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Content archived on 2024-06-18

Rent-a-Spatialist

Objective

Through their bodily interaction with the built environment, disabled people are able to detect obstacles and appreciate spatial qualities architects are not attuned to. In architectural practice, however, accessibility of buildings often is considered as a matter of fact, as something people are detached from, taken care of by professionals, instead of something people are exposed or attached to. Legislation translates accessibility into facts by fixing minimum or maximum dimensions, which can be objectively measured by professional accessibility advisors, but offers architects little insight in why a building feature may be problematic or appreciated. Rendering accessibility to the realm of matters of fact thus limits the scope in which disability can be considered a valuable source for design. In this context, we advance a consulting service that mobilizes disabled people’s spatial experience to inform architects on how to make a particular building or site more inclusive, i.e. respectful of the diversity in people’s abilities and conditions. The value concept of the consulting service combines three elements: 1. the spatial experience of disabled persons, so-called spatialists; 2. the set up of embodied dialogues with a selection of spatialists in situ; 3. an analysis report that documents the disabled person’s experiences during the visit in a narrative way. This provides architects nuanced insights in why disabled people dislike or value a certain building feature, beyond merely indicating that it is (in)accessible. The idea to be taken to proof of concept is that this consulting service can be marketed commercially to inform architects and other relevant actors in the design and building process. Such a service is expected to contribute to a more inclusive built environment, and to empower disabled people by strengthening their position in the labour market.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

ERC-2012-PoC
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

CSA-SA(POC) - Supporting action (Proof of Concept)

Host institution

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
EU contribution
€ 150 000,00
Address
OUDE MARKT 13
3000 Leuven
Belgium

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Region
Vlaams Gewest Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Arr. Leuven
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Beneficiaries (1)

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