LOBO VILLAGE

MORE
UNIVERSALLY
DESIGNED

Deisy Ruiz
English 219-007
December 8, 2015

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Methodology
3. Results
4. Discussion and Analysis
5. Conclusion/ Recommendations
6. References

Abstract
The purpose of this report is to describe how Lobo Village can be more universally
accessible and what improvements can be made to simplify the daily tasks of all
residents. A series of observations were taken from buildings and parking, along with an
interview and a survey. The data yielded that buildings were only fully accessible at the
bottom floor and parking was a challenge to overcome on a daily basis. A few solutions
such as adding contrast to stair steps, outside elevator lifts and making a new parking
lot were proposed. The best recommendation for the purpose of universal design was to
build a new parking lot by the front gate next to buildings one and two.

Introduction
Lobo Village (LV) is one of the newly designed student resident housing in
Albuquerque, NM that offers great resources and has many amenities to choose from.
The question here is how accessible is Lobo Village and is it universally designed?
Universal design identifies as having an environment or products that are used to the
greatest extent by all people without adaptation (Mace). The purpose of this report is to
recommend possible solutions to make Lobo Village living effortless and enjoyable to
visit. The report will contain steps of my primary research, the results of all research, a
discussion of possible solutions and a final recommendation to make LV fully universally
designed. There will be graphs to visually represent my data findings and lists of the
questions asked from an interview and survey.

As a current resident at LV, I have recognized certain aspects that would be difficult to
do if disabled. To define disabled, I have used the article of Kaplan to reflect on the
meaning. It describes disability as different groups ranging from impairment which
states, any loss of abnormality of psychological or anatomical structure or function, to
handicapped, a disadvantage for a given individual, and disabled as any restriction or
lack of ability to perform an activity. It is critical to have well designed accommodations
because without it, students will be less excited to live here and revenue will decrease
gradually. With extra improvements in exterior apartment design along with parking, LV
will be universally attainable to all. The demand of living at Lobo Village will increase,
which means prices will rise and profit will be great.

Methodology
Looking for what can be improved at LV, I took a series of steps to collect my data and
research. Here are the steps in order that I took:
Step 1: Observe the buildings inside and out
Step 2: Interview an employee
Step 3: Create an online survey
Step 4: Analyze all the details

Step 1: Observe the buildings inside and out

Considering all buildings are identical, I only examined one. What I was really paying
attention to was the outside of the building and the stairs. I researched online for the
different types of stair that were described as safe or not. I found an article by Maureen
Duffy, who is a vision rehabilitation therapist, and she followed research that concluded
extra contrast to stair steps helps walking up/down the stairs tremendously. It describes
a study that was taken of a group of people with low vision and the uneasiness without
contrast. After doing that research, I physically tested if it would be easy walking the
steps at LV or not.

I also had the opportunity to see what a handicapped room looked like. I recognized the
similarities and changes in the apartment from a regular one. Next, I noted the
difference in parking from the front gate to the back gate. I checked on the amount of
parking available during different times of the day and created a graph that shows the
outcome. Also, I took into account that the visitors parking is at one corner of the entire
property.

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Step 2: Interview an employee
To receive more data, I did more primary research and asked for an interview. I
constructed a couple questions and interviewed one of the RAs who was working at the
front desk. Some questions that I asked are as follows:
-

What happens if someone become disabled who lives on the top floor?
What would you suggest to do in order to fix the previous question dilemma for
the future?
Have you ever been injured while walking down the stairs at LV?
What are your thoughts on the parking here at LV?

I gathered the responses and brainstormed possible solutions for a more universally
designed environment. However, results were limited because it was only one
employee that was interviewed rather than a handful. This one response could have
bias; just depending on what building the employee lives in.
Step 3: Create an online survey
I went to the online website surveymonkey.com and created a short survey based on
parking at LV. I made sure to come up with questions that had no bias and did not beg
the question. Here is the list of questions I asked:
-

Do you park next to your building often?

Have you ever come home late and not find any parking?
Would parking be more accessible if more parking were created next to building
1 & 2?
Do you have any suggestions to make parking at Lobo Village more accessible?

My surveying process had one great limit, which was the sample size, and was

executed in two ways. The first way was to contact every single person I know who lives
at LV and ask them to take it. The second way was to have the survey available at
Centennial Library. I collected the data and turned the numbers into a graph.
Step 4: Analyze

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I took all my findings into consideration and decided on which aspects needed the most
renovation. I searched for secondary sources to help me decide the leading problems.
The handicapped apartment had appropriate accommodations, which did not have me
consider any major changes. For my final step in analyzing my information, I came up
with different solutions that can possibly enhance LV living.

Results
There are a total of eighteen buildings at Lobo Village and not one has an elevator or
stairs with step contrast. This is a problem because without the contrast on the stairs,
the possibility of accidents occurring increased. On a yearly basis, tens of people die
and tens of thousand people get injured (Stairways), and LV is putting residents at
risk of being part of that statistic. According to Scott, research has come to show that
falling down the stairs can be compared to falling from a great height.
Observed Results:
As I was walking up the stairs, the bottom of each stair was orange, therefore walking
up the stairs was not a problem, but the walk down had no color whatsoever. The
conclusion that failing to see a step down is usually more dangerous than failing to see
a step up was made from research that (Duffy) found. In this case, that conclusion
applies perfectly and with it in mind, it emphasizes the need for color contrast. However,
if Lobo Village had elevators, the potential danger would decrease because there would
be second option of getting downstairs. In the article, Stairways, that I found on the
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety website, describes that stairs in
general are hazardous and can cause many accidents, or even deaths. This information
is important because stairs is the only option available at LV and the potential of danger
raises concerns.

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Interview Results:
The RA I interviewed was named Jaden Amaro. He agreed with the idea of installing
elevator lifts and said, It will prevent any unwanted dilemmas such as moving out. This
would be in a case where someone from the top floor would need a handicapped
accessible room. Amaro explained that Lobo Village has the legal right to move out a
resident from the bottom floor if that issue would to happen. His opinion on parking was
that he believes they should make more. He stated, Parking here is not great. I
sometimes have to park at the front office parking so I dont have to walk so far back to
my apartment. The responses I received from the interview were very much helpful
towards recommending the best solution.
Parking Observation Results:
The results from my observation of the parking difference throughout the day are shown
below in Figure 1. Morning times are from 6am to about 11am; Noon is from 11am to
3pm; Mid day is 3pm to 7pm; Evening is 7pm to 10pm; Night is 11pm to 6am. Results
yielded that the most parking available is during mid-day and during nighttime there slim
to no parking in the front or middle areas. The only parking available is towards the back
gate. A possible explanation for this is because many students work; when the day
comes to an end they all get home and max out the parking. I live at LV and I can
observe different times of the day everyday, therefore this data was estimated from
through a course of three months. Since I drive often, I really experience the parking
dilemma significantly enough to be able to easily record the data.

Available Parking by the Front Gate

40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Mornings

Noon

Mid Day

Evening

Night

Figure 1

Survey Results:
The results of the survey were as I anticipated. However, the one major limit mentioned
previously is significant. I had first emailed the area manager at LV to ask if they could
send a mass email with my survey, I got denied. I then chose to send the link of the
survey to all people that I know at LV. I also was very productive at my work at
Centennial library and had people doing the survey who also lived at LV. My sample
size was not big, and the yielded results are not the most definite. Another limit was that
the batch of people I knew lived in the same area, which means they all had equivalent
results. I was not able to survey much of people on the other side of the village, in which
it could have changed the outcome. What the results of the survey did show was that
the majority had a difficult time finding parking. These survey responses are show below
in Figure 2.

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The two questions are color-coded on the graph. The blue stands for how often
residents park next their building and the red is for the range of times residents do not
find close parking or any at all at night. The responses show that most of the residents
only sometimes park next to their building, which is followed by never. As for the not
finding parking at night, over half of the residents hardly find parking. These results
show critical concerns such as if residents are able to easily access their apartments
from their cars.
One question that was not added on the graph but was on the survey was, Would
parking be more accessible if it was created next to building 1 & 2. The percentage of
yes responses was 93.33%. There was also a box to leave a comment for suggestions;
here are the four responses that were significant to the results.
Make another parking lot please
Yeah create that random spot behind building 2 into parking because it is awful! I
have to park very far if I ever come home late from Zimmerman! Now that it's
cold I'm really hating it
Make the area next to building 1 toward the west side a alternative parking area
and alter the gates to make it within Lobo
Just more parking please! It's scary to and a hassle when I come home late and
there aren't any parking spaces
All comments suggest creating a new parking lot because they believe that this will lead
to more accessibility.

60%

Lobo Village Parking Survey Results

Figure 2

50%
40%

Parking next to building

daily

30%
20%

Not finding any close

parking at Night

10%
0%

Almost Everytime Sometimes

Rarely

Never

I dont have a car

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Figure 2

Discussion
Based on all the research and observations, I have reached a couple of solutions that
would make Lobo Village more accessible and universally designed to everyone.
Having contrast on the building steps
Currently there is no resident who is blind, but that does not include people who have
low vision impairment. Adding contrast such as a color of some sort to each step will
make it easier for anyone who is walking down the stairs. This small detail goes a long
way and as mentioned before, can prevent accidents from happening. This solution is
most cost effective, since it would not take much to add color.
Construct a new parking lot
Adding a new parking lot to LV will help everyone who has a car. Disabilities are not
always visible to the eye and the amount of walking may be an obstacle for some. With
an additional space of parking, this can also provide a second designated visitors
parking space. This addition will help everyone walk a short distance back to his or her
apartment and it will also help visitors feel more welcomed with the extra convenience.
More handicapped parking will also be available, which will really benefit building one
since it does not currently attach to the parking lot.
Build a small elevator lift for each building
This solution may be costly, but very effective. Not only would this solve the problem of
residents having to switch rooms if one becomes handicapped, but it will help everyone.
Many athletes live at LV and the possibilities of injury is higher than average for them.
Whether it is a sprained ankle or a pulled muscle, athletes and non-athletes would not

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have to worry. An outside elevator lift would be helpful and suitable to everyone. Also,
the trouble of walking up/down the stairs when moving in/out will be hassle free.

Recommendation
In conclusion, from all the research and observations, Lobo Village does have
accessibilities methods, but they can be improved. Gathering and analyzing all the data
has made it a clear choice that building an additional parking lot is the best investment
in universal design. This improvement is significant because it is an issue that everyone
experiences on a daily basis, not just one person who is disabled. Students will no
longer come home to no parking or extremely far parking. As mentioned before from a
response of the survey, the fear of walking at night will no longer be a problem.
If all goes well as planned, Lobo Village will have more to offer and accessing parking
will be convenient at all hours of the day. This will be a great investment into the future
of Lobo Village.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this report and I look forward to speaking
with you concerning this recommendation. You may contact me if you have any
questions or need more information at (505) 434-3423 or by email deisyruiz@unm.edu.

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References
Amaro, Jaden. Personal interview. 14 Nov. 2015.
Duffy, Maureen. How Visible Are Steps and Stairs for People with Low Vision?
visionaware.org. 20 Dec. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
Kaplan, Deborah. The Definition of Disability. accessiblesociety.org. n.d. Web. 25 Nov.
2015.
Mace, Ron. Universal Design: Housing for the Lifespan of all People.
Missouriestate.edu. 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
Scott, Anita. Falls on Stairways Literature Review. hse.gov.uk. 28 March 2005. Web.
24 Nov. 2015.
Stairways - Fall Prevention. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. 16
June 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.