Accessibility and Universal Design: Creating Better Spaces
Have you ever wondered what an accessible world would look like? What if products, spaces and environments were designed to be more user-friendly? Level entrances and sidewalks, adaptable signage, signal and alarms, doors with lever handles, or more ramps in multi-level buildings that allow people with difficulty walking, persons in wheelchairs, children in strollers, even able-bodied delivery and cleaning personnel, easier access and mobility.
Universal design is inclusive; it sees people with disabilities, older people and children, as part of - not distinct from - society. The design is based on this simple preposition: that throughout a lifetime, a person will experience a continuum of needs and abilities. Today, more people are living longer and developing disabilities later in life as they age. For people with disabilities, young or old, temporary or permanent, universal design will create more opportunities for participation and an inclusive society. The need for universal design has never been greater.
"Universal design involves a fundamental shift in thinking about accessibility away from the practice of removing or overcoming environmental barriers for an individual or particular group of people (i.e. those with disabilities) to a way of meeting the environmental needs of all users."
- M. Bednar, from the book "Barrier Free Environments."