Arggg

Power went out again in Old Main today. So I was left stranded on the second floor. Good thing there are a few big guys in the class. They had to carry me down the stairs, never a dull moment for me it seems. So that raises a new question for my thesis. Why doesnt the back up power run the elevators in a power outage? The power came on almost an hour later so I would have been trapped a long time. When I got home to the residence on campus the firedepartment was busy helping a couple of kids out of the stuck elevator there in between floors. Seems like a faulty system. Maybe that should be looked at someday. I doubt I can cover all the problems on campus. I better try to keep this simple? And only cover structural problems on campus.

Hello

Today I posted a new concept drawing of a sidewalk that is needed near the TRU residence. It is a major issue and I have even talked to disability services and the the people in facilities about getting it designed and put into place.

For two years now students and myself have to travel down the road instead of using a sidewalk. The reason for this? Because there isnt a sidewalk existing between the C.A.C. and the TRU residence. This has to be dealt with soon or someones goign to get hurt there.

I also added a little pic to my abstract...its not much but it speaks volumes about what I am trying to get across.

Street markers

The whole idea of "Urban Inclusive Design", isnt just for people in wheelchairs. The whole concepts revolves around the idea that daily transit should be easy without barriers. This concept even takes left handedness into consideration.

I was talking to Yusuke Endo the other day about this topic and he sent me some pictures from his home of how they deal with such issues in Tokyo. I was amazed to see the amount of effort they put into making the streets accessible for the Blind. Amazing! We should learn from these cultures, they seem to understand the whole concept in its importance.

abstract

HOW “INCLUSIVE DESIGN” CAN BENEFIT THE T.R.U. CAMPUS

CHRIS W. BAYNE

How can we design a better Thompson Rivers University campus for people with disabilities and disadvantages by using an “Inclusive Design” model?

It is our goal to design an upgraded T.R.U. campus that will provide a safer, all inclusive and easier to navigate environment for everyone that attends, uses and visits this University. There are several areas on campus that are inaccessible, difficult to navigate and often dangerous to users, particularly for people with a disability or experience difficulty with some form of mobility.

An inclusive design would address these issues and make navigation around the T.R.U. campus much easier and safer for everyone, not just those with handicaps or impairments.

“Inclusive Design” is, as the name suggests, a design that incorporates everyone and segregates no one.

A big issue for people with special needs is segregation from the general population. Because people with disabilities don’t fit within “Societies Norms” they are often ignored, overlooked, shunned and avoided by people that are unfamiliar or not accustomed to being around people with differences. By starting with the most basic human need of freedom of movement we can help to incorporate everyone on this campus as a unit, rather than single certain segments of the populations out. When the common pathway, staircase, doorway or sidewalk isn’t accessible to everyone this creates a form of handicap in itself. For example, rather than being able to reach another floor or classroom along with his peers, the disabled person must find an alternative method of ascension. Instead of traveling to and from the dorms and to other campus buildings by means of the same walkways as other students, a person with a stroller, wheelchair, or bicycle etc is forced to find some other pathway or route to arrive at the same destination as everyone else. The result is usually time consuming, unsafe, embarrassing, humiliating, and more often than not the process is more physically demanding

We would like to improve on the existing designs that are presently in place here at Thompson Rivers University. By incorporating creative ramping with modern aesthetics, and adding more elevators that are open 24 hours a day and available to every student not just a few select members, we would create an easier method of access that is fully integrated. Wider more modern and attractive doorways and access to every area of the campus would not only assist everyone using them, but also add a more appealing style

and design, creating a state-of-the art appearance and feel to this university while at the same time eliminating unnecessary barriers for anyone entering any area of the campus regardless of their limitations.

The ultimate goal for future design is to ensure ease of access and mobility by everyone using the facility. By incorporating design, flair and modern technology we will be creating a welcoming user friendly campus that is not only impressive to see, but functional on every level for every user.

Not only are these changes and designs a benefit to the student, staff and visitor population of T.R.U., but they also create an image of progress, modernized thinking and they present a model that other public facilities will be anxious to use for their future designs.


“If you believe in dreams and have the courage to try, great things can be accomplished. Anything is possible.”
-Rick Hansen

Problem Areas Map

I have recently added a map stating some of the main problem areas on campus. This should help people understand where these sites are.

Escalator Accident

Things most people hardly see get to see. This is the realism of what some people are faced with in a bad design situation. I notice here a set of stairs with an escalator, but no elevator? So as a paraplegic myself I have had to take an escalator ride down just like this guy, I didnt fall thank goodness. Unfortunetly this is what can happen though. Perhaps people never thought of this before? Hopefully, Universal design will always be a thought in a designers head when working on a project, hopefully this will not happen as much as it has in the past!

HOW “INCLUSIVE DESIGN” CAN BENEFIT THE T.R.U. CAMPUS

BY: Chris Bayne

PURPOSE
To promote design changes and to make navigation of T.R.U’s campus inclusively designed for all users.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
To introduce new ideas to create ease of navigation around campus for the disabled, visually- impaired, families with strollers and/or small children and the aging population. A universal, all inclusive design that would help eliminate the exclusion and barriers for these people that go unnoticed by the general population on a daily basis.

STATEMENT
Thompson Rivers University’s campus has noticeable issues regarding handicap accessibility. Several changes need to be implemented to make it completely accessible for people that have navigation challenges. An “Inclusive Design” would upgrade the campus and bring it up to today’s progressive model and design standards. These changes will make all forms of travel to any area of the campus easier for everyone that enters T.R.U. including students, faculty and visitors. At present there are barriers and obstacles that tend to create a form of segregation that must be avoided in all future designs.

METHODOLOGY
Blog, data band through professional companies and organizations, library research and personal experience.

DISSEMINATION
Written report

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Student Liaison for disabled students at T.R.U.

CONTRIBUTION TO MY ACADEMIC GOALS
I am enrolled in the A.R.E.T. program at Thompson Rivers University. As a paraplegic myself, I have encountered many obstacles and barriers during my daily travels from building to building and throughout all public areas around T.R.U.’s campus. These not only pose a danger and threat to my health and safety, but also prevent me from participating, accessing and being involved in many activities on campus that the rest of the student population enjoy and utilize. Easier access to all areas would make my daily routine much easier, allow for better time management and provide a much more pleasant experience if they were improved upon. It is my desire to remove, eliminate and/or improve upon these problem areas and help to create a modern user friendly campus that would make everyone’s daily routines easier, eliminate that wasted time and create and better overall environment for everyone using these facilities.
It is my desire to use the education that I am gaining through this program, and put it to good use by helping to create an easier, safer, and “inclusive” world for people with disadvantages and disabilities.

Welcome

To all of those people who have found this Blog, Welcome. Please feel free to comment and enjoy what my Blog has to offer. I am hoping to get information through this Blog to help me with an analytical report involving the "Inclusive Design" concept.