Overview
We all know from firsthand experience how easily the built environment can make performing even the simplest activities difficult. Whether it is making our way through the entrances of public restrooms, using street crossings at intersections or just putting away groceries in our kitchens, good design can ensure that the built environment makes performing these activities easier for all of us.
A research team at the State University of New York’s School of Architecture and Planning in Buffalo is currently conducting a study of built environments' influences on activity performance. In a recently completed round of Problematic Activities Surveys, over 600 survey participants with varying functional and sensory abilities identified the activities that pose the greatest problem for them in three built environments:
- Public Buildings (for example: using entrances, public telephones, etc.)
- Public Streets (for example: using sidewalks, pedestrian traffic signals, etc.)
- Residential Environments (for example: using cupboards, sink areas, etc.)
In this round of Design Effectiveness Surveys, participants will be given the opportunity to evaluate how effective certain designs are in resolving these problems. This process allows consumers to determine the effectiveness of one design relative to another.
This study is being conducted by the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA) through its Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Universal Design and the Built Environment (RERC-UD) with funding provided by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).
To participate in the Design Effectiveness Surveys, you must provide Informed Consent even if you have already provided Informed Consent in the previous round of Problematic Activities Surveys. Next you will be asked to provide some general information about yourself that will help us analyze the responses we get from your surveys. Then you will be given opportunities to evaluate how effective certain designs are in resolving selected problematic actives in the three built environments. If you prefer to work in print form rather than online, please contact us by any of the means listed at the bottom of this page.
After you click on PROVIDE INFORMED CONSENT below, you will be given additional information about the research study and asked if you agree to participate in the study as described. Then you will be taken to a webpage containing links to the Design Effectiveness Surveys.
PROVIDE INFORMED CONSENT
ALREADY PROVIDED INFORMED CONSENT
Mailing Address:
Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access
School of Architecture and Planning
3435 Main Street, 378 Hayes Hall
The State University of New York at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14214
Email:
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Telephone: +1 (716) 829-3485 x 329
TTY: +1 (716) 829-3758
Fax: +1 (716) 829-3861
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