Keynote Speech-07

Swedish disability policy has taken shape over the past 50 yeas apace with developments in welfare policy. The association between the two meant that disability policy in Sweden has been linked to wealth distribution policies. However, traditionally, the situation of disabled people was primaly seen from a medical perspective, and was thus associated with the actual functional condition. The emphasis today is on democracy, human rights and to create an accessible and sustainable society.
Like many other countries Sweden has an ageing population, means an increasing pressure on making society accessible and increase the demand for Design for All. Sweden has a long history of ergonomics and design for disabled. Now it is more focus on Design for All rather than special measures for disabled people. The basis of Swedish disability policy is that people with disabilities are citizens with the same rights and the same obligations as others. An action plan for disability policy From patient to citizen extends until 2010 and involves all sectors of society. The action plan entails a new structure for work on disability policy, defining clearer responsibility for government agencies. Work is directed at long-term solutions and focuses on practical action in a continual process of gradual implementation. The state should act as role model in work to achieve a more accessible society. Fourteen agencies have been selected as so-called sector agencies, with special responsibility for implementing disability policies in their respective sectors. In the Actionplan it is stated that Design for All should permeate work by the State in the areas of architecture and design. In existing buildings that are open to the general public and existing public places, measures must be taken to remove easily dealt obstacles by the end of 2010. The goal is that public transportsystem shall be accessible to disabled people by 2010. An account of the implementation of the national action plan has been submitted to the parliament in March 2006. The analyses showed that important progress in implementing the goal of mainstreaming the disability policy in all political areas. But the work of making the society accessible for all is to slow. The implementation must speed up. However, the awareness of the importance of accessibility and Design for All has increased considerably in the Swedish society. The analyses from the sectorial authorities show that demography, globalisation, technological development, awareness, laws and regulations are important factors to reach the goals.

The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate practical aspects of the collaboration of academic and business worlds. In the presentation several practical examples of Universal Design projects done for the business world, under a supervision of International Design Business Management program or Stanford University Center for Design Research, are shown. This presentation aims to assess the risks, but also analyze the benefits, when creative minds of multidisciplinary research/student groups are combined to deep expertise of high technology companies to create better products.