BBC NEWS | Technology | Motion-sensitive laptop developed

An interesting development of Tablet PC technology (which I am already sold on!)

BBC NEWS | Technology | Motion-sensitive laptop developed: "Motion-sensitive laptop developed

Tilting the laptop moves a cursor

A motion-sensitive laptop which can be controlled much like a Nintendo Wii remote is under development.

The tablet PC laptop has been adapted to respond to a user when moving the machine up or down, side to side, or forwards and backwards.

It is hoped the BT Balance system can help people with disabilities or the elderly, for whom using a keyboard or mouse can be difficult."

I really want a pair of these!!

I would love a pair of these wheels on my wheelchair... They even glow differently at night! Hmmm...
The website is:
http://www.sweetskinz.com

BBC NEWS | Europe | Unholy row at clergy soccer game

This is just madness! In a World where the conflict of different religions are causing such issues for us all, we should be looking to the different religious leaders to be trying to build bridges. Still, given my own experiences of religious leaders, I am not at all surprised, but still rather saddened, that they can be so thoughtless... Religions (of all denominations) have much to be ashamed of in this world. This just adds to their list...maybe their God will forgive them... but I don't believe we should.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Unholy row at clergy soccer game: "A friendship-building football match between Muslim and Christian clergy in Norway was called off after a row over the participation of women players.

Muslim Imams had refused to play against women because it went against their beliefs about close physical contact with the opposite sex.

But when the church decided to drop its women players, the priests' team captain walked out in protest."

IOL: Blind pilot flies halfway round the world

this is an impressive achievement!

IOL: Blind pilot flies halfway round the world: "Sydney - A blind British pilot landed his microlight aircraft in Sydney on Monday to complete a record-breaking flight halfway around the world.

Miles Hilton-Barber left London on March 7 and flew more than 21 000km to raise funds to fight blindness in developing countries.

'It's the fulfilment of an amazing dream,' the 58-year-old adventurer said after touching down at Sydney's Bankstown airport. 'I've been wanting to do this flight for about four years.'

Hilton-Barber flies with a sighted co-pilot but relies on speech output from his navigation instruments to steer his course, directing the plane from a wireless keyboard."

South Africa and Iraq: the missing example David Mikhail - openDemocracy

Hmm; an interesting, thought provoking article. But I do feel that the author slightly underplays the significance that the world's only living statesman played in all this: Mandela (or Madiba, as he is affectionately known by all here).

South Africa and Iraq: the missing example David Mikhail - openDemocracy: "The successful transition to democracy in South Africa could be an inspiration to Iraqis struggling with their own legacy of violence and dictatorship, says David Mikhail."

Kwikspar Abuses Parking Reserved for Disabled Motorist

This was kindly sent to me by Willie Bosch. I have left his words untouched.

Apart from the fact that parking for disabled is allocated close to the entrance of shops, they are designed to be a minimum of 3.5 meters wide.

The space is needed for the disabled persons car door to be fully open so that a wheelchair may be moved close to the seat for the person to climb or slide over to the wheelchair or the door must be fully opened for a person on crutches to be able to get out

In most cases the parking are designed with two bays next to each other, (as per above drawing) the one with the wheelchair sign on it where the vehicle should park and the adjacent bay, clearly marked in yellow with a cross through in the middle, where the wheelchair can be wheeled in for the driver or passenger to transfer to.

Should any other vehicle be parked inside the area allocated for parking for disabled motorists, there will be not enough space for the disabled motorist to get out of their car.

At the shopping centre in Seaview, there is a parking reserved for disabled motorists allocated in front of Seaview Kwikspar, but unfortunately a disabled motorist will never be able to use such facility because a silver Mercedes is parked there every day all day long.

After receiving complaints from disabled motorists that there is always a metallic silver Mercedes benze parked in that parking daily and they note that the car does not display a parking sticker for disabled motorists on it, I decided to find the owner of the Mercedes and politely discuss the problem he or she is creating for disabled motorists by parking his/her car there every day.

On Thursday (5/04/07) at Seaview Kwikspar, I was referred to a Mr John vd Berg and when I introduced myself and said that I wish to talk to him about his car parked on the parking reserved for disabled motorists, he immediately went into defence, saying that he can park where he wants and by parking there, he leaves the other parking open for his customers.

I explained that I am also a customer in his shop but I cannot use the parking allocated for disabled motorists, he replied that it must be four months since he had last seen me in his spar, but he knows who I am (he reads the w/post) and that I should leave him alone as he has work to do.

I informed him that I have parked my car in the parking for disabled and requested if he would accompany me to my car so that I could demonstrate to him that I cannot open my door fully and show him what problems he is causing by parking his car there and that a disabled motorist could bump his car with their door should they open it fully.

Mr John vd Berg replied that if that happened, he will respray his whole car and sue for expenses and that I must please go he is busy.

I explained to Mr John vd Berg that if he does not want to listed to reason (and I had even brought the attached drawing for him to see) then I will have no alternative other that to ticket his car with a R200:00 fine and let a judge decide who is right and wrong.

Many persons are under the impression that one may not enforce the law on private property. All traffic laws may be enforced at any property that has free access to the general public except where there are controlled access such as entrance booms etc, but then again if the landlord requests the traffic department to enforce the law on their property, it will happen.

The landlord of the Seaview Shopping Centre, Mr Leonard told me he has had numerous complaints about Mr John vd Berg parking his car on the parking reserved for disabled motorists but has had no joy when asked not to park there.

The above photo`s will show you my LDV parked next to the Mercedes and as you can see there is no space left for a disabled driver to get into a wheelchair

It is a shame that the management has no compassion for his clients that are disabled and would rather use our parking to give more space to his other clients that are not so disabled

BBC NEWS | Business | Africa aid target 'may be missed'

Credit where it is due (pun intended!); we may argue that 0.51% is too small... but at least one country made it; pity a few more could not achieve the same...

BBC NEWS | Business | Africa aid target 'may be missed': "The European Union (EU) set a target for its 15 established members to give 0.51% of Gross National Income (GNI) in aid by 2010 and 0.7% by 2013.

In 2006 the UK provided �6.85bn in aid which amounts to 0.52% of Gross National Income."

Labour on defective lifts and buildings in Durban

When one realizes that a defective lift can be a complete barrier to access for many people with disabilities, or worse, if they are defective then potentially they could strand people on upper floors, with no means of escape; then we should be absolutely horrified at this finding. It is essential that action is taken by the authorities to address this serious, dangerous problem. this work was done in Durban, but I am sure other cities in South Africa would be no better. I will follow this with great interest.

Labour on defective lifts and buildings in Durban: "24 April 2007

A random survey of buildings in parts of Durban's inner city and surrounding suburbs shows that 67% have lifts that are defective or not functioning.

The findings of the study also show that a total of 33 buildings out of 49 have lifts that are not functioning or defective. Sixty seven percent of the buildings' lifts have broken down completely, stalled frequently or are defective.

Fifty three percent of the lifts were not functioning at all from less than a year to 20 years. Approximately 20% have not worked for a period of between four to five years, and 8% between 10 to 11 years with complaints by residents disregarded by the owners or bodies corporate."

BBC NEWS | Health | Research opens way for bionic eye

A long way off yet, but fascinating nontheless:

BBC NEWS | Health | Research opens way for bionic eye: "Research opens way for bionic eye
Eye
A bionic eye could potentially restore sight
US scientists have opened the way for the development of a 'bionic eye'.

They used electrodes to stimulate an area of the brain that processes visual information, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported."

SA RUGBY A 'PARAPLEGIC FACTORY

this is really worrying; I love rugby, even though it was the root cause of me becoming a wheelchair user. But this tells me that there is something really wrong with Rugby in South Africa. Some of the stories that are coming out are really frightening & I do feel that something needs to be done. I have heard of horror stories from my sons' schools of coaches playing injured players, suggesting that children take substances to 'improve their body mass' & even paying students to injure opponents on the field. I don't think that it is so much a problem with the laws (Rugby has laws, not rules) of the game; but more an attitude problem which starts at school level, and permeates through the whole Rugby culture here.

By Kashiefa Ajam, Melanie Peters and Tash Reddy, Pretoria News online

Rugby in South Africa is in danger of becoming a "paraplegic factory". The rugby season has only just begun, but already serious on-field injuries have cost one player his life.

allAfrica.com: South Africa: 2010 Or Bust (Page 1 of 1)

My point exactly; let us host the 2010 at Newlands and spend the necessary on our transport infrastructure.

allAfrica.com: South Africa: 2010 Or Bust (Page 1 of 1): "Fifa was quite happy with Newlands, and that way Cape Town would save hundreds of millions of rands to spend on worthy causes -- and still get the tourists even if it failed in its bid to host a semifinal."

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

I had posted previously that South Africa were one of the movers, and first signatories to this convention. I feel that this convention should have far reaching effects, but I also feel that the actual implementation will prove to be difficult for many countries to acheive. I know DPI have put together a toolkit, and I will unpack that in a later post. But I want to include an email that I sent which was part of a discussion with other interested parties here in South Africa. I think it is important that we do discuss this, and ensure that our countries' obligations are not swept aside. I feel that an African Employers Forum on Disability would be a vital input source to this process. This is my proposal, in answer to an email calling for a Disability Indaba or Conference:

I feel that the DPI toolkit is a useful addition to the process. While I agree that there is a need for dialogue on these issues, I fear that we presently have more of a monologue in South Africa at present. If there is any Disability workshop or indaba, then who generally comes? People with disabilities mainly along with junior representation from a variety of HR departments, and we end up “preaching to the converted”, but not actually putting anything into action. There is a (quite natural) level of ignorance in the general public (and by extension, politicians too), on the sort of issues that people with disabilities face.
Any indaba, or conference, has to have clear, stated goals and targets of implementation that are published well before the event, and then the whole conference has to be geared towards producing these outcomes. There is nothing more frustrating (for everyone concerned) to have the expense of attending or speaking at a conference where the vast majority of delegates are people with disabilities attending in a personal capacity, and very few decision makers from the spheres of business & government. If these people are invited to speak they tend to speak historically; “this is what we have achieved”, or “this is the policy that we have signed”. They may give loose ideas of where they may be headed in the future, but very rarely do you hear clear commitments and promises (and I would include myself in that criticism!). It is much easier dealing with historical facts, than setting yourself up for a potential fall. But we do need to put together a safe, but constructive, atmosphere, where the various stakeholders (politicians, business, public sector, the Disability sector, and people with
disabilities) can work together to produce a clear, agreed framework of implementation (with goals, targets, deadlines, responsibilities, reporting procedures, budgets, etc).

We need to empower the decision makers with the right information; “right we have signed this piece of paper – but what does that really mean for us?”
Each person attending should be fully conversant with all the various documentation.

1. Why is this convention necessary?
2. What are our collective responsibilities under this convention?
3. What legislative changes will have to be made to ensure compliance?
4. What is the timeline for the different events?
a. Ratification
b. Adherence

This then gives us the information to tackle the various issues arising from the convention:
1. How are we going to implement our commitments?
2. Where is the money coming from for implementation?
3. Who is responsible for each stage (Government, Public Sector, Private Sector, commercial, Disability sector, etc.?)
a. How do we educate these people of their responsibilities?
b. How do we ensure that these people have the necessary tools to comply?
4. What reporting procedures are there for each phase?
a. What penalties or recognition is there for non compliance or compliance?
b. How will different parties measure compliance? (in house, or external)
5. How are we going to ensure compliance to any legislation? (We all know how useless any legislation is, if it is not enforced).
6. What support measures need to be in place to assist all the different parties are equipped to comply?
a. Who will provide these support measures?
b. Where will the budget come from?
7. What are the various targets and deadlines for each phase, to ensure that we meet our overall commitment?
8. What structures do we need in place to ensure that these targets can be met?
9. What skills shortages can we identify?
a. What plans need to be put in place to rectify these skills shortages?

This should give us a clear road map of implementation with achievable goals and signposts along the way. There needs to be a monitoring / policing procedure built into each stage, and the results have to be published. As we are not the only signatories to the convention, we should also be able to gauge our progress against other countries, and share our collective experiences of implementation. We are part of a global village, and there are a huge number of signatories to this convention, it therefore makes sense to have close ties with other countries and international organisations during implementation. Here would need to be clear avenues where these lines of information can be fed back to the necessary parties.

We can only achieve this if we can ensure that we have the right decision makers from the different sectors. This cannot be achieved by one group of stakeholders alone, but will need a detailed public / private partnership arrangement. We have to ensure that there are enough high level decision makers from each sector, so that they can agree to the basic road map, and assign the necessary resources to each phase to ensure that there is adequate funding to achieve compliance. To give yet another conference without these players would be a waste of everyone’s time. We would need to set up working groups to be able to reach conclusions, within those groups there has to be representatives from the different stakeholders that have real decision making authority. I think we shall have to conclude some agreements / arrangements that would allow each sector to have different representatives that are empowered to make decisions on behalf of the sector that they represent. The challenge is to get the right players – I don’t think that another conference packed with individual PWD’s & junior members of different HR departments will work. The conference would have to be aimed at executive level.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Users force Dell to resurrect XP

Wow! I know that Microsoft were aiming for the Wow factor; well, it has worked here! Wow!: how bad is the Vista experience for customers to want to have 'old' software instead of the latest versions? How does Micrsoft hope to get people to convert (at huge cost) to Vista, when this sort of thing happens? There are many aspects of Vista that I think would be useful to my (mostly pen-based) computing, but I am not jumping to change just yet. I am hoping that Mac will bring out their long awaited Tablet PC eventually. That way the competition should improve the experience...

BBC NEWS | Technology | Users force Dell to resurrect XP: "Responding to customer demand Dell has restarted selling new PCs with Windows XP installed on them.

The decision reverses a policy begun in January that meant Windows Vista was the only operating system available on almost all new home machines.

The change came after Dell's feedback site was swamped with calls for the return of the venerable software."

Take action: Stop harassment of activists in Zimbabwe - Amnesty International

Why is the world not interested? I know that the South African government is trying to work quietly with the regime in Harare, but there needs to be more peer pressure from different leaders. I am appalled when Mugabe is treated as a hero, or when he is criticised it is some form of racism. Those that know me, know that many of my heroes are African...and I firmly believe that the only living world statesman is South African - Mandela, but the African Union needs to be more public and strong in its condemnation of Mugabe, or we shall all ultimately lose out.

Take action: Stop harassment of activists in Zimbabwe - Amnesty International: "Take action: Stop harassment of activists in Zimbabwe

On 11 March 2007, about 50 activists were arrested in Zimbabwe after attempting to attend a public meeting in defiance of a three-month ban imposed by the authorities. The activists, including leaders of the main opposition party in Zimbabwe -- the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) -- were severely beaten during arrest and later tortured while in police custody.

Police shot dead one of the activists, Gift Tandare, the youth chairperson of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) local structure in a Harare suburb."

Doing my little bit, and showing my support...in the hope that they may still find Alan Johnston alive. I use the BBC extensively, for news, and research. I believe that they offer a valuable, relatively unbiased report on most news events. I wish that people would realise that a free media is a prerequisite for a free world. Without reporters like Alan Johnston, we would not be able to learn about a whole raft of different issues. Somebody, and possibly some organisation knows...we can only hope that enough pressure can be applied, not just from politicians, to allow us to find out what has happened, and hopefully find Alan alive.

BBC NEWS | Business | Pressure grows on World Bank boss

This is the quite dreadful neo-conservative who was foisted on the World Bank by the Bush administration to deal with the perceived corruption within that organization. Is this a case of gamekeeper turned poacher? I believe that it is yet another example of cronyism and blatant corruption within the neo-conservative ranks of the present White House administration. Their arrogance and hypocrisy never fail to amaze (and shock) me. Shock and awe indeed!

BBC NEWS | Business | Pressure grows on World Bank boss: "In an editorial, Britain's Financial Times newspaper called for Wolfowitz to step down.

'If the president stays, (the World Bank) risks becoming an object not of respect, but of scorn, and its campaign in favour of good governance not a believable struggle, but blatant hypocrisy,' it said."

Another car parked in an accessible bay

Another car parked in an accessible bay
Originally uploaded by dissol2.

Fri 13/04/2007 12:27 13042007338 Of course, any of these may be legitimate, but if they are not displaying a "Blue Permit" then it is fair game. I know that sometimes I forget to put my own up in my car, or sometimes I may have say left my car (with permit) in an accessible parking bay at the airport, and then hired a car at my destination (and so will not be able to display in the hire car). But even so, I would consider myself to be fair game to be tagged by someone else. After all I have nothing to hide, and would not mind having my car photographed in an accessible parking bay. If anyone recognizes any of the cars that I have tagged (or moblogged - is that a new word?) & you know that the person has a valid reason to be parked in this bay, then please let me know.

More access issues around Greenmarket Square

More access issues around Greenmarket Square
Originally uploaded by dissol2.

Wed 11/04/2007 11:22 11042007322 This is another photo of issues in Cape Town. I did ask the cafe to move the furniture, which they did. But the next day I was there they were back blocking the route. Look how the umbrella is positioned to block the kerb cut out.

Getting in Touch: Virtual Maps for the Blind: Scientific American

Another take on novel navigation methods for people with sight impairments.

Getting in Touch: Virtual Maps for the Blind: Scientific American: "Researchers in Greece have developed a new system that converts video into virtual, touchable maps for the blind. The three-dimensional maps use force fields to represent walls and roads so the visually impaired can better understand the layout of buildings and cities"

Building a Tower!

Building a Tower!
Originally uploaded by dissol2.

Mon 09/04/2007 14:08 09042007321 Rob & his pal, DJ building a tall tower. It is built from just wooden blocks (slightly larger than Jenga blocks). It is amazing & pleasing to see just how much fun 'simple' toys such as this can give such pleasure to kids.

Religious right launches rival to 'un-American' Wikipedia

This is so funny! I use Wikipedia a lot, and find it a very useful resource. On one level, I think it is hilarious that the American religious right wing feels so threatened by "non American" spelling of words... That would be the correct way then?? (Try being a "real" English user, and the battles we have with the stupid spell checkers with Microsoft...yes, I know we can change to English (UK), but it keeps changing back to English (US)). But on another level, I do find this quite disturbing; if they are so insecure, and bigoted then we should only expect more trouble from them. This is designed to be a project for home-schooled children, and they hope it will become the "largest & most reliable" online educational resource of its kind...I sincerely hope not, and I hope enough people see this silly, zenophobic, racist project for what it really represents.

Religious right launches rival to 'un-American' Wikipedia: "DINOSAURS. They may not exist, but they're just launched their own online encyclopaedia. Conservapedia claims to be 'a much-needed alternative to Wikipedia, which is increasingly anti-Christian and anti-American.'

Rather than having anything as mundane as posting rules, Conservapedia has Commandments. The first Commandment is ' Everything you post must be true and verifiable.' Strange that, I always thought it was 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' But Conservapedia is 'the encyclopedia you can trust' – apart from knowing how to spell 'encyclopaedia', obviously – so I must be mistaken. Oooh, hang on, Commandment Five says that American spelling of words must be used. And as everyone knows, both Jesus and his dad were born in the USA.

Coming back to Conservapedia's First Commandment, it will be interesting to see exactly how any reference to the Bible will be verified as fact. Obviously, as a new site, many subjects have yet to appear, or are in need of expansion. This is the full article on Iraq, for example:

A Middle-Eastern country, currently occupied by U.S. Troops.

We feel sure that all God-fearing INQUIRER readers will step up to the plate and fill in a few of these gaps for them. If you don't, the turrists will have won"

Jan Smuts

Jan Smuts has been a fascinating historical character for me, and the more I learn about this fascinating man, the more I am in awe of him. Not only did he write the preamble to the League of Nations (which went on to become the United Nations), but if he had been allowed to implement the results of the Fagan Commission, then Apartheid may never have happened. In my former career, I came across his name many times, as I was researching different African plants as he was a world renowned botanist.

Lord Todd, the Master of Christ's College (Cambridge University) said in 1970 that "in 500 years of the College's history, of all its members, past and present, three had been truly outstanding: John Milton, Charles Darwin and Jan Smuts"

iafrica.com | news | special reports | 2010 soccer world cup | news 2010 prostitution 'not discussed'

Hmm... What is Jackie Selebi thinking?? I have seen at first hand the effects of alcohol on England thugs...believe me, you don't want to make alcohol any more accessible for those people. And legalising prostitution??? In a country where 20% of the population is HIV positive?? I wonder what the rate is amongst prostitutes?? Perhaps Selebi is taking a long term view on this...and the two measures combined will remove the future problems of soccer hooliganism??

iafrica.com | news | special reports | 2010 soccer world cup | news 2010 prostitution 'not discussed': "As part of the safety campaigns for 2010, Selebi proposed to the safety and security committee in parliament last week that prostitution and public drinking be legalised."

Sweet Photo

This is a sweet photo - found on Flickr. Well done 'Light Saver"!

Stemblog � What YOU Can Do!

I really hope that the Bill passes through this time with enough of a majority so that the Idiot in Charge cannot veto this again, and limit this really important research. I hope that there can be enough public support, and people do contact their senators in the States to get that important 66%.

Stemblog � What YOU Can Do!: "We need the Stem Cell Research Enhancement to pass, and to pass with a 2/3 majority, because President Bush has declared that he will veto this bill, once again."

South African Police Service members deployed to assist with security at Cricket World Cup

I really feel that this move is rather silly, given the rising crime in South Africa. I do believe that we have international obligations...and should be providing support to many international efforts, especially in Africa, but I cannot see that this is needed.

South African Police Service members deployed to assist with security at Cricket World Cup: "Today National Commissioner Jackie Selebi met with a contingent of South African Police Service members who are about to depart for the Caribbean to render operational assistance during the super 8 series, the semi-finals and the finals of the Cricket World Cup 2007 in Grenada, St Lucia and Barbados."

Some Access issues in Cape Town.

Some Access issues in Cape Town.
Originally uploaded by dissol2.

Thu 05/04/2007 12:56 05042007308 While many of my photos are of Cape Town & area, it does not mean that that Cape Town is particularly bad, it just happens to be where I go. This photo shows a poor road surface immediately in the path of the kerb cut-out. This is along the route around Green Market Square, an important Tourist Venue in Cape Town.

Yet more accessible parking abuse at CPT

Yet more accessible parking cause at CPT
Originally uploaded by dissol2.

Tue 03/04/2007 08:58 03042007303
The authorities at Cape Town airport really need to start to monitor & police these bays. I witness abuse nearly every time I in to the airport & I have never seen any action taken against these idiots, even though I have made repeated requests. All too often the culprits are hotel & travel agent taxis. This particular vehicle appeared to be a hire car or courtesy car.

Parking bay abuse outside Cape Town Airport

Parking bay abuse outside Cape Town Airport
Originally uploaded by dissol2.

Tue 03/04/2007 08:56 03042007302
The usual atrocious accessible parking bay abuse at Cape Town airport. Although I tried, I could not find a single official who was willing to take any action.

Devizes to Westminster Canoe Marathon

Good luck to all the competitors in this year's D-W race! I (and David Williams) completed the event back in 1981. It is a tough race, and something I am immensely proud of having completed.

Devizes to Westminster Canoe Marathon: "devizes to westminster canoe marathon

6th April 2007–9th April 2007
Devizes to Westminster

River Thames

Hundreds of kayakers will participate in the UK’s toughest, open to all endurance event – the annual Devizes Westminster Canoe Marathon – over the Easter Weekend.

It’s 125 miles along the Kennet & Avon Canal to Reading, then down the Thames to Teddington ending in Westminster. Most eventers complete the race in around 24 hours, fighting fatique and sleep to complete the course. Now in it’s 59th year, the event takes paddlers to the limit of mental and physical endurance in what is the longest non-stop kayaking marathon in the world.

The finish line is Westminster Bridge in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament, where relatively small boats complete their winding journey along the historic Thames.

Open to anyone over 15 years of age – many schools take part – although you’ll need to train for at least six months if you’re a new to paddling. Previous participants include Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Rebecca Stephens (1st British Woman to Summit Everest), Lord Paddy Ashdown and Guin Batten (Sydney Olympics Team GB Silver Medallist)."

CYCLING; Cycling Race Says It Failed To Test for EPO - New York Times

This is bizarre at best, but it is also completely crass. Drug taking has spoiled the enjoyment for me of many (most?) sports. Now, whenever a sports person manages to pull off an amazing feat, or struggle through adversity, there is always the nagging doubt that they could have cheated. I remember watching Landis after his 'victory' on that stage in the Tour de France last year. He looked like he was "on" something: his eyes were darting all over the place, I could not believe it. I even said to my wife at the time, that he looked really odd, and that I guessed he was taking some drug. Yes; I think he is a cheat. I am also suspicious of Armstrong too. And I hate being suspicious of sportsmen and women like that. Sport should be inspiring and uplifting, but in recent years, first the communist blok countries, and then so many different sportsmen and women (predominantly from the USA) have been caught cheating. The US officials have an appalling record of hiding the results of doping tests, and allowing this systematic cheating to continue.

CYCLING; Cycling Race Says It Failed To Test for EPO - New York Times: "And now, organizers of the Tour of California, who boasted after last year's race that no riders tested positive for banned substances, have acknowledged that riders were not tested for what has become the sport's most abused drug -- the blood booster known as EPO.

That failure is more surprising because the lead sponsor of the Tour of California is Amgen, the California biotechnology company that produces the genetically engineered version of EPO, which is sold primarily to help cancer and dialysis patients battle anemia."

BBC NEWS | UK | Heart valve grown from stem cells

I try to track confirmed news about Stem cell research and developments, as opposed to the many unconfirmed claims that appear on the Internet from time to time. This is a very exciting development, and I expect to see more of there developments in the next few years.

BBC NEWS | UK | Heart valve grown from stem cells: "Heart valve grown from stem cells
Entire organs could be grown from stem cells
British scientists have grown part of a human heart from stem cells for the first time.

Heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, who led the team, said doctors could be using artificially-grown heart components in transplants within three years."

Transport on public transport strategy and action plan

Of course this should be welcomed. We are involved with some of these plans, and we can see some movement in the right direction. However, we are concerned that these targets will not be met. Another one to monitor.

Transport on public transport strategy and action plan: "
* plan fully accessible corridors for users with special needs, guidelines and specifications for accessible taxis, buses and trains by June 2007
* ensure initial 10% of total public transport fleet is fully accessible for users with special needs when rolling out BRT and Rapid Rail from May 2009.
* commencement of operations (including full accessibility for special needs users) by March 2009"

E Pahad to sign United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol, 30 Mar

Today should be a momentous day for the rights of people with disabilities living in South Africa. Rather (than my usual) knocking of politicians, I think I will congratulate them today...but watch closely for the implementation of the protocol.

E Pahad to sign United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol, 30 Mar: "Dr EG Pahad, the Minister in the Presidency left for New York last night to attend the Official Ceremony on the opening for signature of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 30 March 2007.

This Convention is the first human rights treaty to be adopted by the UN in the 21st Century. The Convention stands to benefit 650 million persons with disabilities who are among the most marginalised in the world. The convention includes a full range of human rights as well as measures to implement them effectively.

South Africa played an instrumental role in the negotiations that led to the adoption of the treaty and strongly supported the promotion and adoption of the Convention and its Optional Protocol."

Enham - News Articles

This is not surprising, but nevertheless worrying, information. I would recommend that people read Vash "The Psychology of Disability". In her book she explores this in some depth. I use this knowledge when I am called upon to speak to a group; it has been proven that a person sitting in a wheelchair carries less "weight" than if that person were standing, and this is even true when the audience is made up of predominantly wheelchair users too. I therefore use other techniques (rolling about the stage, raising and lowering volume and tone of my presentation or lecture, etc.)

Enham - News Articles: "NEW RESEARCH REVEALS PREJUDICE AMONGST DISABLED PEOPLE

Dr Mark Deal, Research and Development Manager at Enham and PhD student at City University, London, has conducted a study which surprisingly reveals prejudice amongst disabled people against other impairment groups and that there exists a hierarchy of impairment based on a range of factors. For example: both disabled and non-disabled people rank those with a mental illness or learning disability as the least desirable, with deafness followed by arthritis as the most desirable or accepted form of impairment."

Access to Design Professions

Access to Design Professions: "'By showing how landscape architecture has served society in isolating and removing the disabled body from the landscape, prejudicial design practices might be reduced and new forms of inclusive design might be fostered.'
- Daniel Hunter"

Access to Design Professions

Access to Design Professions: "'We have to explain accessibility to everyone, and how that must become the basis for universal design. This is the way to have the whole country working on the type of new society that we are trying to make, a society of inclusion.'
- Taide Buenfil Garza"

Access to Design Professions

Access to Design Professions: "'Through universal design, persons who are able-bodied will begin to have greater contact with persons with disabilities, thus developing increased understanding...and persons with disabilities will begin to enjoy inclusion throughout the life cycle.'
- DeVonna Cunningham Cervantes"

Access to Design Professions

Access to Design Professions: "'It can be frustrating when you are a consultant in a specialty that's not very well understood and where good design or universal design is condensed to mere accessibility and code compliance.'
- Maurizio Antoninetti"

Access to Design Professions

Access to Design Professions: "'Universal design seeks to encourage attractive, marketable products that are more usable by everyone. It is design for the built environment and consumer products for a very broad definition of user.'
- Ron Mace"

HHC: Include 2007 - 24 hour challenge

This sounds an interesting competition - I have put feeless out to my fellow students (and lecturers!) to gauge their opinions.

HHC: Include 2007 - 24 hour challenge: "The 24 Hour Inclusive Design Challenge at Include 2007"

BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Scottish | Scottish Rugby axes Borders team

Oh dear, this is a sad reflection on the state of Rugby Union in Scotland:

BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Scottish | Scottish Rugby axes Borders team: "The SRU board has decided it was unrealistic to continue running three professional teams."

The "New" approach to Disability

I particularly like this quote, but I do need to check on the original author, and I will put a link up once I have found it.

Although the academic and broadsheet worlds still tend to refer to ‘the elderly’ and ‘the disabled’, as if they form distinct groups outside the mainstream of society, there is a growing trend to recognise age and disability as something we will all experience, and therefore part of a normal lifecourse. Disabled people have become increasingly assertive about their rights to access buildings and services, while for older people the emphasis is now on independence. Both groups aspire to active participation within the mainstream of society, reject the dependency and institutionalisation that were the norm for much of the last century, and are beginning to assert themselves as consumers who control significant amounts of disposable income. Such new expectations offer a rationale for design that is ‘inclusive’ rather that exclusive, and more closely aligned to contemporary social expectations.

Piri Reis Map

My business partner & I had one of our many interesting debates recently. While we agree on most things related to business (fortunately!), we do have different approaches to other matters. Anyway, amongst discussions, the topic of the Piri Reis Map came up. Given our different approaches to other matters, it was not surprising that we each had a different 'take' on the map. I think we had both (certainly from my point of view) come to hear about the map through Hancock's "Fingerprints of the Gods". But we obviously came away with quite different perceptions from reading that book... I thought it basically well written (he is a journalist, & not a scientist after all!), but his theories left me cold. Although he gave a lot of space to the map in his book, there were few other cartography references (other than some vague, odd references to a retired US Admiral).

But the conversation sparked an interest, and (as is my wont), I decided to find out a little more about the map. Putting Piri Reis into any Internet search engine will trigger an avalanche of hits...the job is to sift through all the garbage until you begin to find a picture... There is lots and lots of complete nonsense written about this map, that is for sure. One site that did appear to give a good, logical, description was Professor Steve Dutch's site, and I would encourage people to have a look at his explanation.

Some FAQ's

Very interesting Web Pages:

Some FAQ's: "Why Don't Politicians Ever Tell The Truth?

They do. Every election there are politicians that defy conventional wisdom and tell the plain truth. And every Wednesday after Election Day the papers have a name for them: defeated."

Microsoft Survey of People who may benefit from Accessibility Features

This is a very interesting, large, survey. The results speak for themselves:

Examples: "In 2003 and 2004, Software giant Microsoft commissioned a representative survey of the range of abilities across the working age population and its likely impact on computer technology and usage. The goal was to identify the range of physical and cognitive abilities among working age adults and current computer users in the US, and also to identity the types of difficulties and impairments that limit computer use, their range and degree of severity, and the number of people who could benefit from accessible technology.

The 15,000 people sampled delivered a clear and very powerful message: 57% of them could benefit from accessibility features that are often buried within the operating system, rather than being made evident to the mainstream user. In other words, software developed for what Microsoft regarded as a minority of the population - disabled and older users - offers benefits to the majority. The impact of this research on Microsoft has been significant, pushing accessibility high up the agenda for management and software developers alike."

Access at the 2010 Soccer World Cup

As a follow up to the last post, I am increasingly concerned about Access & Inclusive Design for the upcoming 2010 World Cup. Of course, I do have a vested interest in this, but I have noticed a worrying trend, the closer we get (and so the further behind plans become) to the event. Initally we were contacted by all manner of parties, who had been told that all the designs for the different Stadia (new, or refurbished) would have to be accessible. Indeed, several of the RFP's that went out dictated that a "Universal Design Consultant" had to be on the team. But we have seen that Access is being marginalised at best in many of the projects, and I fear it has been comletely forgotten for many projects.

One incident really brought this home to me. We had been engaged as "Universal Design Consultants" on one particular project connected with the 2010 event. I had attended several meetings, but I felt that my voice was not being heard, and most of the team had no real grasp of the ramifications of inclusve design. I was getting more & more frustrated at every meeting. Then a meeting was called (I ended up driving from Jo'burg to Cape Town in a hurry to attend). I arrived at the meeting place, only to find that the venue was completely inaccessible, and I could not even get to the meeting room. I managed to collar one person going in, to ask them to offer my apologies, but to point out that I had made the effort to attend the meeting, but this was a clear example of their overall view of accessibilty... That was the last time I was invited to a meeting with that team...

Aside from my own personal frustations, I do fear that the overall leaders of the 2010 World Cup are completely ignoring Access (as they are so far behind with many of the important projects). But I think (& hope!) that this approach will be unacceptable to FIFA, as many of the new facilities will be inaccessible to many people.

Doubts grow over South Africa as host | World Cup | Football | Sport | Telegraph

I think this is a well thought out article, and I hope it serves as a wake-up call to the many people involved with the 2010 Soccer World Cup here. From our own involvment, we have been staggered at the arrogancy of some people (mostly politicians) invloved with this. There is much to do, and very little time to complete it in. We need to collectively extract our digits and get on with the work.

Doubts grow over South Africa as host | World Cup | Football | Sport | Telegraph: "Doubts grow over South Africa as host

By Oliver Brown in Cape Town
Last Updated: 12:54am GMT 23/03/2007

Have your say Read comments

In the lush surrounds of Cape Town's Metropolitan golf club, you are hard pressed to find signs of South Africa's struggle to be ready for the next World Cup. For on these fairways an auspicious 'sod-turning' ceremony is being held, to mark the first visible step in the creation of the city's 68,000-seat Green Point Stadium. But, as the speeches and blessings drag on, one question becomes inescapable. In three years' time, this site will host one of the tournament's semi-finals, so should there not, by now, be more than a spade in the ground?"

GPS navigation plan to help blind

This is a very exciting use of new Technologies. I shall be watching this closely.

An Italian technology company is pioneering a GPS satellite system that will give blind people greater independence and mobility.

The Easy Walk service has been developed by Il Village, a firm in Turin in northern Italy.

It is currently being tested by a group of 30 people from the Italian Blind Union who are providing feedback. The plan is for Easy Walk to be launched to blind and partially sighted people in Piedmont in the autumn.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6458005.stm

Technorati Profile

Beta Blogger Label Cloud

This is an excellent bit of code to make the tag cloud, you see on this blog.

Beta Blogger Label Cloud: "Setup and configuration for Blogger in Beta Label Clouds
Comments and Problems can be reported at the home post for this at
Code for Beta Blogger Label Cloud

Here is the code and setup information to use the Label Cloud in Blogger Beta.
First you obviously have to have a beta blog and be using the layouts templates,
and you must have some posts labeled already. (There needs to be at least ONE label with
more than ONE entry or the scripts hit a bug - so have at least one label with more than one entry before
starting)."

Bins blocking the pavement in Cape Town

Bins blocking the pavement in Cape Town
Originally uploaded by dissol2.

Tue 20/03/2007 11:27 20032007300
These bins were outside Edgars City staff entrance. They would force many wheelchair users to either reverse or try dropping down the high curb.

50F degrees
People in southern England turn on the central heating
People in Edinburgh plant out bedding plants

40F degrees
Southerners shiver uncontrollably
Glaswegians sunbathe on the beach at Troon

35F degrees
Cars in the south of England refuse to start
People in Falkirk drive with their windows down

20F degrees
Southerners wear overcoats, gloves and woolly hats
Aberdonian men throw on a T-shirt; girls start wearing mini-skirts

15F degrees
Southerners begin to evacuate to the continent
People from Dundee swim in the River Tay at Broughty Ferry

Zero degrees
Life in the south grinds to a halt
Inverness folk have the last BBQ before it gets cold

Minus 10F degrees
Life in the south ceases to exist
People in Dunfermline throw on a light cardigan

Minus 80F degrees
Polar bears wonder if it's worth carrying on
Boy Scouts in Oban start wearing their long trousers

Minus 100F degrees
Santa Claus abandons North Pole
People in Stirling start eating hot porridge for breakfast

Minus 173F degrees
Alcohol freezes
Glaswegians get upset because all the pubs are shut

Minus 297F degrees
Microbial life starts to disappear
The Cows in Dumfriesshire complain about farmers with cold hands

Minus 460F degrees
All atomic motion stops
Shetlanders stamp their feet and blow on their hands

Minus 500F degrees
Hell freezes over
Scotland wins the World Cup

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Leicestershire | Space hoggers face fines

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Leicestershire | Space hoggers face fines: "Space hoggers face fines
Car on yellow lines
Motorists fined for flouting parking rules
Managers at a shopping centre in Leicester say a scheme to fine drivers who park illegally in disabled bays is proving a success.

Fines were introduced at the Beaumont Leys Shopping Centre just over two weeks ago.

There had been a long standing problem with able-bodied drivers parking in disabled spaces, officials have already caught 150 people flouting the law.

Motorists are now fined �60, but the charge is reduced to £40 for those who pay within seven days.

So far, the fines have raised about £6,000, 10% of that will go to local charities for people with disabilities.

The shopping centre is also planning to extend the scheme to parent and child spaces and park and ride bays. "

James Randi's Swift - November 10, 2006

James Randi's Swift - November 10, 2006: "MORE TEST QUESTIONS

Reader Dan Lewandowski of Wichita Falls, Texas, has a few additions to the list of questions we asked last week at “This Is a Test” – see www.randi.org/jr/2006-11/110306relaxing.html#i5.

Q: How many born-again Christians does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They have already seen the light.

Q: How many agnostics does it take to change a light bulb?
A: We can't know.

Q: How many deists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. If the light bulb no longer interferes with the world, why bother interfering with the light bulb?

Q: How many atheists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. The light bulb does what the light bulb does. Maybe you can understand a tiny portion of light bulb theory, but if you think you know why it’s there, you are deluding yourself. We are not that smart and probably never will be. The light from the light bulb is not there to serve you. You are not the grand drama around which the light bulb spins. Just be thankful for whatever light you have been lucky enough to experience."

The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe - Donations

Among the different podacsts that I listen to, this is one of the best. You can find them on iTunes.

The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe - Donations: "Support the Skeptics' Guide Podcast
There are many ways you can support our podcast:

1. The first is just to keep listening and spread the word. Vote for us on iTunes and other podcast listing sites.

"

Yet more parking buy abuse

07032007294
Originally uploaded by dissol2.

this is a government vehicle in the main government headquarters in Cape Town
What does this tell you?

Catholic official asks legislators not to fund stem cell research - The Business Review (Albany):

Catholic official asks legislators not to fund stem cell research - The Business Review (Albany):: "New York state's Roman Catholic church Wednesday urged the state Legislature to reject Gov. Eliot Spitzer's proposal to invest $2.1 billion in stem cell and other biomedical research over the next decade.

Richard Barnes, executive director of the state's Catholic Conference, said church leaders are opposed to embryonic stem cell research. He said the proposal for the research fund is vague about what kinds of stem cell work would be funded if the Spitzer plan is approved."

How dare these religious egomaniacs interfere in science that could be the answer so many conditions? If they have a personal moral problem with it, then fine; but I believe that they have absolutely no right to dictate and try to enforce their code on others. They just don't understand the science or issues.

When inaccessiblity becomes institutionalised

This following scenario recently happened with a client of ours. I shall not name the client as I believe that would be unprofessional, but what we found was a staggering example of how an employer can build barriers to accessibility, and therefore to inclusion.

The nameless client wanted us (as part of a bigger job) to look at a specific individual, and to recommend any "reasonable accommodations" that they should make in order to meet their obligations under the terms of the Employment Equity Act. Usually we don't get involved at the personal level like this, but rather we conduct building wide audits, addressing the inaccessibility of the building to all users.

Anyway, in this example I met 'John' (I have changed his name). John is a fairly new employee working for a large employer. John happens to be blind, and is employed as...(can you guess)...(yep, go on have a stab...remembering that John is Blind...)...a telephonist (so no big surprises there, hey?). But still, let's give the employer the benefit of the doubt, after all no one else was looking to employ John in any other capacity. Now, the company gave him a nice office, desk, telephone, and computer. All of the internal messaging is done through the computer; so it is quite essential for his job. John had prepared for employment by learning to use a very common screen reader called JAWS. The employer knew that they had to get John a copy of JAWS. But then the inaccessibility of the institution set in. They could not just provide him with one (as should be the case...after all they provide screens to those people who need to use a screen to access their computer, don't they?). But they had to put an order into Head Office. Head Office then sat on the order...not for a week, or even a month...but for over 3 months!! This had to fit into their purchasing procedures... So John sat with a useless computer for 3 months! Eventually they were able to get a copy, but this had to come through their preferred software supplier. Now JAWS costs +/- R9000 in South Africa. But their software supplier (Siemens) chose to charge them nearly 3 times this price!!! We were staggered, and pointed out this 'anomaly' to our client...who shrugged their collective shoulders...and paid the money. Maybe I should say one more thing - this client is a Government department...so it is not their money, but ours!!

I am angry about this as JAWS should have been provided on the same day that John commenced his employment.

I am angry about this as someone decided to make a killing on selling this software (I once had a client you was charged R80,000 for the same software!!), to the detriment of a disabled person.

I am angry because the client could not see the inequity of his ways.

I don't need to have the reasonable accommodation of providing seating (as I come with my own). But most other people I see in offices appear to require that accommodation. They don't have to stand for 3 months, before someone in head office completes an order for a new seat for them.

In fact I believe that screen readers should be part of the operating system (no; I don't count MS Narrator as a true screen reader). I understand that the newer Mac operating systems have this. Surely the software companies are being discriminatory by only providing a Graphical User Interface (GUI)?

Millions Of Americans Buying Floyd Landis-Inspired Bracelets | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Millions Of Americans Buying Floyd Landis-Inspired Bracelets | The Onion - America's Finest News Source: "Millions Of Americans Buying Floyd Landis-Inspired Bracelets

August 3, 2006 | Onion Sports
Floyd Landis R"

More parking bay abuse

More parking bay abuse
Originally uploaded by dissol2.

Tue 27/02/2007 13:01 27022007274 Yes; same place, but different day! Here we have 2 vehicles, one belonging to Dept Social Services parked in the 2 accessible parking bays. Perhaps it is too much to expect that Dept Social Services would be sensitive to the needs of disabled people?!

Yet another example of accessible parking bay abuse

Lifeblog post
Originally uploaded by dissol2.

OK; now this one really fools me. If you look in the photo, there are in fact 2 accessible bays here. The white vehicle (which had no permit) decided to park as close to me as possible (so I could not got to my car from my wheelchair) (Yes, in South Africa, the steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car!). Weird or What?

When is an Access Auditor not an access Auditor?

I know that in most countries still there are few accreditation procedures for Access Auditors. The National Register of Access Consultants in the UK springs to mind. But even there, membership is not mandatory.

But I know of several people who are putting themselves about as Access Consultants, or even worse; Universal Design Consultants who, other than personal experience of a disability have really no idea of what they ane talking about. Of course, that was how I ended up in this business. But I soon realized that there was a lot more to this than I thought. So I got myself some training at the Centre for Accessible Environments in London. Unfortunately, there is nothing equivalent here. But it seems that many people are happy to continue without any formal training. Some of them might be doing excellent jobs; but from what I have seen and heard of others, I am concerned as not only are they basically scamming people, they are also doing an injustice to the people with disabilities who may end up trying to use facilities that they have "audited". They are also potentially damaging to the profession, as companies will say." well we spent a load of money on access but there disabled people are still complaining."

I don't know what the answer is. I just wish that people were a bit move ethical about how they conduct themselves.

More accessible parking bay abuse

More accessible parking bay abuse
Originally uploaded by dissol2.

Fri 09/02/2007 13:17 09022007267 Why did this person feel the need to park so close to me that I could not get into my car from my wheelchair? I see he gave himself enough room.

Lifeblog post

Lifeblog post
Originally uploaded by dissol2.

OK; this is a car belonging to Social Services, parked in an accessible parking bay, outside the Social Services Office in Gugulethu...

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Every little helps...

...said the ant pissing into the ocean.

I don't usually join mass mailings or sign petitions, etc. As I honestly doubt that they have much effect.

But I did put my name to this; we need to somehow register our abhorrance of the injustice of Gautanamo Bay. Please visit http://amnesty.textdriven.com/guantanamo/home/ and register yout support.

The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe

This is a particularly good podcast that I try to listen to. I am (as I have said before) at how guillible the general public is. This podcast is quite humourous, but it also does a good job in de-bunking some of the popular myths that the general media seem to love to build up.

The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe: "Our Podcast Feed link: http://www.theskepticsguide.org/rss.xml

"

Freedom of Expression Institute - FXI launches Icasa complaint against SABC

At long last!!:

Freedom of Expression Institute - FXI launches Icasa complaint against SABC: "20 February 2007
FXI complains: SABC has violated licence conditions and Broadcasting Act

The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) today laid a complaint with the Complaints and Compliance Committee (CCC) of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), about the South African Broadcasting Corporation."

dissol's moblog

dissol's moblog: "Another example of Parking Bay abuse
Another example of Parking Bay abuse
larger

(viewed 13 times)
This was outside the dept of Social Services. The vehicle belongs to Social Services! GVX537G
- Taken at 1:11 PM on February 22, 2007 "

Approach to Design Issues

I particularly like this approach to design, I think I picked it up from CABE - but I must check that. It sort of sums up how we should approach design issues very neatly.

Although the academic and broadsheet worlds still tend to refer to ‘the elderly’ and ‘the disabled’, as if they form distinct groups outside the mainstream of society, there is a growing trend to recognise age and disability as something we will all experience, and therefore part of a normal lifecourse. Disabled people have become increasingly assertive about their rights to access buildings and services, while for older people the emphasis is now on independence. Both groups aspire to active participation within the mainstream of society, reject the dependency and institutionalisation that were the norm for much of the last century, and are beginning to assert themselves as consumers
who control significant amounts of disposable income. Such new expectations offer a rationale for design that is ‘inclusive’ rather that exclusive, and more closely aligned to contemporary social expectations.

I therefore get quite annoyed with the prevalence worldwide, and possibly more so here in South Africa, of the Disability Sector trouncing out the "nothing for us, without us" quote that has been hijacked from the civil rights movement. Of course as in a previous post, the design has to be inclusionary and the process of design has to be participative. But throw away lines, like the above, only perpetuates the "us & them" mentality. There is no "us & them" - we are them, and they are us (or could be one day!). We are designing for society, for everyone. Everyone is involved in this. Many times, in Internet debates I have pushed certain aspects (some may even call me opinionated!), and these have been ignored or devalued by other people in the debate...until they find out that I am a wheelchair user. It does not make any difference! My view should carry the same weight! Sure my disability opened my eyes to these issues, but that was only because I was blind beforehand. Most of the people on my Masters course appear not to be disabled, but does that lessen their input or views? Of course not! I really feel that until the Disability Sector can move away from this viewpoint we will continue to be hamstrung here. As an interesting point; I have noticed that people seem to pay more attention during a 'combined' workshop when my business partner, Jeremy, (who happens to be blind) talks about wheelchair access, and then I (who happens to be a wheelchair user) talks about deaf issues.
Why shouldn't we? We have both done a lot of work in the Disability field, and have something to offer. Just because our own impairment does not match the subject heading has no effect on the validity of our comments.

Inclusive Design Features

I am not sure if this will translate well on a blog, but the list below should explain what the features of an Inclusive Environment is as compared to a non inclusive environment.

Inclusive Design                           Non-inclusive Design
Concern with meaning & context         Concern with style & ornament
Participative                                                Non participative or exclusionary
Human orientated                                     Corporate or institution orientated
Client re-defined to include others       Owner as exclusive client
Low cost                                                         High Cost
Grassroots design approaches               Top down design approach
Democratic                                                   Authoritarian
Seeking to change design attitudes       Acceptance of prevailing design principles
Use of appropriate technology                Use of high technology
Use of alternate models of the development process  / Development process controlled by corporate interests
Heterogeneity                                                Homogeneity

I hope that it all makes sense?  Inclusive design is a fascinating field, and as we unpack the various features, we begin to see how all pervasive the elements of Inclusive Design are, and how they effect all aspects of the building.  One feature that many designers and planners seem to have issues with is the cost factor.  Many will try to argue that designing something accessible (they are thinking of all the lifts and ramps they have to build in addition to the usual) is always going to cost more.  I disagree (very unusually for me), and try to explain.  Sure; I can see that in some cases the initial design & build costs can be higher, as the process calls for more input from a wider pool of knowledge, and this can have an impact on timings too.  But by building and inclusive design from the outset avoids having to make expensive adaptations later on, it allows more people to use the facility in a safe manner.  It should also be attractive and pleasant to use.  I am sure that we have all been  into houses, or even offices that are just unpleasant to be in because of the built environment.  We then choose to try to avoid re-visiting.   So immediatly the pool of occupants, visitors, clients, stakeholders is reducing.  We should also be designing for the future; many societies are aging - we are learning to live longer.  Something like 30% of all 55 - 65 year olds may be viewed as being disabled.  Surely we don't want to design facilities that will exclude them?  In fact I would suggest that most of us (once we have got out of the teenager "only the good die young" / immortality stage) actually want to be part of an elderly population...sure in our wishes we will all be fit 100 year olds, that eventually die by being shot by a jealous husband / wife as we climb out of the window!  But in reality, we will find that certain abilities will degrade with age.  It may be that our sight begins to fade, or we find that people are all beginning to speak to softly.  Or our hips / knees / whatever creak a little.  Hey presto!  Welcome to the club!  But if all our environments are built to be "future-proof" and to allow for these changes, without adaptations then the overall costs come down.

There is no point always designing really expensive facilities, as few people can afford them.

OK, I will expand on some other issues around this later on.  Please feel free to comment!

Inclusive Design

Although I am nearly finished with my studies to obtain an MSc in Accessibility & Inclusive Design, I still find Inclusive Design such an interesting subject and I am learning new things about it all the time!
In concept it is very easy.  There are 7 basic tenets or principles to Inclusive (or Universal...although there are some differences) Design:

1.  Simple and intuitive use.
   
2. Equitable use.
   
3. Perceptible information.
   
4. Tolerance for error.
   
5. Flexibility in use.
   
6. Low physical Effort.
   
7. Size and space for approach and use.
   

OK, so that is simple really.  And the application of these principles is simple.  I once remarked to a lecturer that this course felt like a degree in common sense.  Obviously through my studies we have unpacked and analysed each of these, and discussed various practical (that's the bit I really like) real life scenarios and one can see how they all make sense.

So now I am preparing a workshop to explain these really basic principles to a concept design team.  They may (or more likely) may not have heard of Inclusive Design and may, or may not have a grasp on what this means to their areas of expertise.  The difficulty is pitching the presentation just right.  These are simple concepts and ideas, and they are all educated, professional people.  I don't want to appear to be talking down to them, or worse, suggesting that they should have already realised this already...

What I may do is post some of my slides here, for comment.  I obviously don't want to on the one hand be paid to give this workshop to professionals, and on the other hand give this all away free on the Internet...  I doubt I would get too much future business if I always did that.  But in reality, this is not rocket science.  As long as you keep the concepts above in mind, everything else falls into place.

Quackwatch Mission Statement

Continuing on from my last post; this is another really useful site which exposes the many fraudsters and snake oil peddlers that inhabit the internet.  While the internet does provide the platform for may fraudsters to sell their wares, it also (if you are prepared to look!) also provides some useful counterbalance to all these different claims.  My business used to be selling herbs, (although the majority to pharmceutical companies, who would extract specific active ingredients for use in various medicines), and therefore I am aware of some of the 'useful' ingredients of certain specific herbs.
But the experience from their also provided me with an insight into certain dubious claims, and actions of a variety of different companies, who produce all manner of different substances, with all manner of weird and wonderful claims.  I hope that sites like the one below, will educate people, so they can make informed decisions about certain claims.  I am not for a moment proposing that I agree 100% with everything that is written on this site...but I do believe it does give me some useful FACTS and information that I use to decide the "Bullshit Rating" of what I read or am told elsewhere.

Mission Statement: "Quackwatch, Inc., which was a member of Consumer Federation of America from 1973 through 2003, is a nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct. Its primary focus is on quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere. Founded by Dr. Stephen Barrett in 1969 as the Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud, it was incorporated in 1970. In 1997, it assumed its current name and began developing a worldwide network of volunteers and expert advisors. Our activities include:

• Investigating questionable claims
  
• Answering inquiries about products and services
  
• Advising quackery victims
  
• Distributing reliable publications
  
• Debuking pseudoscientific claims
  
• Reporting illegal marketing
  
• Assisting or generating consumer-protection lawsuits
  
• Improving the quality of health information on the Internet
  
• Attacking misleading advertising on the Internet"

Things I love about the Internet

I know, I know; the Internet is frustrating, full of porn and snake oil.  Probably 95% of it needs to be assigned to the bin.
BUT...it does allow a person to dig behind a story.  It not only gives a platform to the snake oil peddlers, it also gives a platform to people who wish to expose the snake oil sellers.

I trawl all over the net; and often am disappointed with what I find, but sometimes you come across gems, that make it all worthwhile. 
I will try to give a few as time goes by.
One that I recently found (although this is by no means new news!) is the James Randi site (http://www.randi.org/).  Now Mr Randi, like me, is a sceptic.  I probably have become more sceptical since becoming paraplegic, as so many people have offered me 'miracle cures' and the like.
I must admit that I become quite incensed when mainstream media (TV & radio) allows so much airtime to assorted quacks and mystics and all that nonsense.  There is one local radio show, Cape Talk, where the afternoon presenter, in a vain effort to be hip, cool, & trendy has all sorts of mystics and the like on her show.  I do try to listen, and even phone in, but rarely if ever get through (strangely I often do get through on other shows, when I am agreeing with a guest, or adding to the debate)...
Anyway, back to Mr Randi.  He has a Million Dollar Challenge; which is aimed at all anyone selling the paranormal, pseudoscience, & the super natural.  He offers to pay a million dollars to anyone who can prove their 'powers' in a mutually agreed test.  Quite simple!  He does not set the requirements - but they are agreed between the 2 parties.  If they manage to do whatever they claim that they can do then they would walk away one million dollars richer!  He even has a 'clock' on his site recording the weeks - currently at 285 weeks since the 'great' 'psychic' (both in inverted commas as I don't believe either title!) Sylvia Browne admitted on the Larry King show that she would take the test.  To date she hasn't!  Many have actually tried...and to date not a single one has managed to even pass the preliminary test!!

Why is the general public so gullible?  I really like a good magician, and I enjoy trying to work out how he did his 'magic'.  But I really cannot stand people who use slight of hand, or basic human psychology and start claiming mystical powers, and the like.  They are selling snake oil!

I shall reserve my feelings and opinions on other forms of snake oil (homeopathy, faith healing, and the like for another post.  I try not to be cynical about any claim, but rather view any claim like this; "Great, that is wonderful if it works as you say, now prove it to me please?"

Pythonline > Plugs > Idlewild > About The Editor

This is a wonderful link & song; Eric Idle recorded the song in early 2004 in reaction to a fine by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for saying "fuck" on a Clear Channel radio station. The song is also known by its refrain "fuck you very much". Despite being aimed at the FCC, the lyrics primarily target well-known figures associated with the George W. Bush administration.  Typically Pythonesque they also make the dowload available as a free download - follow the link.

Pythonline > Plugs > Idlewild > About The Editor: "Eric Idle presents... The FCC Song.
'Here’s a little song I wrote the other day while I was out duck hunting with a judge… It’s a new song, it’s dedicated to the FCC and if they broadcast it, it will cost a quarter of a million dollars.'

Download Here (3.1MB)"

Why Access Audits cannot be done over the phone

I am often asked to conduct a light-weight audit (usually by clients who have just had sight of a proposal!!).  
I say "Sure!  Which impairments shall I exclude for you?"
Think about it...if we exclude say wheelchair users...then life would be much simpler?
Only 4% of disabled people own a wheelchair.
So if we get it right for everyone else...then we can claim to be 96% accessible?
Now when I was at school, 96% was a pass...a heck of a good pass!
But obviously that would be barmy in an access situation.  
It would be like claiming to be a 96% virgin!  ("Well, I have only had 4% of the sex that I hope to have in my lifetime!").

Doing an audit over the phone never works.  Let me give you a recent example; I was conducting an audit on a facility which had 2 storeys.  I asked what was upstairs, to be told that it was only offices, and if a visitor came (or they had an employee) who could not get up the stairs, then an office can be made available downstairs.  I asked for confirmation - is it only offices?  Yes.  But curiosity never killed any cat I know, so I decided to "bum shuffle" up the stairs and have a look.  It was worth the effort (and dirty trousers!).  I found an incredible resource (free computer training), which had been 'forgotten' by the 2 managers that I asked.  I also found Boardrooms and a heck of a lot more space (the ground floor was incredibly crowded).  Now there was no malicious intent when I was misinformed.  The people genuinely forgot!  The same happens often when I phone hotels & restaurants for my own private use.  I wish I had a penny for every step that was missed or narrow doorway that was overlooked.  I have even seen it happen with my own eyes; I was lecturing a some students on Access issues, and part of the process was a 'live' audit.  They were very precise when measuring the accessible parking bay...but totally 'missed' the fact that there was no kerb cut out, so anyone in a wheelchair could get out of the car, but then could not get to the building as there was a kerb in the way.  Each student must have stepped up & down half a dozen times as they made sure of the measurements.  Personally I find the lack of cut outs mush more inaccessible than a bay that is a centimetre too narrow!  When we got back to the classroom and I raised the issue, none of the students would believe me, and we had to go back outside to prove the point.
Now I am certainly not saying that you have to be a wheelchair user to be an access consultant.  It does help at times - a wheelchair rider would not have missed the lacking cut out.  But, bum-shuffling up a couple of flights of stairs is not ideal either!