ABSTRACT
Francesc Aragall i Clave
Universal Design and Assistive Technology
Everyone have the RIGHT, the WISH and the NEED to choose his/her way of life without obstacles to the own development.
The aim is providing human beings with environments, products and services that are accessible.
That is: Respectful to personal characteristics, safe and secure, healthy, functional, comprehensible and aesthetic. (European Concept for Accessibility, 2003-www.eca.lu)
To achieve this aims two ways are complementary:
- Design for All, close to other concepts like Universal Design, Inclusive Design, Design d’Utenza Ampliata, etc. This ways focus on the improvement of mainstream products to allow more people to use them, bearing in mind diversity in age, gender, physical or mental abilities, cultural background and dimensions.
- Assistive Technologies, including the classical concept to Technical Aids. This approach focus on improve the individual capacities by means of hardware and software tools to increase the interaction possibilities.
Although is an approach to find individual solutions, the same tool can be used by other people with similar characteristics with slight adaptations.
Both approaches are indispensable to achieve a society with higher level of equality, justice and quality to life.
In my opinion, while the first way should be financed by private initiatives supported by legislation the second approach must be finance by the welfare and health departments of the administrations.