Jay Naduvilekunnel

October 19, 2015

ENGR 498: Systems Design
Reading Notes 9a: Dont Just See; Observe:
What Sherlock Holmes Can Teach Us About Mindful Decisions

While Sherlock Holmes may be a fictional character, many concepts from the book series
are valuable lessons.
Be mindful of your surroundings.
o Notion of seeing vs. observing
Being mindful and in touch with the surrounding environment
Use senses (all five) to our advantage; these play a role in decisionmaking. Not doing so may cause us to fail to realize guiding forces or
things that are important in the decision-making process.
Dont block yourself from the world.
Example of smell
Understand what may make a difference, even things that you may
not initially consider.
What is going on around you? Why/how does it affect you?
o Use the sense to increase mindfulness.
To be mindful is to be aware.
Observation is not, and should not be, limited to our sense of sight.
______________________________________________________________________________
Reflection
Sometimes, it is easy to neglect the obvious whether it is through failing to consider a situation
from an open-minded perspective, or just plain ignorance. This article was a good read because it
posed us to think about our surroundings in ways that we may not initially contemplate. When
observing a system, it is not enough to consider it using solely visual stimuli (e.g. seeing); in
the case of a busy intersection, for example, we can deduce information based on sounds, smells,
and (to a limited extent) touch. This is especially important when considering systems at a 6-foot
scale or even lower. In this context, close-looking is open-ended, where we are able to use our
observations from all senses to make inferences, deduce justified conclusions, and act upon them
in an educated manner. I hope that in my project, I will not present and consider just visual
information, but rather share well informed observations that are representative of my overall
system.

Reading Notes 9b: 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design and
Gillette Stadium: Accessible for All

Gillette Stadium background

o (Relatively) newly-built stadium (2002) in Foxborough, MA
o Home of the New England Patriots
o Replaced Foxboro Stadium, which had not been as accessible for people with
physical and cognitive disabilities
o Built to exceed the requirements set by the American Disabilities Act of 1990
Requires public places to provide van-accessible parking, assisted
listening devices, wheelchair-accessible infrastructure, and ASL
interpreters
o Kevin McGuire, a wheelchair-user himself, played a role in making sure that the
venue was accessible to the handicapped.
Head of a consulting firm that advises companies to comply with ADA
regulations
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 2010 Standards for Accessible Design
o Law passed by Congress in 1990 that prohibits discrimination against people with
disabilities
o Sets minimum requirements for public facilities to be readily accessible to and
usable by individuals with disabilities
o Recent revision to ADA standards, released five years ago
o Broad scope concerning the accessibility of common infrastructure, including, but
not limited to:
General design and construction of new places
Readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities
for places built since January 1992
Exceptions exist in cases of impracticability
Alterations to existing places
Reconstruction to fit needs stated in design and construction
section
Curb ramps
New streets should contain curb ramps or sloped areas for easier
entry to pedestrian walkways
Paths
Unobstructed areas for pedestrian passage
Examples: sidewalks, interior and exterior ramps, open areas for
pedestrian traffic in rooms, etc.
Elevators
Automatic operation
Must include enough space to accommodate passengers in
wheelchairs
Easily accessible buttons on all floors and inside elevator itself
Stairways

 Uniform riser heights and tread depths

Rails/Handrails
Provided along walking surfaces, including staircases and ramps
Parking spaces
Clearly marked and designated accessible spaces
Minimum widths, depending on vehicle types
Placed closer to building entrances/exits
Restroom facilities
Adequate labeling
One for each sex, or a single unisex facility
Grab bars
Drinking fountains
Specialty
Lodging facilities
Courtrooms
ATMs
Recreation
o Separate sections for amusement rides, boats, golfing,
fishing docks, etc.
o Exceptions exist, but the standards are meant to satisfy the legal requirement to
grant civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities.
______________________________________________________________________________
Reflection

While I had a basic understanding of the Americans with Disabilities Act from past civics
classes, I had not read into the standards in depth, and certainly not from an engineering
perspective. To be frank, having lived in a country that prides itself on freedoms and civil
liberties, I was shocked to realize that a national law providing protections for the handicapped
only took effect as recently as the 1990s. That being said, having seen inadequate infrastructure
in other parts of the world, I am certain and proud that it is our moral duty to provide others with
these fundamental rights better late than never.
Connecting back to the first reading, when designing a system from any scale, but particularly
smaller ones, it is easy to see rather than to observe. This is absolutely the case in scenarios
involving design for differently-abled people. Providing the necessary accessibility requirements
necessitates empathetic understanding, planning, and execution.