Tag: Disability

This is a mechanical sleight of hand, or is it a visual illusion? There is a flight of stairs, and then there isn’t – the steps vanish, flattening to a smooth, level surface. You see it happen, you understand, in an intuitive way, how it works, and still it seems magical.

DPA got to know about a certain firm’s custom-designed office for one of its staff who has a disability. We reached out to them for a chat and to take a look. This was how, one sunny morning, WOHA Architects came to play gracious hosts to us at its premises. Continue reading “Going Whoa @ WOHA Architects”

In Singapore, the term “inclusion” gets thrown around a lot when we talk about how people with disabilities should be treated in our society. You can see this term almost everywhere, from ministerial speeches, campaign slogans to companies motto. But what does “inclusion” really mean?

Most would paint a general idea of inclusion and say something along the lines of “including people with disabilities equally and fairly in society”. But this begs the question. We all have divergent, even contesting, views on what constitute “fairness” and “equality”. Continue reading “Inclusion: What Does It Really Mean for People With Disabilities?”

Universal design is the design of buildings, products, services or environments to make them user-friendly and accessible to all people. We develop different forms of disability or impairment throughout our life because of accidents, ageing or medical condition. Thus, the 7 principles of universal design have became vital design principles to create an inclusive society, empowering people with different disability to live independently to the greatest extent.

7 Principles of Universal Design

Continue reading “The 7 Principles of Universal Design”

When it becomes a compulsory requirement for everyone without serious health condition to wear a mask in the public and workplace since 14 April 2020 because of COVID-19 pandemic, for people with hearing impairments, communicating with a traditional mask has became like blind folding our eyes and putting on ear plugs while watching a movie. Some employees with hearing disabilities are relying on lip reading to communicate. Continue reading “Support Mask for Accessibility”

Universal Design (UD) means “design for all”. It aims to create an environment which will address the needs of as many people as possible, regardless of their abilities and age. Consequently UD takes into consideration the physical, social and psychological needs of all possible users. On the other hand, Barrier-Free Accessibility (BFA) evaluates the physical accessibility of the built environment and adopts measures to reduce physical barriers for these people. BFA is hence a “sub-set” of UD. Continue reading “Universal Design (UD) and Barrier-Free Accessibility (BFA)”