TELEMATIC STANDARDS AND COORDINATION OF ATT SYSTEMS IN RELATION TO ELDERLY AND DISABLED TRAVELLERS

Informazioni relative al progetto

TELSCAN

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: TR1108

Data di avvio

Data di completamento

Finanziato da

• Specific programme of research and technological development and demonstration in the area of telematic applications of common interest, 1994-1998

Costo totale € 2 000 000,00

Contributo UE Nessun dato

Coordinato da

Aristotles University of Thessaloniki
Greece

Exploitable results

TELEMATIC STANDARDS AND COORDINATION OF ATT SYSTEMS IN RELATION TO ELDERLY AND DISABLED TRAVELLERS; TELSCAN

TELSCAN does not produce a concrete product but provides a service to 4th Framework programme projects concerning Elderly and Disabled (E&D) issues. TELSCAN ensures that as ATT systems are developed, they take into account the needs of the E&D and evolve so that they are directly and safely usable by all or at least the great majority. It is widely acknowledged that the E&D already form a significant proportion of the total population in Europe. This proportion is expected to reach approximately 25% by the year 2020. If the various "high technology" transport solutions do not take into account the limitations of the E&D population, it will lead to two social groups with respect to Transport. One group, the younger, able-bodied and active of mind will be able to use and benefit from advances in Transport Telematics and the other, the Elderly and Disabled, will be baffled by these advances and consigned to a twilight of lost opportunities. TELSCAN avoids this discrimination and at the same time encourages a viable "design for all" approach that not only benefits the E&D, but everyone else as well, particularly European Industry. TELSCAN identifies the needs of E&D travellers, and uses/develops appropriate design guidelines for human/machine interfaces. Active co-operation between TELSCAN and the other T-TAP projects by means of establishing common activities and tests has proved to be an efficient way for such a strategy to proceed. TELSCAN supports T-TAP projects in the 4th Framework Programme, identifies the needs of E&D travellers, uses/develops appropriate design guidelines for human/machine interfaces. Though it is rather hard to categorize all types of disabilities and provide an improved and viable solution for each one of them related to the various telematic applications on the market, TELSCAN presents a serious body of work in this direction. The designer has to cope with the idea of keeping disabled users in mind from the outset, since one out of four European citizens in the near feature will face difficulties in using "standard" equipment. Active co-operation among TELSCAN and the other T-TAP projects by means of establishing common activities and tests, proved to be an efficient way for such an horizontal strategy to proceed.