New centre for inclusive technology and design will provoke major change

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has launched their new ëInclusive designí standard today. Now that the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 is in full force, products and services need to become accessible to disabled people - the new standard will be a benchmark of accessibility.

The leading disability organisation, Scope, has bought together a wide range of members to develop a ëCentre for Inclusive Technology and Designí. The CITD will help major blue chip companies place inclusion at the heart of their product and service design processes.

The Department of Trade and Industry has awarded funding for the CITD to undertake a two month pilot to work with 8 blue chip companies, auditing their key products and developing training packages for senior management. CITD will then go on to raise awareness and skills amongst corporations throughout the UK through consultation, research and training.

David Alcock, Business Project Manager, Scope said,
Scopeís vision is disabled people achieving equality. One of the fundamental barriers preventing this is the exclusion built into many products and services right at the heart of the design process. We believe that good design includes as many people as possible, and that this needs to be part of the design process. The aim of the ëCentre for Inclusive Technology and Designí is to work with partners from the design world and to act as a catalyst for major change in the way products and services are designed. We welcome the new British Standard, and thank the DTI for their support in helping make our vision a reality.