University of California, Irvine
PBL Faculty Institute

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Hewlett Foundation


  		     

CLASS CONTEXT

E131U Diversity and Environments
Fall, 2000
class with discussion sections
Approximately 100 upper-division students in Environmental Analysis and Design
This course satisfies the Multi-Cultural Studies Breadth requirement

 

COURSE TIMELINE

PBL activities will be included throughout the course, as two to three week activities. This problem will take place during the second through the fourth weeks of the course

 

GOALS FOR THE PBL PROBLEM

Content Goals
  • Gain understanding of range of disabling conditions and of diverse experiences within various types of disabilities
  • Gain understanding of how the design and planning of the built environment influences access and comfort for people with disabilities, focusing on transportation planning and design
  • Appreciate the complex and competing values that shape the design and planning of the built environment

Skill Goals

  • Develop skills for analyzing environments to see how they meet users' needs
  • Develop writing skills
  • Develop team-work skills
  • Develop oral and graphic communication skills

 

PROBLEM LOGISTICS

Students will work in permanent teams for this project. Students will receive a grade for group submissions, and also for their evaluations of each others' efforts.

Before the problem. Students will have completed 2 readings: one on various types of disabilities, and the second a "transformational" reading about negotiating a campus from the perspective of a wheelchair user. The problem will be introduced after an orientation lecture by Ron Blosser, UCI Disability Services. Ron's orientation lecture will:
- Discuss various types of disabilities
- Document the history of disability legislation in the US (especially concerning design and planning)
- Give examples of environmental features that limit access on the UCI campus

 

PLANNING FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN ORANGE COUNTY

Part I: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Groups
40 minutes plus out-of-class research

In 1990, the US Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA was designed to extend civil rights protections to the 49 million people in the US (approximately 20% of Americans) with disabilities. This landmark legislation guaranteed equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, government services, telecommunications, and transportation.

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) oversees bus transportation in Orange County. OCTA is charged with ensuring that the Orange County bus system complies with the ADA. OCTA must make certain that Orange County bus transportation policies and facilities provide comparable service for people with different disabilities and for the rest of the population.

This group project asks you to assume the position of the OCTA. Your group is in charge of implementing the ADA in Orange County's bus transportation system.

 

Questions for group discussion and research:

For this case, each group will focus on one type of disability: mobility impairments, visual impairments, aural impairments, endurance impairments, and cognitive impairments.

  • Who are the people you will be planning for, in terms of this disability? What are their numbers? What important characteristics about this group should you know as a transportation planner, and why?
     
  • How would disabilities of this type affect transportation needs? Do these needs vary with the specific type of disability (e.g., motorized wheelchair users versus manual wheelchair users)?
     
  • To what extent are the transportation needs of people with these disabilities shared by other groups, such as older adults or people with children? Are the needs of people with these disabilities unique? Do the transportation needs of people with these disabilities conflict with those of other groups?

Your answers should incorporate existing literature about this disability, including the reading for this week and the material on reserve in the library entitled "Disabilities and Environments." Each group will submit a 2-3 page type written, double-spaced report of their answers next week.

 

PLANNING FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN ORANGE COUNTY

Part II: Bus Planning and Design
Out of class research

In class, we have discussed "transformative" learning, when you take the perspective of another individual or group to attempt to understand their experiences of various environments. This part of the problem asks you to take the perspective of those with the types of disabilities that your group is studying.

  • Ride the bus from your home to UCI campus (if you live off campus), or from the UCI campus to the Tustin Marketplace mall. Imagine that you are someone with the kinds of disabilities you have researched
  • Investigate the process of how individuals with disabilities of this type would travel by bus from your home in (or from the Tustin Marketplace, if you live on campus) to UCI for a 9:30 a.m. class or appointment. What transportation service(s) would be used? What steps would one have to take to access these services (advance arrangements? etc.)? Describe the process, cost, and timetable required for this trip. What changes would improve access for this population? Which of these changes would be highest priority and why?

Each group will submit a 4-5 page type written, double-spaced report of their answers next week. The paper will include a summary of experiences from individual bus trips.

 

PLANNING FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN ORANGE COUNTY

Part III: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Groups
20 minutes planning time in class plus out of class research

Over the past few years, OCTA has been redesigning Orange County bus stops and bus stations to comply with the ADA. In doing so, OCTA planners and designers must consider the needs of people with various disabilities, related to all aspects of the bus system: bus stations, bus stops, and busses themselves.

Group assignment:

Each group will continue to focus on one type of disability. Analyze the Newport Transportation Center (at the corner of Avocado & San Nicolas Sts., in Newport Beach) for how this bus station does and does not meet the needs of people with disabilities of this type. In what ways could this environment be changed to enhance access for your population?

Be thorough and creative in your analysis, drawing on what you learned about disabilities of this type. Incorporate the literature on reserve, the reading for this week, and other materials on design and disability as resources.

Each group will submit a 4-5 page report (including illustrations and references) of their analysis of the Transportation Center. Reports should be double-spaced and typewritten, and should include photos with explanatory captions and annotated plans of the bus station (We will discuss how to do annotated plans in class, and you will be given a plan of the Transportation Center to use for your analysis).

Each individual will give a 10 minute presentation of group findings to other students on X date. Presentations should be well-prepared and organized, and should use overhead transparencies to outline key points and to present any illustrations. In discussion section next week, we will discuss how to plan and give your oral presentation.