Setting Inclusion as a Standard in the Development Process: Generation of an Inclusive Concept for Mobility on Demand

Authors

J. Pelzer, Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge (ika), RWTH Aachen University

Summary

Mobility is one of the key requirements for the inclusion of people. However, people with impairments are often faced with a restricted range of mobility options. To be able to exercise their rights on an equal footing, people with disabilities must be able to reach their homes, workplaces, do their shopping, accompany their guardians, and reach all places of society. A barrier-free mobility is a necessary prerequisite for the equal participation of people in social life. To meet this challenge, we developed an inclusive mobility concept, from which people with and without impairments can benefit equally, within phase 1 of the ENABLE project. This concept aims to add value to existing individual technical solutions by making modular technical approaches in the concept adaptable to the target group. As part of the project, target groups with a particularly high need in this thematic area, were identified through an online survey of experts in the field of work with people with impairments. We then consulted these target groups directly in workshops about the specific difficulties they face and asked what they would like to find in their mobility experience. From this, we derived super-ordinate user-needs and matched their fulfilment with existing solutions to identify and prioritize possible needs for action. With a focus on mobility-on-demand, we elaborated specific requirements for an inclusive mobility concept and developed a concept ve-sion based on the previously derived user-needs. 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. Existing gaps are filled via an additional, barrier-free vehicle concept. Project phase 1 thus laid the foundation for the envisaged realization and testing of an adaptive and inclusive mobility concept. The components of this approach are to be developed further in follow-up projects.