Tag: inclusive design
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Braille Music Notation: 200 Years of Accessible Sound
Two centuries of Braille, two worlds of sound When Louis Braille unveiled his tactile system in the early 1820s, he created more than a language for reading; he opened a doorway to the world of music for people who are blind. Braille music notation adapts the dots of literary Braille into a grid that encodes…
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Ageing Society: Why the Population Boom Is a Business and Social Opportunity
Rethinking the Ageing Narrative The discourse around an ageing society often leans toward caution and cost, but a growing chorus of population experts argues that this cohort brings powerful opportunities. Rather than viewing age as a looming burden, many researchers emphasise the potential of a mass of healthy, active, older adults who continue to contribute…
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Embracing the Age Boom: Why an Ageing Society Brings Opportunity, Not Doom
Introduction: Reframing the Ageing Narrative Across many countries, debates about ageing populations have tended to dwell on costs and strain. Yet a leading population expert argues that these concerns overlook a powerful, underutilised resource: a massive cohort of healthy, active, older adults. Far from constituting a looming financial burden, this demographic shift presents opportunities to…
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Blue Origin Launches First Wheelchair User to Space: Michi Benthaus Heads for Historic Suborbital Flight
Overview: A Historic Suborbital Flight On Thursday, December 18, the spaceflight community will watch as Blue Origin launches a suborbital mission aboard its New Shepard vehicle. The mission carries a diverse crew, including aerospace engineer Michi Benthaus, who is poised to become the first wheelchair user to reach space. This milestone marks a turning point…
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Legal Obligation Ignored: North Melbourne Tram Stops Exclude Wheelchair Access
Summary: A contested rollout of tram stops in North Melbourne Disability advocates have criticised a state government plan to introduce new tram stops in North Melbourne that would prevent wheelchair users from boarding trams at several locations. The proposed design, currently under review by the Department of Transport, raises questions about compliance with legal mandates…
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Accessible tram stops North Melbourne: legal access concerns
Background: A plan that raises accessibility concerns Disability advocates are raising alarms over a government proposal to build new tram stops in North Melbourne that would not allow wheelchair users to access trams. This comes despite a clear legal framework that requires public transport to be accessible to people with disabilities. The debate puts a…
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Disability Advocates Question North Melbourne Tram Stops: Accessibility Law vs. Plans
Overview: Accessibility in Question at North Melbourne Tram Stops Disability advocates in Melbourne are raising concerns about a state government plan to install new tram stops in North Melbourne that would not be accessible to wheelchair users. While accessibility is a legal obligation for public transport, critics say the proposed design would effectively exclude many…
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Avanti West Coast accused of virtue signaling over wheelchair art
Campaign claims and context Campaigners have accused Avanti West Coast, one of the UK’s leading train operators, of “virtue signalling without the virtue” after the company unveiled imagery featuring wheelchair users in what critics say is a stylised, glossy portrayal of travel with a disability. The critique centers on whether the artwork reflects authentic, everyday…
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Sinéad Burke: Inclusion as a Human Right — A Conversation with the Disability Activist and Tilting the Lens Founder
Introduction: A Bold Reframe on Inclusion When Sinéad Burke speaks about inclusion, she does more than urge empathy; she reframes the very architecture of fashion, media, and public life. Burke, a celebrated disability activist and the founder and CEO of Tilting the Lens, has spent years urging inclusive design and storytelling that centers disabled people…
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AI for Disability Inclusion: Creating a Fairer Future
AI as a Catalyst for a Fairer Future Artificial intelligence has the potential to reshape the lived experience of millions of people with disabilities. When AI tools are designed with lived experience at their heart—rather than as an afterthought—they don’t simply remove barriers; they expand possibilities. Conversational screen readers, adaptive dashboards, and real-time captioning can…