Universal Design

I was reading the Disability Blog recently and a post by Edward Steinfeld, director of the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDeA) caught my eye. The Center’s “primary goal … is to produce knowledge and tools that will increase social participation of groups like people with disabilities and the older generation, who have been marginalized by traditional design practices.”

Dr. Steinfeld’s February 4, 2014 blog post is titled The Future of Universal Design.  Dr. Steinfeld wrote about the lack of buy-in by some to this

But, universal design has not been adopted extensively within the design community. Currently, universal design is still perceived as “design for disability.” The broader public has limited knowledge and interest in it because they do not see the relevance universal design has for them. Building owners do not see it as something that can increase their property value. Manufacturers do not see how it can improve competitiveness of their products.

After discussing the two definitions of universal design, Dr. Steinfeld reviews some ideas to make the use of universal design more attractive, such as focusing “on social integration goals in the practice of universal design [which] can help make its practice more relevant, especially to ethnic minorities, women, low-income populations, the LGBTQ community and other groups who often experience discrimination by design.”  Incorporating the focus on wellness and health will show how it applies to all segments of the population.  He also discusses the obstacles to adoption in other countries, noting there is no “one size fits all” design for all countries.  His post offers a new definition “‘[a] process that enables and empowers a diverse population by improving human performance, health and wellness and social participation’” along with 8 accompanying goals.  More information is available through his book, Universal Design Creating Inclusive Environments.