Space and its adjustments: spatial design model and methodology
In 2013, work began on cognitive accessibility with concepts specific to this subject and the necessary spatial adjustments. The book that supports the methodology for the design and evaluation of accessible spaces was published in 2014: “Model for Designing Accessible Spaces, Cognitive Spectrum.”.
Based on this text and design model, the Participatory Methodology for the Evaluation of Environments and Buildings is published, involving people with intellectual or developmental disabilities trained in the model to design accessible spaces, in understandable information: text, graphic and experimental. General Registry of Intellectual Property. Registry entry: 16/2015/3448. Disclosure date 1/3/2014 as recorded in RPI.
With this methodology, three convergent results are reached:
• - An organized support system is designed: accessible, friendly and understandable spaces, easy to use.
• - People with intellectual or developmental disabilities (and other groups) develop special abilities to understand and evaluate the problems and barriers of space. The importance of personal capabilities is not renounced; on the contrary, they are favored and enhanced as part of learning, favoring the behavior of vulnerable groups.
• - Inclusion in social, university and business environments generates changes, both in the people who do the evaluations and in the technicians and people who participate in the experiences.
The model text states the following on page 22 (2014 edition):.
"Starting from these initial details (reference to cognitive abilities, Fundación ONCE and other institutions and The Arc of Texas), a model is developed for the design and diagnosis of accessible spaces. The aspects stated in The Arc of Texas are incorporated in this document elements for the design of the environment and the building related to the orientation of people. Thanks to the research carried out, it is possible to act with spatial and perceptual facilitators so that cognitive accessibility is free of obstacles, especially those elements that act as barriers to mobility due to its capacity to create situations of stress, confusion, disorientation and insecurity:".
• - Thus breaking the disorientation/barrier binomial.
• - Enhancing autonomy with human support and above all, without the need to resort to it.
• - Using a minimum amount of signs, only those necessary when the space does not fulfill the support function.
Universal postulates or principles must ensure the adjustment of spaces, environments and buildings.
• - Neutralize the labyrinth effect or internal confusion of the design, the main barrier to orientation in space, perfectly coupling the meetings at crossroads. Eliminate physical and perceptual obstacles.
• - Create references-inferences with easy reading or understandable texts of content and their spatial location. This last part of the principle - place references - is a determinant of spatial orientation since references are frequently placed without taking into account that on long or complex routes forgetfulness occurs once the origin has been lost from sight and the destination has not yet been found.
• - Design principles or visual organizers to improve accessible design.
• - Threshold effect in longitudinal spaces, with markers through sequences, to avoid visual and emotional alterations.
• - Guiding visual effects through grouping-segregation, an important phenomenon of perception.
• - References-inferences with the semantics of forms.
• - Principles of technology: they must increase capabilities.
• - Support autonomy, without subtracting capabilities, supporting them to increase skills, not replace them.
The concept of cognitive apprehension is defined on page 225 of the 2014 edition, which is not included in DALCO Requirements. STANDARD UNE 170001-2017:.
"The design of public environments, spaces and services (and private ones for public use and enjoyment) must be understandable by all users, regardless of their abilities. They must facilitate guidance for their use and exploitation. Signs and graphic elements are important supports, but complementary to the spatial design."
In 2016 and based on the progress made, the second edition of the digital book “Cognitive Accessibility, Model for designing accessible spaces” was published. Projects already executed and interventions in conferences and universities with inclusive classrooms in which people with intellectual or developmental disabilities participate are incorporated.
Occupational centers of organizations of people with diversity: Afanias in Madrid, SOI Cartagena (Cartagena, Murcia) and the CPEE Public Special Education Center of Alcalá de Henares,[27] work with the participatory model and methodology in the evaluation of environments and buildings. A glossary created by the users themselves is added.
From the previous publications, a new methodology in understandable text for the evaluation of environments and buildings is born. These are inclusive practical experiences involving people with intellectual or developmental disabilities trained to design and evaluate spaces, with understandable text, graphic and experimental information.
General Registry of Intellectual Property. Registry entry: 16/2015/3448. Disclosure date 1/3/2014 as recorded in RPI.
With this methodology, three convergent results are reached:
• - Accessible, friendly and understandable spaces are designed.
• - People with intellectual or developmental disabilities develop special abilities to understand and evaluate the problems and barriers of space.
• - Inclusion in social, university and business environments generates changes, both in the people who do the evaluations and in the technicians and people who participate in the experiences.
In order to work on capabilities with people with diversity, the book Cognitive accessibility training guide for people with functional diversity (Afanias, 2016) is prepared and published,[28] guide developed from the participatory model and methodology so that people with intellectual or developmental disabilities can support universal accessibility technicians in the cognitive components of the evaluation of environments and buildings.[28] This publication is a precursor to future publications on the need to design thinking in an understandable language of spaces, environments and buildings.[26].
The participatory methodology that is a systemic part of the model to design and work with the training guide has generated conceptual and experimental experiences that are used to know why and how people with diversity function in their role as evaluators. The publication Evaluation of cognitive accessibility. Scientific keys to strengthen the role of evaluator with functional diversity, published by La Ciudad Accesible Granada,[29] fills this space with knowledge and research and opens the doors to reflect on collaboration between research, experimental work and debate groups.
The text promotes the link between the social sciences and those that in recent years have achieved successes that began to have evidence in the middle of the last century and discoveries in the century: psychobiology, neuroscience, neuroengineering, the latter providing irreplaceable technological support, and cognitive neuropsychology, a branch of psychology that delves into the relationships between the various brain structures and functions with specific psychological processes: Cerebral GPS (Nobel Prize winners 2014) and Jennifer Neuron Anniston (Rodrigo Quian Quiroga).[30].
It includes innovations that the environment and architecture provide to promote the adjustment between human activities, forms—their meaning—and their relationships to improve people's behavior, facilitating their positioning and spatial orientation. It is included as a United Nations resource on the ENABLE page, ISSUES section and Accessibility position.[31].