Raising Awareness about Accessibility

Abstract

Every citizen has to right to move throughout a city safely and independently. The term accessibility refers this right in built environment mostly for public uses. In the beginning of 20th century, accessibility started from a restricted application but nowadays it became more comprehensive due to a better understanding of physical barriers in the world. According to a recent research, designers are not aware of how architectural barriers restrict accessibility for different users. It should not be forgotten that accessibility for everyone will increase the whole citizens’ quality of life. Thus, the paper tries to show importance of raising awareness in design studios for better implementing accessibility for all people. In our urban design studio, a strong relationship has been found between accessible design solutions and students’ awareness about physical barriers. The paper concludes that there is an immediate need to elaborate design courses with universal design principles.

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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 47 ( 2012 ) 490 – 494
1877-0428 © 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Uzunboylu
doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.686
CY-ICER 2012
Raising awareness about accessibility
Ayse Nilay Evcil
a
*
a
Beykent University, Faculty of Engeneering and Architecture,Istanbul 34398, Turkey
Abstract
Every citizen has to right to move throughout a city safely and independently. The term accessibility refers this right in built
environment mostly for public uses. In the beginning of 20th century, accessibility started from a restricted application but
nowadays it became more comprehensive due to a better understanding of physical barriers in the world. According to a recent
research, designers are not aware of how architectural barriers restrict accessibility for different users. It should not be forgotten
s, the paper tries to show importance of raising
awareness in design studios for better implementing accessibility for all people. In our urban design studio, a strong relati onship
about physical barriers. The paper concludes that
there is an immediate need to elaborate design courses with universal design principles
2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Keywords: , accessibility, design curriculum, universal design;
1. Introduction
Designers should provide mobility in built environments since it is an human right and freedom. Edmund Bacon, a
famous urban planner, defines mobility as
Bacon, 1976,
p.1883). A wheelchair user, a blind person or an elderly are not disabled in an accessible environment, but, even a
normal person can be disabled if accessibility is not provided (Sherrer, 2001). Goldsmith (1997, p.7) articulates the
Besides this, there is a growing interest on providing accessibility for all which is indispensable for everybody to
participate in social and communal life. Indeed accessibility is a key factor to ensure social sustainability. There is a
range of research has documented that if people are excluded from built environment, and then discrimination
the capability for social interaction (Newton et al, 2002).
*
, Ph.D. Tel.: +90-212-444-1997-5279
E-mail address: anevcil@gmail.com
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
© 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Uzunboylu
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.

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Ayse Nilay Evcil / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 47 ( 2012 ) 490 – 494
It is clear that accessibility for every body increases day by day in all around the world. From a realistic point of
view, accessibility is a big problem which will never really disappear (Imrie and Kumar, 1998), but it can be
2. Literature Review
2.1. What is accessibility?
In a brief explanation accessibility means the ability to access every where. Indeed accessibility is a technical
item which expresses
(Iwarson and Stahl, 2003, p.58). It is believed that a well-designed urban environment is livable and readly
accessible for everybody. Nowadays, many urban planners work on the subject of creating livable cities. There is a
consensus that one of the key factors of creating livable
and Law, 2001). Accessibility is also a guiding principle of urban design in the United Nations Conventions where
equal opportunities for everybody are encouraged in each physical arrangement for public use (Evcil, 2010). As a
result of the aforementioned explanation, accessibility must be provided for all people living in the society
regardless their age, ability or status in life in order to benefit from the built environments.
2.2. Short history of accessibility provision in the world
The consciousness about the need of accessibility of the built environment especially for disabled people rose
after the Second World War. One of the important developments on this subject is the declaration of disabled
United Nations adopted resolution 48/96 annex. It consists of the standard rules on the equalization of opportunities
for disabled people.
Among the countries, the USA promote on the provision of accessibility for disabled people in 1961. At that
time, the US government codified the American National Standard Institute. With the influence of the disability
rights movements, in 1990 the American with Disabilities Act and accessibility guidelines has
arena, the US has not been alone and several other countries are known to have developed accessibility standards
laws in the beginning of the 20th century. In the United Kingdom, the government issued Part III of the Disability
Discrimination Act in 2004 to overcome physical barriers to access (Newton et al, 2002).
and providing resources to help disabled individuals become incl
Clute, 2009, p.208).
3. Awareness on accessibility
They are too many factors affecting accessibility arrangement in physical environment. But, this paper mainly
deals with the lack of knowledge on disability and different users in architecture education. Even in civilised
as building users are scarce (Goldsmith, 1997,
Holmes-Siedle, 1996). In 1991, researchers Miller and Denis from the Robert Gorbon Institute of Technology in
Aberdeen conducted a study about the awareness of accessibility of students from design curriculum. According to
the results coming from the schools of architecture, students have limited knowledge on disability and accessibility

492 Ayse Nilay Evcil / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 47 ( 2012 ) 490 – 494
provision. Most of them were defined disabled people as wheelchair users. Only a few of them were widened their
definition by saying children, people with prams, pregnant women etc (Holmes-Siedle, 1996). A similar research
outcome is expressed by Evcil (2010). She conducted a questionnaire among the architects and constructors in
Istanbul and found that they considered generally physical impairments when they made their projects. In order to
overcome this problem, design curriculum must be reorganised. The Council of Europe and the European
Commission made a valuable improvement, so, they are seeking consultation of design for all curriculum
development. In Turkey, the Higher Education Council (YOK) sent a circular to each universities, in which it is
urged compulsory courses about design for all in the architecture and planning departments of all Turkish
-199-6596 number).
differences and requirements cannot be negligible in design process. Thus, this key concept has to teach
students during their professional education by the expert tutors.
4. Methodology
To clarify the importance of raising awareness in design courses for better implementing accessibility for
everybody, 46 architecture students were questioned during May 2011. The sample is consisted of the level II
students registered to Urban Planning and Design Studio I at Beykent University. The aim of this studio course is to
redesign public open spaces in the light of accessibility and design for all principles in Galata, a part of old town.
The students were asked to complete a questionnaire before the end of the semester. Fourty-four of the
questionnaires were returned, while two of them were excluded because of incomplete answers. The resulting 44
usable forms represent a 45 % response rate among the level II architecture students in Beykent University.
The instrument of this paper is a questionnaire. It assesses how important being aware of accessibility for a
student when he/she designs his/her project. Percentages are used to analyse the responses.
5. Results
77 % of the students are familiar with the concept of accessibility and design for all. 18 % of the students
expressed that they learned design for all when they attained the elective course rela
need in the built environment. 67 % of the respondents said that they learned accessibility needs in this course. A
few of them replayed that they learned accessibility provision when they participated to a workshop (7 %). There are
8 % of the students who expressed that their knowledge concerned internet usage. But, unfortunately 1 student out
of 5 (23 %) were not aware of accessibility and/or design for all.
Another question was asked to know if the students were aware o
elderly. Most of the students replayed as yes (72 %), but, 14 % said no and again 14 % expressed that they have very
It is also asked that whether they could be applied accessibility provision and/or design for all principles during
this urban design course in general. 72 % replayed as yes, but 28 said no. This negative reply is related with the
historical environment where redesigning is very restricted.
T
Only 2 students (5 %) answered as no, but, almost all of them believed that they should consider different types of
users as disabled, elderly or children.
of the students replayed as yes (91 %) while 9 % replayed as no. They replayed negatively because they do not

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Ayse Nilay Evcil / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 47 ( 2012 ) 490 – 494
believe that this ne
arrangement (Table 1).
Table 1. Results of the questions
Questions
Answers
Being aware of
accessibility and/or
design for all
77% aware
23% not aware
How are you aware of
accessibility and/or
design for all?
18 % in
elective course
67 % in this
studio
7 % in workshop
8 % in internet usage
Being aware of different
users needs (disabled,
children, elderly)
72 % aware
14 % not aware
14 % have limited
knowledge
Being able to apply
accessibility provision
and/or design for all in
urban design
72 % yes
28 % no
Believed knowing
different users needs
95 % necessary
5 % not
necessary
Believed design for all
will impact their projects
after graduation
91 % yes
9 % no
6. Conclusion
Everybody has to move throughout a city safely, independently and conveniently since it is a basic of living in
urban area. From this point of view, disability could be defined as any restriction or lack of ability to perform an
activity which can be overcome by an appropriate design. To achieve this goal, it is believed that the more designers
know about the different user needs the better they will apply into real world.
Presently, accessibility issue and design for all are new concepts in Turkish curriculum for undergraduate
programs in architecture. It is important to introduce students to these new concepts and to encourage them to apply
an experiential learning environment-
student
and accessibility provision after graduation. Unfortunately this is not certain, this study is a limited pilot project but,
potential to apply them.
We also received notable design achievements parallel to the results of the questionnaire. These include;
pedestrian friendly street design with more public usage, accessibility provisions as level access or ramps, use of
light effectively and designing attractive urban open spaces for all ages and abilities.
As mentioned by Deardoff and Birdsong (2003), once students and professionals are consistent in the use of
accessibility for all people/design for all people, their work will probably move beyond the appearance with the
accessibility regulations and into more pleasing design solutions.
As a result, users will benefit from the environments which were designed pleasantly and useable to the greatest
during professional education. Moreover, lessons from the USA, Canada and Austria point to the fact that one of the
-Siedle, 1996).
Thus, some amendments must be done in design curriculum of undergraduate programs in architecture and planning
in Turkey,

494 Ayse Nilay Evcil / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 47 ( 2012 ) 490 – 494
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