EXAMINATION OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN IN KITCHENS AND BATHROOMS OF THE HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM: ELDERLY COTTAGE HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

TITLE	EXAMINATION OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN IN KITCHENS AND BATHROOMS OF THE HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM: ELDERLY COTTAGE HOUSING OPPORTUNITY
AUTHOR	Jeannette Steeves
YEAR	2005
TYPE OF THESIS	PhD
DISCIPLINE	Housing, Interior Design, and Resource Management
URL	http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.psz.utm.my/docview/305407225/fulltextPDF /13B1CB88E931D8ECA60/7?accountid=41678
ACCESS DATE	20 Dec 2012
FULL PAPER	FOUND
INSTITUTION	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
KEYWORDS	Universal design, housing for the Aging, America, housing, gerontology
ABSTRACT	Appropriate housing for the aging American population is a timely topic of research in both housing and gerontology. Universal design is an innovation in housing design that is gaining interest from both industries. This research examines the effectiveness of universal design features that have been identified by experts in the field of aging, housing, and universal design as important to resident and caregiver participants of the ECHO demonstration housing program. A national survey was conducted that included all available current residents of the HUD ECHO houses and their caregivers. The relationships between age, effectiveness of universal design features, health and dependency were investigated. Quantitative results include some confounding relationships, and plausible explanations. A qualitative analysis, based on on-site and telephone interviews, and tape recordings of those interviews with residents and their caregivers, as well as architectural drawings, observation, and photographs of the ECHO houses provided additional details. The qualitative approach indicated that many of the universal design features recommended by the experts consulted satisfactorily met the needs of residents and/or their caregivers. It also revealed, however that some features were not considered important by residents and caregivers, some were not reported as present (when they were documented by the researcher as present), and at least one HUD-specified universal design feature was not provided by ECHO houses. Another aspect of the qualitative perspective addressed the health of the residents. Health characteristics are presented in the context of their effect on dependency. Phase II dependency task information was compared to that reported in phase I, and improvement and decline was noted. Conclusions, and Implications that elaborate on findings, and future research is recommended for taking this research to the next level.

Accessibility for wheelchair users in public parks : a comparison between Adelaide and Kuantan

TITLE	Accessibility for wheelchair users in public parks : a comparison between Adelaide and Kuantan
AUTHOR	Liyana Mohamed Yusof
YEAR	2010
TYPE OF THESIS	Master  Thesis
DISCIPLINE	Architecture & design
URL	http://umpir.ump.edu.my/2724/ or http://umpir.ump.edu.my/2724/1/LIYANA_MOHAMED_YUSOF.PDF
ACCESS DATE	14 Dec 2012
FULL PAPER	FOUND, but no access to full paper
INSTITUTION	University of Adelaide, Australia
KEYWORDS	Universal Design, Housing, Malaysia, Design, Case studies
ABSTRACT	This study investigated the accessibility of wheelchairs users in public parks in Kuantan, Malaysia and Adelaide, South Australia. Anthropology of wheelchairs users locally is identified comprehensively. The investigation takes into consideration the needs and difficulties of wheelchairs users to access public parks as well as fundamental facilities required by wheelchair user in public parks. An inclusive study on Malaysian legislation, The Persons with Disabilities Act 2008,  Australian legislation, Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Malaysian Standard MS 1184:2002, Australia Standard AS 1428.1-2001 and policies and guidelines used by Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan (MPK) and Adelaide City Council (ACC) when planning for people with disabilities specifically wheelchair users is undertaken. The effectiveness of these governments documents is analysed and compared by conducting observation and documentation on accessibility in selected public parks in Kuantan and Adelaide. Esplanade Park, Kerang Park, Karrawirra-Park 12 Parade Grounds Park and Elder Park are chose to serve as case studies. Comparison on the observations and documentations conducted between these four parks found that the Australian government document is more effective when compared to Malaysian government documents. The study also found, in providing accessibility for wheelchair users in public parks, common issues such as budgets, conflicts with infrastructure, conflicts with other disabilities, natural factors, effectiveness of government documents, and lack of awareness arise in both states. However the issues in Kuantan are more critical.

Universal Access to Heritage Buildings in Hong Kong

TITLE	Universal Access to Heritage Buildings in Hong Kong
AUTHOR	LOK So Fun, Rosa
YEAR	2003
TYPE OF THESIS	MSc Thesis
DISCIPLINE	Conservation
URL	http://hub.hku.hk/handle/10722/40036
ACCESS DATE	14 Dec 2012
FULL PAPER	FOUND
INSTITUTION	University of Hong Kong
KEYWORDS	Universal Design, heritage Building, Hong Kong, Conservation
ABSTRACT	Universal Access to heritage buildings is nothing new in the United Kingdom, United States or Australia. However, in Hong Kong, this is a relatively new concept. The public awareness of the equal right of the disabled person to access to buildings, whether such buildings are new or old, is scarce. In addition, the manager responsible for managing heritage buildings often sticks to the ideology of keeping authenticity of the building by having no change. Conservation is a dynamic process. A building loses its functional value if the use cannot meet the rising needs of the community. One of the responsibilities tasked onto a conservator is to enhance the perpetual value of the heritage building by fusing the contemporary needs into it while maintaining the significance. It is important that a framework is established to guide the change process. The stock of historical buildings in Hong Kong is huge although not in great number as compared with other parts of the world. They are the cultural assets of the society in which direct economic gains can be generated through cultural tourism or functional use. Providing universal access extends the life of these heritage building. The study attempts to unfold the experience in other parts of the world and address the issue by formulating a framework appropriate for application in local conservation practice. Taking the Burra Charter as the guiding principle in conservation, the framework starts with the most fundamental aspect of establishing the significance of the building, undertaking an access audit, evaluating the access requirements, exploring all possible solutions and implementing the selected options. One of the objectives in carrying out this study is to promote awareness of the universal access requirement in build design. If a building is designed right in the first place, alterations to suit later requirements can be minimized and conservation of the building becomes less burdensome.