Design for Social Inclusion

Whilst doing a bit of research into the group project I found a few interesting articles and initiatives. The Public Sphere Project talks about using technology for social engagement of the aged.

I also came across the concept of Telecentres, which revolves around the idea of bringing people in a community together to a physical, public space, which allows them to access information, predominantly through digital means. Whilst looking into them I found this report on the sustainability of telecentres and how to help them adapt and evolve in a changing world. They generally seem to be in countries outside the UK although I feel there may be some relevant information which could relate in how to design inclusively.

Lastly I looked at a how the issue of social inclusion was dealt with by the Best e-Europe Practices (beep) Project. Sometimes I find it a bit difficult looking at initiatives and strategies, as they seem to say what needs to be done without providing real solutions. I suppose this is an issue for a design ethnographer, in that we need to decide how much we look at ideas and solutions, and how much of that is left to designers to work out from our findings.