Neuro-accessible educational environment: Adapting to the needs of people with disabilities

Abstract

Introduction. Currently, researchers and practitioners are increasingly focusing on creating conditions for the socialization and integration of people with disabilities. A large number of people, and above all, children with mental, emotional, and other disorders, need to organize an environment designed for inclusive interaction. Materials and research methods. The work used the method of analysis of scientific approaches to designing the environment. The main tools used were scientific data obtained by psychologists, architects, designers of the XX - XXI centuries, studying the optimal parameters of objects and spaces that affect the well-being and mental state of people of various categories. Processing of the data was carried out as part of a humanitarian approach; the method of content analysis was used. The results of the study. The work summarizes and systematizes the results of humanitarian studies for their subsequent, conceptual, and responsible use in technological projects to create a neuro-accessible educational environment, taking into account the needs of people with disabilities. The concept of a "neural accessible medium" is introduced, i.e., environment adapted for finding and activity of people with various mental disorders. Discussion. The concept of the educational environment includes not only the relationship of a child with disabilities with other people but, first of all, the spatial and material structures that organize the educational process. The search for ideas and technologies should be based on proposals for the maximum correspondence not only of the external shell but also of the structure of subject forms to the physical structure of a person as a natural being; about the integrity of the environment; about the need for "following nature". Creating forms should include taking into account the needs of all users. Besides, designing a neural-accessible environment should use virtual and augmented reality. Conclusion. The need for a neurally accessible educational environment, taking into account the needs of people with disabilities, the complexity of its design requires the use of an interdisciplinary approach and the use of data from different disciplines and projects that currently exist autonomously from each other. In general, the described ideas can be useful not only in the educational environment but also in the working and urban environment. © 2019 LLC Ecological Help. All rights reserved.