I wanted to do some research on how to conduct the room observation in order to get the best data from it. After reading Methods of comparative analysis (Bolbakov, Sinitsyn and Tsvetkov. 2020) I understand more about how to conduct the room observation and collect measurement data for comparative analysis. I plan to collect measurements within the room and compare them to average mobility aid dimensions to see if they would work within the space. I believe this is the best method as “Comparison can be considered as an intelligent procedure that allows us to examine a set of objects in order to discover their relations or to assess the degree of their differences and similarities.” (Bolbakov, Sinitsyn and Tsvetkov. 2020) I am able to get the results without needing participants.
I have also tried to get a better understanding of spaces and those with disabilities accessing them. Although a paper about accessible toilets, it still gave be a better understanding of how important it is to have the same access as able bodied people. As said by Kitchen and Law “For disabled people, the provision of public services and the design of the built environment can be a crucial determinant of participation.”
The importance of ensuring that for those with physical disabilities and mobility impairments, the workshop was fully accessible became even more apparently after reading Imries paper Disability and discourses of mobility and movement (2000) He identifies that “Mobility and movement are also dependent upon access from one place to another and, for disabled people, to be able to move through spaces unimpeded by physical objects. Indeed, a prerequisite for movement is the means for connectivity between places, and yet for most respondents’ movement is often hindered by the lack of appropriate infrastructure or mechanisms to enable them to move easily from one place to another. For instance, for most wheelchair users, the discontinuous nature of routeways is an ever-present part of their daily lives”
References
Bolbakov, R.G., Sinitsyn, A.V. and Tsvetkov, V.Y., 2020, November. Methods of comparative analysis. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1679, No. 5, p. 052047). IOP Publishing. Available at https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1679/5/052047/pdf [Accessed] 6th November 2023
Imrie, R., 2000. Disability and discourses of mobility and movement. Environment and planning A, 32(9), pp.1641-1656. Available at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rob-Imrie/publication/23538979_Disability_and_Discourses_of_Mobility_and_Movement/links/5f113a484585151299a1353d/Disability-and-Discourses-of-Mobility-and-Movement.pdf [Accessed] 8th November 2023.
Kitchin, R. and Law, R., 2001. The socio-spatial construction of (in) accessible public toilets. Urban studies, 38(2), pp.287-298. Available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/43100392?seq=1 [Accessed] 6th November 2023