Enabling Environments for the Mobility Impaired in the Rural Areas

Centered upon the lives of individuals with mobility impairments in low resource rural contexts of India, it explores a fairly simple yet largely ignored question. How do people with movement disabilities live and negotiate disabling barriers in their performance of Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) in diverse rural contexts? Based on ethnographic and visual methods of documentation, it demonstrates how simple and affordable accessibility solutions can be provided to overcome the most serious barriers to independence and social participation as faced by the rural disabled. This work significantly contributes to the knowledge base in inclusive design, a human centered design philosophy that addresses the needs of people who are often ignored or marginalized. Contextualizing Universal Design theory towards low resource environment remains one of the key highlights of this book. It ideates an understanding on 'accessibility for all' in rural contexts,taking the discourse towards enablement and inclusion. Disability and rehabilitation experts, inclusive policy makers, social thinkers, design researchers, architects & planners may find a useful insight into this lesser researched area.

Autorentext

Dr. Gaurav Raheja is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT)Roorkee with over ten years of teaching and research experience. Design for inclusion of persons with disabilities,elderly & children form his core research interests. He is a DAAD Fellow and a recipient of the Mphasis Universal Design Award 2010.