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Temporarily Able-Bodied
The world essentially consists of people who are experiencing
disabilities, and those who aren't at the moment. All of us find
ourselves functioning with reduced abilities at one time or another
in our lives: trying to operate things with our gloves on, trying
to do something after we've put drops in our eyes, trying to operate
our VCR when we've left our glasses in the other room, or dealing
with a broken arm. These are just some examples of temporary
disabilities.
In addition, those of us who expect to live past 75 should realize
that 72% of us will have functional limitations, and 42% of us
will have severe functional limitations.
Limitation by Circumstance
We also find that circumstances sometimes cause limitations. Try
to use a kiosk in a shopping mall at Christmas time -- you can't
hear it. Try using a Web site over a slow modem line -- it's 10
to 20 times faster if you use it in text-only mode, which is the primary
mode used by people who are blind.
It's not "them," it's us.
So building a world which is more accessible and easier to use
is not important for "them," but rather for
us. Some of us have disabilities today; some of us will
experience temporary disabilities tomorrow; and most of us will
have to deal with reduced abilities eventually - and - those reduced
abilities may become disabilities for us
if we make the world of tomorrow difficult to use.
Designing the World of Tomorrow, Today
This pavilion is designed to provide visitors with:
- a glimpse of what having a disability is like
- an overview of some of the tools and techniques that
people with disabilities use in daily life
- how the world can be designed so
that it's easier for people experiencing disabilities to use it
- how these designs benefit all of us, whether we are currently
experiencing a disability or not
- what you can do to contribute
- where to find more information
This pavilion is assembled by a consortium of people and organizations,
including (in alphabetical order):
- CPB/WGBH National Center on Accessible Media
- InfoUse
- Trace R&D Center - University of Wisconsin, Madison
- WebAble
and the following corporate sponsors:
Enjoy yourself! As you look around, please send us comments or
suggestions as to information or items that could be added to
make this pavilion more helpful to you.
Tell Us What You're
Thinking
pavilion@trace.wisc.edu