ENABLE
Development and Evaluation of an Inclusive Mobility Concept – Project Phase 1
Mobility is one of the central prerequisites for the inclusion of people - whether with or without disabilities and impairments. However, people with disabilities in particular are often faced with a restricted mobility offer. In order for them to be able to exercise their rights on an equal footing, people with disabilities must be able to reach their homes, workplaces, educational institutions, shops, accompany their guardians, medical and rehabilitation facilities and other places of social life without hindrance. A barrier-free infrastructure is a necessary prerequisite for the equal participation of people in social life. In this context, the provision of adequate individual means of transportation plays an essential role.
In the ENABLE project, fka GmbH was commissioned by Aktion Mensch to develop an inclusive mobility concept for this challenge in cooperation with the Department of Health Psychology at IfP (Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University) and the Research Departments of Traffic Psychology & Acceptance and Vehicle Concepts & HMI at ika (Institute for Automotive Engineering, RWTH Aachen University), from which people with and without disabilities can benefit equally. This is intended to represent added value compared to existing individual technical solutions, in that the modular technical approaches specified in the concept can be adapted according to the target group.
As part of the project, target groups with a particularly high need in this subject area were first identified through an online survey of experts in the field of work with people with disabilities. These target groups were then asked directly in workshops about the specific difficulties they face and what they would like to see in their mobility experience. From this, overarching needs were derived, the fulfillment of which was compared with existing solutions in order to identify and weight possible needs for action. With a focus on mobility-on-demand, concrete requirements for an inclusive mobility concept were elaborated and a concept version based on the previously derived needs was developed. This supports users in planning their routes via an ability-based HMI and guarantees a seamless, self-determined mobility experience by incorporating current mobility offerings and filling existing gaps via a barrier-free vehicle concept.
The project phase 1 laid the foundation with regard to the envisaged realization and testing of the partial aspects of an adaptive and inclusive mobility concept. In order to achieve this overarching goal, further consecutive sub-projects are now to be established and interlinked following project phase 1. For this purpose, we are currently exploring the organizational possibilities and the inclusion of further partners for realization together with Aktion Mensch.
If you are interested in participating or supporting the realization of the project, we would be happy to hear from you!
Contact
Dr. phil. Stefan Ladwig
Manager Research Area
Traffic Psychology & Acceptance
+49 241 80 23888
Email
Project duration
01/2021 – 09/2021
Project partner
Aktion Mensch, fka GmbH, ika, Institut für Psychologie (IfP) der RWTH Aachen
Design development
An image gallery of the design development process from the project can be found here.