Center for Inclusive Design & Environmental Access, School of Architecture & Planning, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Jun 13;21(6):764. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21060764.
Community design features, such as sidewalks and street crossings, present significant challenges for individuals with disabilities, hindering their physical performance and social integration. However, limited research has been conducted on the application of Universal Design (UD) to address these challenges, particularly concerning specific demographic groups and population cohorts. Understanding the influence of environmental features on physical performance is crucial for developing inclusive solutions like UD, which can enhance usability and social integration across diverse populations.
This study aims to bridge this gap by investigating the complex relationships between environmental barriers, health conditions, and routine activity performance. An index was developed to evaluate users' UD performance based on functional capacity, providing scientifically rigorous and objectively measured evidence of UD effectiveness in creating inclusive built environments.
Using data from the Problematic Activities Survey (PAS) conducted in the U.S., Canada, and Australia and targeting individuals with and without functional limitations, multinomial logit models were employed to estimate the probabilities of encountering performance problems. This analysis led to the development of the Problematic Performance Value (PPV) score.
The results demonstrated significant disparities in PPVs across various health conditions, particularly concerning curb ramps. Individuals facing mobility issues in their legs/feet, arms/hands, or back/neck encounter more pronounced challenges, especially when curb ramps lack proper design elements. Similarly, individuals with vision impairments face heightened difficulties with traffic signals, particularly due to issues with audible signal systems. These findings underscore the importance of addressing micro-level environmental challenges to accommodate individuals with varying functional capacities effectively.
By providing insights into the most problematic daily activities encountered by diverse populations, the PPV score serves as a valuable indicator for guiding environmental design improvements and promoting equitable space usage. This can be used to guide improved UD solutions and decide areas of concentration by providing generalized information on specific environmental features that contribute to user performance.
人行道和街道交叉口等社区设计特点给残疾人士带来了重大挑战，影响了他们的身体机能表现和社会融入度。然而，针对这些挑战应用通用设计（UD）的研究有限，特别是针对特定的人口群体和人群队列。了解环境特征对身体机能表现的影响对于开发包容性解决方案（如 UD）至关重要，这可以增强不同人群的可用性和社会融入度。
本研究旨在通过调查环境障碍、健康状况和日常活动表现之间的复杂关系来填补这一空白。我们开发了一个指数来评估用户基于功能能力的 UD 表现，为创建包容性的建成环境提供了科学严谨且客观测量的 UD 有效性证据。
我们使用了在美国、加拿大和澳大利亚进行的有问题活动调查（PAS）的数据，针对有和没有功能限制的个体，使用多项逻辑回归模型估计遇到表现问题的概率。这一分析导致了有问题的表现值（PPV）评分的发展。
结果表明，各种健康状况下的 PPV 值存在显著差异，尤其是在路缘石坡道方面。腿部/脚部、手臂/手部或背部/颈部活动有问题的个体遇到了更明显的挑战，特别是当路缘石坡道缺乏适当的设计元素时。同样，视力受损的个体在遇到交通信号时也面临更大的困难，特别是由于声音信号系统的问题。这些发现强调了解决微观环境挑战以有效容纳具有不同功能能力的个体的重要性。
通过提供有关不同人群遇到的最有问题的日常活动的见解，PPV 评分可作为指导环境设计改进和促进公平空间使用的有价值指标。这可以用于指导改进的 UD 解决方案，并通过提供对导致用户表现的特定环境特征的一般性信息来决定关注领域。
