Check back for a recap of the Conference!
Written by guest columnist Libby Wilcosky
Written by guest columnist Libby Wilcosky
As an adult with no disabilities to speak of, I have gone through life turning on light switches, crossing the street and opening doors with little thought or consideration for how these simple everyday tasks could present a great challenge to someone with a disability. In April of this year I began working for Brian and my entire outlook changed. Brian is visually impaired and uses a wheelchair. On one of our first trips outside of the office Brian pointed out a 2’ by 1’ black rectangle on the sidewalk that I had never noticed before. He explained that this rectangle is placed in the sidewalk where it slopes down into the curb cut so people in wheelchairs can safely cross the street and not fall off the curb. As someone who is visually impaired, this simple solution makes it much easier and safer for him to cross the street.
With our current society there are all kinds of these hurdles for a large portion of our population but also the opportunity to create innovative solutions to some of these challenges. On September 23rd, 2011, pioneering minds from all over the state will come together to showcase new designs for both universal and assistive designs. The concept behind a universal design is “a framework for the design of places, things, information, communication and policy that focuses on the user, on the widest range of people operating in the widest range of situations without special or separate design… or human-centered design of everything with everyone in mind.” Assistive technology on the other hand are products that “can enable people with disabilities to accomplish daily living tasks, assist them in communication, education, work or recreation activities, in essence, help them achieve greater independence and enhance their quality of life.”
The Convention is titled “Products and Technologies that Change People’s Lives” and will feature cutting edge ideas that will help improve peoples’ abilities to live, learn, work and play, regardless of ability or age. Products and ideas will focus on four main areas: Home, Work, Lifelong Learning & Recreation, Fitness & Sport. There is also a design competition open to Massachusetts residents who are current students and young professionals who have great ideas for new technologies.
