Faculty Early Career Development: Developing Engineering Criteria for the Inclusion of Disabled Employees (DECIDE) in the Workplace

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9501654 The goal of this research is to develop engineering design criteria that will assist in modifying industrial tasks and environments to allow the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Specifically, the following objectives are pursued: (1) develop engineering criteria for designing occupational tasks and environment to accommodate persons with disability, (2) cmntribute to research efforts aimed at designing occupational environments to accommodate disabled persons, (3) assist in increasing the number of qualified engineers available to transfer and implement the findings from the research in industrial settings or work places. The research will identify various strategies, survey tools, and analysis techniques that can be readily used in an industrial setting. These parameters will then be evaluated and validated in an industrial setting for possible inclusion in the design methodology. One of the tangible outcomes of the research is the development of an intelligent computer based system to assist in making decisions associated with designing and retrofitting work tasks and work places to accommodate disabled persons. Paraplegic and the visually impaired constitute the core group on which the research is targeted. Several benefits can be ascribed to this research if it becomes successful. The impact on the national economy can be significant as many more people with physical disabilities can enter the workforce and contribute to the productivity of the country. Many people with disabilities will experience economic gains, and gains in the sense of security from workplace hazards and injuries resulting from very poor systems design. The research outcome can advance the state-of-knowledge in accommodating the needs of the disabled. This will lead to the production of design standards for tools and workplaces that will not only benefit disabled persons but also the entire general population.