S-Tiles - raccomandazioni

concluding remarks/tips

Developed countries (the main market for ceramic tile exporters) now comprise a progressively ageing population. The percentage of dependent people (defined as people over 75 years old) is around 25% and growing proportionally. If we add to this percentage the historically ‘invisible’ one of disabled people (for reasons other than age) and their carers, it is easy to understand the growing numbers irritated, discomforted and occasionally injured by architectural barriers.

An opinion confirmed by “Attitudes of Europeans to Disability” (Eurobarometer 54.2), a survey commissioned by DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EMPLOYMENT, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS of the European Commission, (early 2001).
Anticipating the only comforting figure, that 57% of Europeans believe access to public spaces for disabled people has increased in the last ten years. The rest made uncomfortable reading:

• 88% of Europeans think that access to public transport is difficult for blind people (54% think it is ‘very difficult’ and 34% ‘fairly difficult’).

• 59% of respondents think that access to schools or universities is difficult for deaf people.

• 76% of respondents think that access to a selection of seven ‘standard’ public services and events is difficult for blind people (average calculated on the basis of the cumulative responses ‘very difficult’ and ‘fairly difficult’ for each of these services and events); the corresponding figures are 73% for the intellectually disabled, 71% for the physically disabled and 54% for the deaf.