VSA Universal Design Access Guide: Every Thing Benefits Every One

The intent of this publication is to provide guidance and resources to VSA staff, contractors, and volunteers regarding implementation of universal design principles in presentations, meeting and conference planning, accessibility services, and web content. The objective of universal design is for everyone to access the same things at the same time, in the same place, and in as close to the same manner as possible. No checklist can produce universal design. In achieving universal design, precision with accessibility standards is only as important as the commitment to embracing inclusion. Universal design manifests only when an understanding of basic accessibility is coupled with a flexible and open mind. Creativity and basic respect make up its foundation. Preparing your organization to embrace self-determination to the fullest extent will foster an atmosphere of universal design. This document briefly describes the Seven Principles of Universal Design. However, Universal Design is more of an ongoing process than a prescription. We hope that you will use this document to foster the habit of using Universal Design principles to guide decision-making. More in-depth information on its history, current applications, and potential can be found by utilizing the resources section of this document

How a Diverse Research Ecosystem Has Generated New Rehabilitation Technologies: Review of NIDILRR’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers

Over 50 million United States citizens (1 in 6 people in the US) have a developmental, acquired, or degenerative disability. The average US citizen can expect to live 20% of his or her life with a disability. Rehabilitation technologies play a major role in improving the quality of life for people with a disability, yet widespread and highly challenging needs remain. Within the US, a major effort aimed at the creation and evaluation of rehabilitation technology has been the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. As envisioned at their conception by a panel of the National Academy of Science in 1970, these centers were intended to take a “total approach to rehabilitation”, combining medicine, engineering, and related science, to improve the quality of life of individuals with a disability. Here, we review the scope, achievements, and ongoing projects of an unbiased sample of 19 currently active or recently terminated RERCs. Specifically, for each center, we briefly explain the needs it targets, summarize key historical advances, identify emerging innovations, and consider future directions. Our assessment from this review is that the RERC program indeed involves a multidisciplinary approach, with 36 professional fields involved, although 70% of research and development staff are in engineering fields, 23% in clinical fields, and only 7% in basic science fields; significantly, 11% of the professional staff have a disability related to their research. We observe that the RERC program has substantially diversified the scope of its work since the 1970’s, addressing more types of disabilities using more technologies, and, in particular, often now focusing on information technologies. RERC work also now often views users as integrated into an interdependent society through technologies that both people with and without disabilities co-use (such as the internet, wireless communication, and architecture). In addition, RERC research has evolved to view users as able at improving outcomes through learning, exercise, and plasticity (rather than being static), which can be optimally timed. We provide examples of rehabilitation technology innovation produced by the RERCs that illustrate this increasingly diversifying scope and evolving perspective. We conclude by discussing growth opportunities and possible future directions of the RERC program

INTERNATIONAL WEEK 2017 - Food Tasting

Opinnäytetyöni tein Kaakkoissuomen ammattikorkeakoululle, XAMK:lle. Työn tarkoituksena on tutkia International Week 2017-tapahtuman Food Tasting-osiota kehittämistarkoituksessa. Opinnäytetyössäni kerron kokemuksestani osana tapahtuman International Week 2017 suunnittelua ja toteutuksesta. Minun panokseni painopisteenä oli erityisesti tapahtuman Food Tasting-osion koordinointi ja toteutus yhdessä koulumme IB ja vaihto-opiskelijoiden kanssa. Työni teoriaosuudessa tuon esille mielestäni tärkeitä ja oleellisia tapahtumanjärjestämisen ideoita ja teorioita, joita käytän myöhemmin tapahtuman analysointiin. Tutkin tapahtumaa nimenomaan valitsemistani näkökulmista ja yritän löytää International Week 2017:n ja erityisesti sen sisällä järjestettävän Foof Tastingin onnistuneet ja epäonnistuneet osa-alueet. Työni toinen osio on kvalitatiivista tutkimustyötä, jonka tein teemahaastatteluiden muodossa. Haastattelin työtäni varten niin opettajia, ruokaa valmistaneita IB- ja vaihto-opiskelijaryhmiä kuin tapahtumaan osallistunutta yleisöä. Keräsin kokemukset ja huomiot yhteen ja raportoin niistä työssäni. Keräsin myös haastateltavilta mahdollisia parannus- ja kehitysideoita, joiden avulla Food Tasting voisi olla entistäkin menestyksekkäämpi formaatti. Tien omia huomioita ja päätelmiä haastatteluiden vastauksiin perustuen, jotka keräsin yhdeksi helposti luettavaksi kokonaisuudeksi. Tapahtuma onnistui jopa yli odotusten. Toisen kerroksen aulan saavutettavuus mahdollisti helpon läpikilun; ihmiset osallistuivat tapahtumaan vain kulkemalla sieltä läpi. Maistiaisten jakaminen useammalle päivälle tuki tätä entisestään. Tapahtumaan osallistujat kaipasivat ruoka-annoksiin enemmän informaatiota ja esitykset samaan kerrokseen Food Tastin:in kanssa. Haastatteluissa nousi esille myös mahdollisuus integroida tapahtuma entistäkin paremmin opetukseen

Anxiety, panic and suicide risk in college students

Suicide rates for the 15-24 group have risen dramatically in recent years. Traditionally, studies on suicidal behavior have focused on depression, substance abuse and social factors. Recent studies report strong associations between panic and suicidality in adults. The present study sought to extend these findings by looking at panic, anxiety and suicide risk in college students. To explore the unique relationship among these variables, other factors already identified as associated with suicidality were controlled. Subjects consisted of 153 undergraduate students. All measures were self-report questionnaires. In addition to suicide risk, hopelessness, alcohol and drug use, perceived social support, and continued parental attachment were assessed. A social desirability scale was used to identify subjects who may have distorted responses due to strong needs for social approval. Using correlational and multiple regression analyses, both anxiety and panic were found to be significantly correlated with, and predictive of, suicide risk. Anxiety remained significantly correlated with suicide risk when hopelessness was controlled, but the relationship between panic and suicide risk was nonsignificant when hopelessness was controlled. Almost 25% of subjects reported panic attacks. This relatively high occurrence, as compared with previous reports, may relate to the sample used and/or to the use of questionnaires which asked subjects to consider a wide range of emotional experiences. Findings that hopelessness was correlated with both suicide risk and a lack of social support are consistent with previous reports. The lack of relationship found between substance abuse and suicidality was felt to relate to the extremely low incidence of substance abuse and the restricted range of scores on these measures. Generalization of the present findings is limited due to the homogeneous population used, the correlational nature of the data, and the potential bias inherent in the use of questionnaires. The present findings indicate the need to recognize anxiety and panic as significant, independent risk factors when assessing suicidal behavior. Community education programs to inform the public about these high-risk symptoms are needed, as is future research about panic and suicidal behavior

PIENIERP-tietopalvelun sisällöntuotanto

Tässä opinnäytetyössä käsitellään toiminnanohjausjärjestelmää pk-yritysten näkökulmasta. Toiminnanohjausjärjestelmät ovat yksi keskeinen asia hallita yrityksen sisäisiä sekä ulkoisia sähköisen liiketoiminnan asioita. Lähtökohtana on luoda selkeä ja helppolukuinen toiminnanohjausjärjestelmiin perehtyvä opinnäytetyö. Opinnäytetyö antaa tietoa toiminnanohjausjärjestelmistä sekä valmentaa niiden hankinnassa. Open Source Business Application eli OpenERP on ilmainen toiminnanohjausjärjestelmä, joka toimii GPL-lisenssin alla. Järjestelmään kuuluu muun muassa myynninhallinta, asiakkuudenhallinta, varastonhallinta, projektin hallinta, tuotannonhallinta sekä henkilöstön hallinta OpenERP-järjestelmä on monipuolinen sekä modulaarinen, se voidaan räätälöidä yrityksen tarpeiden mukaisesti. Opinnäytetyö sisältää OpenERP-oppaan, jossa perehdytään järjestelmän tär-keimpiin toimintoihin. Opas sisältää tietoa järjestelmän perusmoduuleista sekä niiden käytöstä. Toimintoja käydään läpi yksityiskohtaisesti käyttötapausten avulla. Käyttötapauksien tarkoituksena on pohjustaa pk-yrityksille, miten help-poa sekä automatisoitua ovat järjestelmän toiminnot.This study deals with the Enterprise resource planning system for small and medium-size enterprises. The ERP-systems are a key issue to manage the in-ternal and external issues of the company. The main thing is to create a clear and easy-to-read study about the ERP-systems. The study offers information about the ERP-systems and also prepares for purchases. OpenERP is committed to Open Source Business Model. The software is pub-lished under the GPL-licence. OpenERP is a comprehensive suite of business applications including Sales, CRM, Project management, Warehouse manage-ment, Manufacturing, Financial management, Human Resources just to name a few. OpenERP unique modular approach allows customers to start with one application and to add other modules later on. The study includes an OpenERP-guide, which concentrates on the main system functions. The guide contains information and functions about the basic modules of the OpenERP-system. The study also contains a review of use case of the OpenERP-system. The purpose of the use case is to show for small and medium-size enterprises how easy and automatic the functions of the system are

Disability-Competent Health Systems

In July 2005, the United States Surgeon General issued a national Call for Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities. This article offers one response. Drawing on the best practices of consumer-driven health programs for people with disabilities, we offer a Disability-Competent Health System model. The model integrates health and social services to maximize opportunities for independent living and person-centered care. This approach is an opportunity for the independent living movement to address health-related issues without subscribing to the medical model