Architecture Commons^™

Learning Curve: Designing An Inclusive Early Childhood Learning Center, Sarah Alrumayh

Theses and Dissertations

This research centers on the improvement of early childhood education environments in hopes to reduce the disparities in outcomes among children aged 2-6, widely known as "the achievement gap." It sheds light on designing an inclusive, child-centered school for students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) and speech or language impairments (SLI). Drawing on the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), it underscores the benefits of integrating students with special education needs into mainstream education, thereby fostering inclusive learning environments. (IDEA, 1975).

The research question probes how to create a nurturing and adaptable school environment tailored to the diverse needs of …

Physical Accessibility And Historic Preservation In Historic House Museums Of The Southeast, Abby Milonas

All Theses

Museums are a public good, as they provide educational recreation and preserve cultural history, and so it is crucial that they are physically accessible to as many visitors as possible. The aim of this study was to understand what architectural features of historic house museums are the least accessible and what has been done to ameliorate these challenges. The survey used in the study was developed using the guidelines for making historic buildings accessible as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards. It was distributed by email to representatives of 220 historic sites, of …

Collaboration Between Occupational Therapists And Architects To Incorporate Universal Design To Increase Accessibility, Michelle C. L. Hoff, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The design of the built environment plays a key role in occupational participation. When the built environment is poorly designed, it severely limits accessibility for an individual with a disability. In contrast, when the built environment is well designed, it can support the occupational performance of individuals of all ages and abilities. Interprofessional collaboration between occupational therapists and architects can improve environmental barriers to occupational participation within home and community settings. Interprofessional collaboration between occupational therapists and architects has involved direct input through consultations, interprofessional education experiences, and the formation of interprofessional organizations. However, barriers to interprofessional collaboration have included …

A Survey Of Universal Design At Museums: Current Industry Practice And Perceptions, Jennifer K. Fortuna, Kayleigh Thomas, Jenna Asper, Laura Matney, Kyra Chase, Stephanie Ogren, Julia Vandermolen

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Museums are key educational and cultural resources in the community, yet many are not accessible to visitors with disabilities. Universal design promotes products and environments usable to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of ability. This study explores current industry practice and perceptions of accessibility and universal design in a small sample of American museums. Suggestions for how occupational therapists can help museums go above and beyond ADA guidelines are provided.

Method: An 17-item cross-sectional survey was used to collect data. Twenty-five museum associations assisted with recruitment. A descriptive numerical summary and qualitative analysis were …

Creating An Online Concrete Masonry Course For Accessibility, Dolores Herrera

Architectural Engineering: Graduate Reports

An online undergraduate course in masonry design was created for an asynchronous delivery format and to fulfill web accessibility requirements. This report outlines the process of the course creation with Canvas as the host platform. Emphasis is placed on how content including lecture presentations, assignments, and course modules were developed with strong graphic software and communication skills. For accessibility, the content creation was guided by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA Standards. Lastly, the significance of learning masonry design in undergraduate structural engineering curriculum is discussed in addition to the structural engineering industry practices used to complete …

The Role Of Aesthetics In Classroom Design: Implications For Engagement And Equity, Giuliana Barraza

Master's Theses

The desire for achieving greater equity in education has been a prevalent topic of research, with many studies indicating that the current education system in this country is designed in a way that exacerbates initial inequities and has a negative impact on student motivation and engagement (EOCD, 2012). While existing scholarship mostly discusses equity and engagement through the lens of curriculum and instruction, the power of physical classroom environments and aesthetic elements present in those environments is less explored. With student populations becoming more diverse, there is a greater need for new tools for teachers to utilize in pursuit of …

Encapsulating Educational Design For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lauren Praeuner

Honors Theses

This paper is a thesis/creative project hybrid split into two parts. First, it examines different aspects of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the symptoms experienced by those on the spectrum, and the guidelines that parents, medical professionals, and educators should follow to ensure a holistic approach to the care and education of children with autism. The text also notes some of the considerations that designers should review when designing educational facilities for these individuals, as well as few precedents that successfully do so. The second part of the paper presents my team’s architectural studio project, contributed to by UNL students Lindsay …

Engaging Research And Practice In Creating For Outdoor Multi-Sensory Environments: Facing Future Challenges, Hazreena Hussein, Zaliha Omar

Hazreena Hussein

This paper engages the users' behaviour, their perception of use in sensory gardens and the reality faced by practitioners designing for these gardens, based on case-studies in the UK. Further investigation will be undertaken at Al-Bukhary International University in Malaysia once the completion of the country's first sensory garden. Interview outcomes showed practitioners concurred on the design aspects that encourage the use of the area while the school staff had no strong views on the aesthetic value. Observation outcomes showed pathway layout encourages behaviour, use and time spent in sensory areas. These outcomes are a significant argument in the conclusion.

Taman Sensori: Kanak-Kanak Berkeperluan Khas, Hazreena Hussein, Md Nasir Daud

Hazreena Hussein

Taman Sensori untuk Kanak-Kanak Berkeperluan Khas menyediakan kompilasi garis panduan yang berguna bagi mereka bentuk taman sensori untuk kanak-kanak berkeperluan khas. Kompilasi ini berguna bukan sahaja kepada pereka bentuk alam bina malah juga kepada pembuat dasar serta komuniti. Di samping itu, pembaca disajikan dengan contoh-contoh bagaimana ruang dalam taman ini boleh direka bentuk sesuai untuk kegunaan kanak-kanak berkeperluan khas serta penjaga mereka. Buku ini dicernakan daripada satu kajian kedoktoran Dr. Hazreena yang meneliti reka bentuk dan penggunaan taman sensori di dua sekolah khas di United Kingdom. Kajian tersebut menilai zon fungsi taman sensori serta bagaimana taman sedemikian digunakan. Kajian sebegini …

Achieving Sustainable Development: Accessibility Of Green Buildings In Malaysia, Chua Fuh Yiing, Naziaty Mohd Yaacob, Hazreena Hussein

Hazreena Hussein

Both Universal Design (UD) and Green Building Design (GBD) aim to achieve sustainability in the built environment. In Malaysia, the introduction of Green Building Index (GBI) is a reinforcement of GBD agenda although not made mandatory to comply. At the same time, the Persons With Disabilities Act 2008 Malaysia (PWD Act) promotes strongly UD. Both the GBI and PWD Act are in support of Sustainable Development (SD) in terms of environmental protection and social equity, respectively. This study provides a critical analysis of how these two SD instruments are either being corroborated or compromised or complemented through the practice of …

Patterns Of Seated Activity In Sensory Gardens Among Children Educated In Special Schools, Hazreena Hussein

Hazreena Hussein

This study investigated the seated activity among special schooled children and their adult carers in two sensory gardens in the United Kingdom. Seated activity was established whether the seating was used as intended or whether users preferred to sit on other attributes during their learning session. The objectives of this study are to explore opportunities for users’ activity and their engagement with the attributes, whether activity is possible or if opportunities are not being actualised because of barriers. Observation and behaviour mapping methods were carried out alongside the affordance theory. The outcome suggests that the number of users, the number …

Ty Gwyn: Documenting The Design Of A Special School In Wales, Julie Elaine N. Irish

Julie Elaine Irish

Experiencing And Engaging Attributes In A Sensory Garden As Part Of A Multi- Sensory Environment, Hazreena Hussein

Hazreena Hussein

This study looked into how children with special educational needs and their adult carers engage with attributes in a sensory garden during their literacy session. Walk-through interviews, personal observation and behaviour mapping of on-site activities, which the author recorded as anecdotal evidence, were undertaken at the Royal School of Communication Disorders in Manchester, United Kingdom to illustrate on the users’ experience in a multi-sensory learning environment. This data gathering was conducted in May and July, for seven days each month. The data was recorded continuously from 9am to 3pm on weekdays during the school term. The main finding showed that …

Malaysian Perspective On The Development Of Accessible Design, Hazreena Hussein, Naziaty Mohd Yaacob

Hazreena Hussein

Malaysia has been actively providing accessibility in the built environment since the country signed the ‘Proclamation on the Full Participation and Equality of People with Disabilities in the Asia-Pacific Region' in 1994. However, Malaysia has limitations in enforcing legislation pertaining to accessibility. One of the concerns was the local authorities’ role in having their own mechanisms to create an accessible built environment. The objective is to highlight the gaps in Malaysia’s regulations and to illustrate the research development of the Accessible Design infrastructure for disabled people. The outcome will describe Malaysia’s experience in Accessible Design.

Development Of Accessible Design In Malaysia, Hazreena Hussein, Naziaty Mohd Yaacob

Hazreena Hussein

Malaysia has been actively providing accessibility in the built environment since the country signed the ‘Proclamation on the Full Participation and Equality of People with Disabilities in the Asia-Pacific Region’ in 1994. However, Malaysia has limitations in enforcing legislation pertaining to accessibility. One of the concerns was the local authorities’ role in having their own mechanisms to create a Barrier Free built environment. The objective is to highlight the gaps in Malaysia’s regulations and to illustrate the research development of the Accessible Design infrastructure for disabled people. The outcome will describe Malaysia’s experience in Accessible Design.

The Influence Of Sensory Gardens On The Behavior Of Children With Special Educational Needs, Hazreena Hussein

Hazreena Hussein

This study explores the use of sensory gardens by observing the zones and how they are utilised by children with special educational needs. Methods applied were interviews, observation and behaviour mapping, which was used in conjunction with the affordance theory. Affordance was categorised by landscape furniture, soft and hard landscape in relation to three categories of activities: Sensory stimulation, physical and social skills. The findings had discovered continuous pathways that link the sensory garden to the site context, had easy access to the features, and had the highest number of user. This study also found that users spent a longer …

Barrier-Free Park Design For The Disabled Persons: A Case Study Of The Klcc Park, Hazreena Hussein

Hazreena Hussein

Making green spaces accessible to as many people as possible is now mainstream thinking in planning, design and management. Green spaces call be internal or external, integrated or separated with building.The purpose of this paper is to investigate and identify the characteristics in creating green spaces for the disabled persons' to enjoy. This research is dedicated specially for those with sensory disabilities, i.e. visually impaired' persons. The research will focus on issues and constraints that seem to impede their basic necessity, which is a barrier to them in enjoying the green spaces alongside their sighted peers. However, this research can …

Ua37/30/2 Wku Research Notecards - H Topics, Lowell Harrison

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Notecards created by Lowell Harrison while researching his book Western Kentucky University. The cards transcribed are for 108 topics beginning with H ranging from Hail Storm to Hundred Club.