What is Universal Design?
When veterans came home from World War II they were different than when they left. They had seen things they couldn’t forget. They had wounds that needed healing. And many of them had disabilities that they would have to live with for the rest of their lives. These men and women got our attention. They had served our country when we needed them the most. Now they needed our help to go on with their lives. Everyone tried to help. Families gave love and support. The government offered health and other benefits. Even architects did their part. They began looking for new ways to design homes so people with disabilities could live with dignity. “Barrier-free” homes had their problems, at first. Many of them were ugly. So, most people didn’t want to live in them. As a result, builders didn’t construct many of them. That made accessible homes hard to find. If you could find one, you probably couldn’t afford it. It’s taken many years, but housing designers have found a better way. It’s called
Universal Design is an approach to the design of all products and environments to be as usable as possible by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability or situation. Other terms for Universal Design used around the world include Design For All, Inclusive Design, and Barrier-Free Design. Terminology and meanings differ from one country to another and often reflect each nation’s societal values. Significant cultural differences between countries have influenced how the movement has been adopted and evolved in each location but the common goal of social inclusion transcends national laws, policies, and practices. Universal design is not a fad or a trend but an enduring design approach that originates from the belief that the broad range of human ability is ordinary, not special. Universal design accommodates people with disabilities, older people, children, and others who are non-average in a way that is not stigmatizing and benefits all users. After all, stereo equipment labe
It is, simply, “an approach to creating environments and products that are usable by all people to the greatest extent possible.” (1) The ambiguity of the term universal design, according to James Mueller, is its virtue because it provokes discussion. The implication that universal design applies to everyone is another virtue of the term. As Elizabeth Church points out, “universal design implies that ‘it’ could happen to me” as opposed to “special needs” that are always someone else’s. (2) Ralph Caplan adds that “in a rational world you wouldn’t have to use it, because that’s what design itself would be.” (3) Although a recently coined term, the concept of universal design is not new. Architect Michael Bednar in 1977 noted that the functional capability of all people is usually enhanced when environmental barriers are removed and suggested that a new concept is needed that is “much broader and more universal” and “involves the environmental needs of all users.” (4) The term accessible
Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. The intent of universal design is to simplify life for everyone by making products, communications and the built environment more usable by as many people as possible at little or no extra cost. Universal design benefits people of all ages and abilities. For more information on universal design, visit The Center for Universal Design, School of Design, a NIDRR funded Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Universal Design and the Built Environment.
