Who Put the P in Policy? The reality of guidelines and legislation in the design of the accessible toilet.

2-4 April 200

The Accessible Toilet Resource

Extract: This Accessible Toilet Design Resource has been produced from new primary research carried out within VivaCity 2020, a large university-based research consortium that is developing tools and resources to support the design of socially inclusive cities. The consortium is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). It was set up in 2003 and will complete its work in 2008. The Resource is concerned primarily with the design of the accessible toilet cubicle that should be provided for customer or public use wherever there is standard toilet provision. Though it may make reference to other types of toilet cubicles, urinals, automatic public conveniences (APCs) or grouped toilet provision, the location and design of these facilities are not addressed in great detail here. The location and design of accessible toilet facilities merits this independent, detailed scrutiny because it is essential to provide these facilities and to design them correctly, so that disabled people can participate on equal terms to able-bodied people in every aspect of city life

Extending architectural affordance: the case of the publicly accessible toilet

Publicly accessible toilets present a site of entrenched cultures of tolerance and intolerance that centre on our relationship with our bodies, and those of others with whom we share the space. This research uses the case of the publicly accessible toilet to demonstrate how the design of these facilities has continued to present a ‘special needs’ approach, opposed to inclusive design. Analysis of design guidance and user experiences of both the standard and accessible toilet accommodation highlights how current design and provision of these essential facilities contribute to ‘environmental pressure’ (Lawton, 1986). Thus current design continues to create barriers in the built environment that prevent wider access to the city and engagement with education, work and leisure opportunities it affords. The thesis incorporates a reanalysis of secondary data from 166 able and disabled informants, which focuses on their experience of accessing and using publicly accessible toilets. It considers these experiences through the concept of affordance and makes the case for a shift from the built environment determining behaviour, to one in which the body affords experience of the environment

Tackling ageing continence through theory, tools & technology (TACT3)

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2012 Common Ground.After dementia, nothing is more feared by older people than the loss of continence. It is often the reason many people enter care facilities and can contribute to the breakdown of caring relationships. This paper reports on a three-year research project funded by the UK New Dynamics of Aging programme, which has explored three key issues in the predicament of maintaining continence from the “user’s” perspective. Firstly, understanding how continence services operated by the UK National Health Service can be improved to offer cost effective benefits that encourage people to report this sometimes embarrassing condition with confidence. Secondly, working directly with the US Simon Foundation, the project has developed user-requested, assistive devices that target the most embarrassing aspects of the condition, namely issues of personal odor control and urine leakage from continence pads. Lastly, understanding the challenges of managing continence in daily living outside of the home, with particular reference to accessing publicly accessible toilet facilities. The paper will highlight the research that has provided the basis for innovative design solutions.ESRC, EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC, and AHRC

Improving public services through open data: public toilets

Bichard’s work for the TACT3 project (Bichard REF Output 3) found that UK toilet provision is not centrally collated and no national map or database of toilets exists. In contrast, the UK government’s white paper Open Public Services (2011) emphasised its commitment to incorporating the use of Open Data in public services provision that could be tailored to community preferences, and therefore be more sustainable. Incorporating Open Data on public toilet provision, Bichard and Knight (RCA) developed The Great British Public Toilet Map (GBPTM). Whilst a number of other websites and applications map toilets by ‘crowd surfing’, GBPTM is entirely populated by Open Data, and not only uses the data as information for users, but informs members of the public that such information is available and accessible for their use. This paper presents the development of the GBPTM, including inclusive design research and studies that compare accuracy of information directly provided by users with Open Data collected by local authorities. It suggests that, to meet the health and well-being of an ageing population, a sustainable and cost-effective solution must be found for ‘publicly accessible’ toilet provision, including opening up provision beyond that ‘for customers only’ and providing accurate information on current public provision. The paper highlights the barriers encountered in the production of Open Data by local authorities. A review of the paper in the journal Civil Engineering (May 2013) described the design of the GBPTM as a ‘simple and elegant solution’. The development of a digital output and an understanding of digitally based research led to Bichard’s successful submission to an EPSRC Digital Economy sandpit, in which she developed an interdisciplinary project with the Universities of Newcastle, Bournemouth and the West of England. The project, Family Rituals 2.0, secured £750,000 in research funding with Bichard as co-investigator (2013–15)

Palliative care for cirrhosis: a UK survey of health professionals' perceptions, current practice and future needs

Objective: To determine the knowledge and practice patterns of a UK cohort of relevant healthcare professionals (HCPs) about delivering palliative care in cirrhosis, and to inform priorities for future research. / Design: An on-line questionnaire survey with closed and open responses. / Setting: HCPs identified from the mailing list of special interest groups in hepatology and gastroenterology (liver), general practice and specialist palliative care (SPC) across the UK. / Results: Of the 6181 potential contacts identified, 517 HCPs responded. Most believed a role exists for SPC in caring for people with cirrhosis, but many SPC HCPs felt ill prepared to provide good care to those facing death. Further training was needed in managing liver-related symptoms, symptom control and end of life issues. All HCP groups wished to increase community provision of palliative care support, but many general practitioners felt unable to manage advanced cirrhosis in the community. There were differences in the optimal trigger for SPC referral with liver HCPs less likely to refer at symptom deterioration. Prognostication, symptom management and service configuration were key areas identified for future research. / Conclusions: All who responded acknowledged the role of SPC in caring for those dying with cirrhosis and need for further training to improve confidence and enable joint working between SPC, general practice and liver teams. Low response rates make it difficult to generalise these findings, which require further validation

Analysing decision logs to understand decision-making in serious crime investigations

Objective: To study decision-making by detectives when investigating serious crime through the examination of Decision Logs to explore hypothesis generation and evidence selection. Background: Decision logs are used to record and justify decisions made during serious crime investigations. The complexity of investigative decision-making is well documented, as are the errors associated with miscarriages of justice and inquests. The use of decision logs has not been the subject of an empirical investigation, yet they offer an important window into the nature of investigative decision-making in dynamic, time-critical environments. Method: A sample of decision logs from British police forces was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to explore hypothesis generation and evidence selection by police detectives. Results: Analyses revealed diversity in documentation of decisions that did not correlate with case type, and identified significant limitations of the decision log approach to supporting investigative decision-making. Differences emerged between experienced and less experienced officers’ decision log records in exploration of alternative hypotheses, generation of hypotheses, and sources of evidential enquiry opened over phase of investigation. Conclusion: The practical use of decision logs is highly constrained by their format and context of use. Despite this, decision log records suggest that experienced detectives display strategic decision-making to avoid confirmation and satisficing that affect less experienced detectives. Application: Potential applications of this research include both training in case documentation and the development of new decision log media that encourage detectives, irrespective of experience, to generate multiple hypotheses and optimize the timely selection of evidence to test them

Forward to the past: reinventing intelligence-led policing in Britain

Drawing on archival, secondary material and primary research, this paper examines 'Total Policing', the strategy recently adopted by London's Metropolitan Police. It situates that analysis within a critical examination of other innovative policing strategies previously employed in Britain. It argues that the prospects for Total Policing depend upon the resolution of long-standing problems such as: the inadequacy and inefficiency of local intelligence work; the paucity of evidence for the success of commanders' previous efforts to harness together the component parts of their forces in pursuit of a single mission; and, above all, a seeming inability to learn the lessons of the past. © 2013 © 2013 Taylor & Francis