POSTECH H uman S ystem D esign Lab oratory Universal Design Handbook Chp. 11: United Nations standards and rules Thu. 이 동 훈

POSTECH H uman S ystem D esign Lab oratory Contents  Introduction & background  Origins of the standard rules  What the rules are and what they aren’t  Basic definitions and preconditions  Preconditions for Equal Participation  Target Areas for Equal Participation  Implementation measures  Conclusions 2

POSTECH H uman S ystem D esign Lab oratory Introduction & background  In a globalizing world  Unevenness in accessibility Always ethically wrong & increasingly economically unacceptable  Recognition of the need for global standards  The UN Standard Rules for the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities  Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1993  Particular relevance for universal design 3

POSTECH H uman S ystem D esign Lab oratory Origins of the standard rules  UN Disability Unit  On disabled veterans, soldiers who had been wounded in World War Ⅱ  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 The human (persons with disabilities) rights were protected  A Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women  At the time of the first UN Conference on Human Rights in 1969  Adoption of the UN Convention by the UN General Assembly in 1979  International Year for Disabled Persons in 1982  Drafting of a World Plan of Action Concerning Disabled Persons  By 1988, not functioning as well as not taking it seriously  The Commission for Social Development  a Special Committee  Draft the Rules NGOs’ participation  much of the views 4

POSTECH H uman S ystem D esign Lab oratory What the Rules are and what they aren’t  What the Rules aren’t  The Standard Rules don’t have the status as a convention An international convention takes on the same status as domestic law  Not legal, but moral obligation Governments might have had reservations with regard to some of the elements  What the Rules are  National policies and procedures can be measured  “Bragging rights”  A basis for establishing agreements on specific items  Applicable to the issue of universal design 5

POSTECH H uman S ystem D esign Lab oratory Basic definitions and preconditions  Basic definition  Disability  Handicap  The Standard Rules  4 chapters (22 rules)   Draw on the WHO’s International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH)   The purpose of UD could be seen as reducing restrictions on participation and overcoming limitations of activities 6 A great number of different functional limitations occurring in any population in any county of the world. People may be disabled by physical, intellectual or sensory impairment, medical conditions or mental illness. Such impairments, conditions or illness may be permanent or transitory in nature The loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in the life of the community on an equal level with others. It describes the encounter between the person with a disability and the environment and in many organized activities in society Ex. information, communication and education

POSTECH H uman S ystem D esign Lab oratory Preconditions for Equal Participation  Rule 1. Awareness-raising  States should take action to raise awareness in society about persons with disabilities, their rights, their needs, their potential and their contribution  Rule 2. Medical care  States should ensure the provision of effective medical care to persons with disabilities  Rule 3. Rehabilitation  States should ensure the provision of rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities in order for them to reach and sustain their optimum level of independence and functioning  Rule 4. Support services  States should ensure the development and supply of support services, including assistive devices for persons with disabilities, to assist them to increase their level of independence in their daily living and to exercise their rights 7

POSTECH H uman S ystem D esign Lab oratory Target Areas for Equal Participation  Rule 5. Accessibility  States should recognize the overall importance of accessibility in the process of the equalization of opportunities in all spheres of society. For persons with disabilities of any kind, States should (a) introduce programmes of action to make the physical environment accessible (b) undertake measures to provide access to information and communication  4 th specification Organizations of persons with disabilities should be consulted when standards and norms for accessibility are being developed. They should also be involved locally from the initial planning stage when public construction projects are being designed, thus ensuring maximum accessibility  The accessibility norms in the Rules  Silent on norms and standards that can be applied in private housing or nonpublic aspects of the private sector  These are areas where implementation of universal design would be encouraged only indirectly by the Rules 8

POSTECH H uman S ystem D esign Lab oratory Implementation measures  Rule 14. Policy-making and planning  States will ensure that disability aspects are included in all relevant policy-making and national planning  2 th specification States should involve organizations of persons with disabilities in all decision-making relating to plans and programmes concerning persons with disabilities or affecting their economic and social status  Two elements  [1] Participation of persons with disabilities  [2] Monitoring mechanism 9

POSTECH H uman S ystem D esign Lab oratory Conclusions  The Standard Rules  Good starting point, but not sufficient  Two alternatives Revive the idea of drafting a human rights convention in an obligatory manner Revise the Rules to incorporate those elements that are missing –Ex. Internet  The monitoring mechanism promotes  Implementation of the accessibility elements of the Rules  Universal design approaches  Persons interested in both universal design and the implementation of international norms for equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities  Should make an effort to understand the Standard Rules and find ways to apply them to their particular circumstances 10