and industrial advances. To address these challenges, Austin is taking a…
Read More
Meet the innovators working toward a more accessible future.We’re supporting forward-thinking nonprofits with big ideas that use technology to expand opportunity and independence for people with disabilities. As part of the Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities, we awarded 29 amazing grantees with $20 million in grants to help address accessibility challenges all over the world—and now, we’re helping them bring their…
Read More
In the good ol’ days of childhood, having fun didn’t require making plans, buying tickets, or splitting the check seven ways. All it took was a swing set and a sandbox. While kids these days are already light years ahead of that, what with their iPhones and Xboxes, cities are compensating by building some pretty awesome playgrounds. What used to…
Read More
A lawyer has filed a $1 million suit against the city, claiming they’ve failed miserably in making a Brooklyn courthouse accessible to him and others with limited mobility.Personal Source: Wheelchair-bound lawyer sues NYC for $1M over accessibility | New York Post
Read More
This is an adapted training course to introduce people to the concepts and terminology used around disability and accessibility in the workplace..
Read More
Every design decision has the potential to include or exclude customers. Inclusive design emphasizes the contribution that understanding user diversity makes to informing these decisions, and thus to including as many people as possible. User diversity covers variation in capabilities, needs and aspirations. This site first presents an example set of ‘Product performance indicators’, i.e. things that should be considered…
Read More
The Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD), founded in Boston in 1978 as Adaptive Environments, is an international non-governmental educational organization (NGO) committed to advancing the role of design in expanding opportunity and enhancing experience for people of all ages and abilities through excellence in design. IHCD’s work balances expertise in legally required accessibility with promotion of best practices in…
Read More
Smart cities, so named because they boast technology and design that make them work better for their residents, are getting a lot of attention — and government funding — in the U.S. Some smart city elements are easily spotted: a bike-share network or crosswalk signals that count down the seconds before the light changes. Others are less obvious, but also help…
Read More
Revised 508 Standards Roadmap (beta)The Revised 508 Standards of the Rehabilitation Act ensure information and communication technology (ICT) is accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities. Federal agencies must comply with the Revised 508 Standards beginning January 18, 2018. This Roadmap, developed by the U.S. Federal Government Revised 508 Standards Transition Workgroup and GSA, shows how to integrate the standards…
Read More
This workshop will feature current tools utilized by developers and cultural organizations to help improve access and inclusion for people with disabilities. From website accessibility to the development of innovative apps, the session will feature a range of potential options for cultural administrators and organizations to explore. We will discuss best practices for online and digital accessibility, highlight innovative apps…
Read More
When we say inclusive mobility, it sounds fairly straightforward: access to affordable transportation for everyone. Providing equitable mobility for everyone might not be easy, but it’s essential if we’re all to have the opportunities to improve our quality of life. Read our story from Smart Cities Week to learn more. Source: Smart Cities Council | Yes, we DO need to…
Read More
Abstract: The present work discusses the possibilities offered by the evolution of Information and Communication Technologies with the aim of designing a system to dynamically obtain knowledge of accessibility issues in urban environments. This system is facilitated by technology to analyse the urban user experience and movement accessibility, which enabling accurate identification of urban barriers and monitoring its effectiveness over…
Read More
AAbility Tools, formerly the AT Network, is California’s Assistive Technology Act Program. We provide a variety of services for Californians with disabilities of all ages.Our services include: AT Exchange marketplace Device Lending Libraries Financial loan program for AT Information & Referral Reuse program in affiliation with organizational partnersIn addition, we provide in-person and webinar trainings, technical assistance to organizations on…
Read More
About Future Accessibility & Assistive Technology His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council, launched the “My Community – A City for Everyone” initiative in November 2013, which aims to fully transform Dubai into a disabled-friendly city by 2020. To achieve this objective, the Dubai Code is being established…
Read More
Hi, I am Paul Bepey, a registered blind person working in the field of Assistive Technology and Accessibility. As its World Sight Day today (12 October) I wanted to look at what assistive technology means now that more and more mainstream products have accessibility built in.So, these are my own views on what assistive tech means today.Assistive Technology is a…
Read More
What is hackABILITY? hackABILITY is an extended hackathon that will bring together passionate teams to create solutions for individuals with disabilities. hackABILITY will raise awareness about emerging assistive and adaptive technology opportunities, and facilitate the rapid prototyping of devices that may be considered for further development and commercialization. When is it? All hackABILITY events will occur September to December 2017.…
Read More
Stakeholders meet to discuss issues of accessibility under smart city missionPanaji, Oct 13 (UNI) Goa Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities in collaboration with National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Persons with Disabilities (NCPEDP) organised on Friday a day-long conference to discuss issues of accessibility within the Smart City Panaji Mission in the city. Source: Stakeholders meet to discuss issues…
Read More
New York City seems to be one of the most regulated places in the United States when it comes to hitching a paid ride, and it’s not like that’s a hard thing to do in the Big Apple. Last week, Uber was dealt another blow when its services came under fire at a hearing held by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. Under a requirement proposed earlier this year, Uber would be one of many companies operating out of the city who will be required to keep a chunk of its vehicles handicap accessible. Now it’s reported that Uber is firing back at the proposed numbers…
Read More
Smart home products are objects connected via Wi-Fi or a different technology to other things in the home; they can be controlled remotely by a touch panel or an app on a device.
Read More