10.2190/KURH-8DAT-GFL9-NE0A KURH8DATGFL9NE0A 1 User Preference and Meaning in an Educational Facility: Part I 1 13 20020509 20020509 20020509 20020509 KURH8DATGFL9NE0A.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=KURH8DATGFL9NE0A 1 Roberta L. Kilty-Padgett College of Human Ecology, Michigan State University This article addresses user preference and meaning associated with environmental variables in a recently constructed building at Michigan State University by handicappers and non-handicappers. The study focused on two issues: 1.) use of space; and 2.) meaning and symbolism. An approximately equal number of handicappers with mobility handicaps (<i>N</i> = 16) and non-handicappers (<i>N</i> = 20) volunteered to follow building scenarios prior to questionnaire administration. Additionally, sixty-one randomly chosen building users were interviewed in a shorter version of the original questionnaire to reflect every day facility usage. Recognition of the handicapper entryway as something other than a main or secondary entry supported the connotation of stigma. Stigma was not associated with interior components: restroom stalls and drinking fountains. The Chi-square test showed no significant differences in preference for restroom stalls. Generally, people of both groups showed no preference or preferred to use the barrier-free drinking fountain. Building familiarity was not a critical factor. ANSI A117.1, <i>Specifications for Making Buildings and Facilities Accessible to and Usable by Physically Handicapped People</i>, American National Standards Institute, New York, NY, 1961 (rev. 1971, 1980). M. Morgan, Beyond Disability: A Broader Definition of Architectural Barriers, <i>AIA Journal</i>, pp. 50-53, 1976. U. Cohen, <i>Mainstreaming the Handicapped: A Design Guide</i>, Wisconsin University, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Milwaukee, WI, 1979. E. Steinfeld (Project Director), <i>Access to the Built Environment: A Review of Literature</i>, U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1979. S. Stephens, Hidden Barriers, <i>Progressive Architecture</i>, April 1978. E. Leonard, The Handicapped Building, <i>Rehabilitation Literature</i>, pp. 265-269, September 1978. L. D. Park, Barriers to Normality for the Handicapped Adult in the United States, <i>Rehabilitation Literature</i>, pp. 108-111, April 1975. E. Steinfled, J. Duncan, and P. Cardell, Towards a Responsive Environment: The Psychosocial Effects of Inaccessibility, in <i>Barrier-Free Environments</i>, M. J. Bednar (ed.), Dowden, Hutchinson, and Ross, Inc., Stroudsburg, PA, 1977. C. Zimring and J. Templer, Wayfinding and Orientation by the Visually Impaired, <i>Journal of Environmental Systems, 3</i>:4, pp. 000-000, 1984. C. M. Zimring and J. E. Reizenstein, Post-Occupancy Evaluation: An Overivew, <i>Environment and Behavior, 12</i>:4, pp. 429-450, 1980.