Connect

Project activities

Consultation

A community consultation programme was designed to work with people with learning disabilities and older disabled people, their families and carers, to find out what access barriers they currently experience, how they would like to make use of outdoor spaces and what actions could help change things for the better.

Focus groups and user-testing sessions were run using consultation techniques such as sensory mapping, design scrapbooks and place mapping. We developed these to enable people to identify the highlights, barriers and opportunities for a particular site. Sessions were run at Eden Project, Doubletrees School, Lanhydrock National Trust, Cornwall Care residential homes for older disabled people, Age Concern and Link into Learning centres, and Gentoo housing for older people in Sunderland.

People with learning disabilities and older disabled people have been involved in generating ideas and giving feedback in response to design ideas and pilot materials. This has given them the chance to influence design and planning decisions and ensured that resultant materials and guidance are well tuned to their needs.

In addition, we have designed and nationally disseminated questionnaire surveys to gain baseline information, particularly to find out current levels of use of public open space, visitor needs and expectations and barriers that prevent greater access. An online symbol-based questionnaire was developed with Widgit and was live on the Widgit website from May 2007 – Dec 2007. Another questionnaire, based on similar questions, was designed to obtain responses from older disabled people. It was promoted through Disability Cornwall’s magazine ‘Discover’ and mailed out to all of their members. We received an excellent response to both sets of questions.

We have also consulted with organisations representing the target groups to find out how these issues can be incorporated in their policies and activities and what barriers currently make this difficult.

Producing information and guidelines

Guidance materials

These help raise skills and awareness of those responsible for improving access to public open space for people with learning disabilities and older disabled people. We have used the consultation sessions to help identify more specifically the priority needs of service providers and end-users.

As a result of feedback we are producing a series of guidance booklets that set out the basic requirements for designing and managing inclusive public spaces.

Information sheets are also in production as quick reference information on specific themes that give practical guidance on a wide range of topics. These address technical design issues as well as subjects that relate to quality of experience.

These guidance materials will be freely available from this web site in the near future.

Enabling people with learning disabilities to create their own information

Year one involved planning the development of techniques to help people with learning disabilities to create their own news, ideas and information about public open spaces. These use different communication techniques including pictorial symbols, such as Widgit, to respond to different levels of communication skills. Development and testing of these resources will continue with production and dissemination happening throughout year three.

Creating examples of good practice

The project has involved creating products that can be used to demonstrate good practice. The techniques were developed by consulting with people with learning disabilities and older disabled people, followed by extensive testing and adaption of the resources to enable their use in the widest possible settings.

The techniques developed include:

• The Ripple Effect – a technique that enables people to identify values and connections they associate with their local community and environment and what improvements they would like to see.
• Triple Ripple Effect – an alternative version designed for people with learning disabilities, produced in association with an NHS speech therapist.
• Posting Message – a technique for both groups that gives people the chance to write personal thoughts regarding their experiences and responses to outdoor space.
• Memory mapping – technique based on Personal Meaning Mapping whereby people record their memories and experiences associated with outdoor space.
• Design scrapbooks – a technique using pictures, symbols and text to enable people to express their ideas for design improvements or new design.
• Sensory Mapping – a new version of this existing tool was developed for people with learning disabilities, using Widgits.
• Word and picture sets – used as part of user-testing sessions involving people with learning disabilities
• Picture prompts – used as part of focus group sessions with older people with dementia, helping to spark conversation about particular topics and invoke memories

Disseminating information and news

The website is the main focus for dissemination of news, information, advice and views. It is used to promote the project, to provide information that is available to download and links to external sources of information.

Our regular newsletter is important for disseminating ideas, news and information.  We have focused different editions on both older disabled people and people with a learning disability. All past articles are archived on our website.

Delivering training

Training is an important part of the project to increase awareness, understanding and skills of site managers and designers. In turn this improves the opportunities available to people with learning disabilities and older disabled people to use, learn about and get involved with public open space. 

The aim was to run four training days per year focused on the benefits of improving access to open space for people with learning disabilities and four focused on issues relating to older disabled people.

We have delivered a national training programme for National Trust site managers in all regions of England and Wales. The training days included input from representatives of disability organisations and disabled individuals, as well as practical sessions where site managers worked alongside disabled people to learn new site evaluation techniques.

We have delivered a range of training to Eden Project site staff ranging from Disability awareness, inclusion at outdoor events and running of onsite engagement days for people with disabilities and impairments.

Inclusive design training was delivered to construction and design teams involved in creating new capital build projects.

The training has included input from external specialists, including Mencap, Hearing Dogs UK and Disabled Ramblers.