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The Cambridge Workshops on Universal Access and Assistive Technology
(CWUAAT) are a series of workshops held at a Cambridge University College
every two years. This volume: “DESIGNING INCLUSIVE SYSTEMS” comes
from the 6th in this series of highly successful events. The workshops are
characterised by a single session running over three days in pleasant surroundings
with delegates from home and abroad staying on site. Feedback suggests that
allowing speakers longer presentation times, carrying discussion on through
sessions into plenaries and shared mealtimes generates a highly cooperative and
creative academic environment that is both enjoyable and informative.
The workshop theme: “Designing inclusion for real-world applications” refers
to the emerging potential and relevance of the latest generations of inclusive design
thinking, tools, techniques and data, to mainstream project applications such as
healthcare and the design of working environments. Inclusive Design Research
involves developing tools and guidance enabling designers to design for the widest
possible population, for a given range of capabilities. In the context of
demographic changes leading to an increasing number of older people, the general
field of inclusive design research strives to relate the capabilities of the population
to the design of artefacts, environments and technology by better characterising the
user and the task demand. Inclusive populations of older people, for example,
contain a greater variation in sensory, cognitive and physical capabilities. These
variations may be co-occurring and rapidly changing leading to a demanding
design environment. |