Understanding Needs, Identifying Opportunities: ICT in the View of Universal Design

This article provides food for thoughts elaborated by peer researchers who, basing on their studies and on current literature on relationships between Universal Design (UD) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), wish to share few key issues related to the challenges offered by the involvement of final users in designing product and services. Referring to approaches from different disciplines, key questions will be highlighted on which a debate could start, focused on the issue of promoting inclusion and how a close relationship among these different areas of knowledge can contribute to bridge the gap between the potential of new technologies and the real and diversified need by persons. Thus, actively contributing toward the empowerment of the community of belonging

Decommissioning of small nuclear waste buildings

A small-scale decommissioning concept was applied with staff from an earlier project with strong knowledge of radiation protection, minimized radiation doses and environmental pollution. The project was therefore initiated with less than 10 people involved using standard handheld equipment. The aim of the decommissioning project was to set free as much material as possible, i.e. remove waste from the regulatory control regime and also free the remaining structures and buildings for conventional demolition and subsequent reuse of the property. A final decommissioning plan was drafted together with a safety assessment covering the planned activities and abnormal events that may occur during decommissioning. Applications and contacts were made with five different authorities to obtain permits pursuant to national safety standards and requirements, including the areas of safety (Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate), radiation protection (Swedish Radiation Protection Institute), environmental protection (County Administrative Board), construction (Swedish Work Environment Authority) and building demolition (Municipality of Nyköping). Sufficient funds were available for decommissioning. Complete decommissioning will be concluded at the end of 2008 when all waste is taken care of. This is the fourth in a series of important decommissioning projects in Studsvik since the 1980s