Author: Jane Bringolf

Inclusive public toilets: a book

Public toilets play an important role in our lives outside of home. However, they are often neglected as an aspect of a inclusive society. A new book based on 20 years of research looks at the issues. More than 500 people contributed their perspectives to this critical overview. It presents an urgent need to re-evaluate the accessibility of, and culture around, these essential spaces.

The authors explore the complexities around using public toilets. They draw from a rich body of research into public toilet design, public services, accessibility and social injustice. They examine a diverse array of design considerations related to age, disability, neurodiversity and gender.

Front cover of the book, Designing Inclusive Public Toilets: Wee the people. Blue background with white and yellow text.

The authors look at the development of toilet design in the UK, discussing examples of successful and failed designs. They present an innovative approach for the future that reframes a space associated with unpleasantness and inaccessibility as one that is essential and respected.

This rigorous study considers the body’s needs and decision making on leaving home. That includes issues of navigating, locating and entering facilities, and issues related to cubicles, fixtures, products and hygiene. The authors present an inclusive design approach that can help designers, planners and managers create these spaces more effectively and understand what every prospective user might need, with a sense of safety, comfort and dignity.

The title of the book is, Designing Inclusive Public Toilets: Wee the People. Both authors are from the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal Collage of Art, UK.

Public toilets by universal design

A row of handbasins in a public toilet.

We all have to go sometime. Accessible public toilets have their own Australian Standard. It spells out how to design it and what fittings go where. But an accessible toilet doesn’t solve all our toileting issues. It’s time take a universal design approach and re-think the business of public toilets.

Thinking more broadly than people with limited mobility is important if we are to be inclusive. Katherine Webber’s Conference paper explains where the design of public toilets are letting some people down. She discusses the taboos, policy and legal barriers in several countries. Katherine lists the many issues people found with public toilets and they go beyond those of wheelchair accessible toilets. She proposes that a universal design approach be taken to the design and placement of public toilets. 

Katherine recently visited Canberra to talk to policy makers how our public toilets should better. ABC News has written a short piece on her visit and some of the findings from her Churchill Fellowship research. 

The title of Katherine’s paper is, Everyone, everywhere, everyday: A case for expanding universal design to public toilets. She will also lead a discussion group at the lunchtime Table Topics session at the conference.

Perceptions of safety in public space

Perceptions of safety in public space impact on the way women and girls carry out everyday activities. If women (or men) feel unsafe or stressed in public space, it can outweigh the benefit of being there. Plus it impacts on activities such as employment, education and access to health services.

One of the targets for the gender equality goal (SDG #5) is “the elimination of all forms of violence against all women and girls in public and private spheres”.

SDG Goal 5 Gender equality. A square with a red background with white graphics depicting gender equality which is required for safety in public space.

The issue of gendered violence is rarely out of the news. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 5 is about gender equity. This is not just a human right, but a foundation of a peaceful world. In 2025, globally, we are clearly a long way from this.

Researchers at Monash University used a crowd mapping system to understand women’s equity and access to public space. Two case studies were carried out – one in Victoria and the other in New South Wales. The name of the project was YourGround.

The Victorian project surveyed women undertaking exercise and recreation activities. The New South Wales study included engagement by women and gender diverse people. This one looked at any type of activity in public spaces – streets, parks and transport hubs.

Voices of marginalised people

Digital technology and smart phones enable researchers to collect information about the real lives of individuals. It is a good way to overcome the standard data-gathering techniques that have left marginalised voices unheard.

YourGround was web‐based, accessible by digital/smart devices, and designed to reduce the barriers to engagement by using interactivity and visuals. Easy access to the survey and anonymity was critical for harvesting the stories and concerns of as wide a range of women as possible.

Monash University logo for the YourGround project on perceptions of safety in public space. A young woman is cast over a multicoloured background.

While this method relies on access to smart phones, the usage in Australia is extensive, although noted there are some internet gaps in rural and regional areas.

Women scan and read the environment

Women learn to ‘read’ public spaces for clues relating to the risk of being there. They read both physical and social aspect for these clues. Women look for lighting, space conditions, amenities and facilities. They check out what others are doing in the space and how many there are. This scanning is often in the context of the personal history of each woman.

Women are sensitive to the ‘vibe’ of a location and concerned with visibility. Along with gender-diverse people, women experience feeling of being unsafe and excluded in public space. They need a strong sense of belonging to exercise their right to be free of the threat of violence from men.

Women limit their engagement with public space

Public spaces that encourage longer stays and diverse activities received positive reviews from participants. In contrast, unsafe places were predominantly used for a single activity, suggesting that these locations were far less welcoming.

If a place felt unsafe, participants were reluctant to do anything there but pass through. Some noted that they did so as fast as possible if they were unable to avoid the location. Participants also avoided some places if they could, or only go with someone else. Tunnels and underpasses felt particularly unsafe along with poorly maintained pathways.

The title of the article is, Participatory Interventions: Digital Crowd Mapping Perceptions of Safety in Public Space. It is in a special edition of Urban Planning, 2025 Volume 10 titled, The Role of Participatory Planning and Design in Addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

From the abstract

Current estimates indicate the world will not achieve the United Nations SDG goal of gender equality by 2030. It’s more likely to take another 70 years. The number of global crises bring a sharp focus to gender disparities. The issues of unequal access and opportunity are more stark. Prioritisation of gender equality is imperative to the sustainable development of cities, regions, and rural communities.

This article presents a case study of the YourGround project using an interactive, geolocative digital crowd‐mapping platform. This is a participatory method for gathering insights into perceptions of safety among women and gender‐diverse people in public spaces in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia.

The YourGround method of data collection and feminist co‐design democratises the research process. It amplifies marginalised voices, and avoids the hazards of the technology controlling the methods.

The findings underscore the nuanced and context‐specific nature of gender inequality in public spaces. They highlight the pervasive impact of social and environmental factors on safety perceptions and access in both urban contexts and rural areas.

The YourGround project provides city planners, urban designers, and community members, with a gender‐sensitive lens developed by the expertise of people from the community.

Accessible graphic design

Pictures, photos, infographics, icons – they all convey messages. It is often said that images say more than words. A bar graph gives a visual representation of statistics making it easier to understand. A photo of a landscape in a tourist brochure piques interest in a place. Readily recognised icons send instant messages, such as this is a train station or this is a toilet. But it needs to be accessible graphic design.

Graphic design is an essential element of all communication.

The text box reads Graphic design can be described as the language of vision but is this exclusionary in nature?

The way text is presented also sends messages. For example, a tiny faint font sends the message to people with low vision that they are not included. A busy page with tightly compressed text is readable but uncomfortable.

Images and text are essential elements in visual communication. The importance of accessible and inclusive communication is the subject of a masters thesis by Christine Woolley from Canada. The title is, Equitable access to public information and the role of the graphic designer.

When graphic designers consider accessibility and inclusivity in their work, the result is a better experience for all…

The text reads, appropriate measures must be taken to ensure people with disabilities can access information on an equal basis with others.

Woolley’s research explores how graphic designers learn about, interpret and implement accessibility standards into practice. She used participatory research methods, often referred to as co-design. The outcome is a framework and a set of recommendations for supporting the graphic design industry in Canada.

The thesis discusses many aspects of accessible and inclusive design, and it’s role in equitable access to public information. Woolley has three main pillars of discussion.

  • Understanding the importance of access – the moral angle
  • Understanding industry standards and guidelines – the responsibility angle
  • Understanding accessibility legislation – the legal angle

The framework and recommendations were designed through a collaborative process with participants and represent a collective need for industry support.

Handbook for accessible graphic design

Download this free practical handbook for accessible graphic design from Canada. The text covers typography, digital media, web accessibility, Office documents, accessible PDFs, print design, environmental graphic design, colour selection and more. It’s relatively easy to read and has a logical structure. At the end is a list of publications, links to websites and tools to help.

Inclusive sport for fans and players

Football is one of the most watched and played sports globally. Teams attract thousands of fans and clubs invest heavily in elite players. But what of the fans? What kind of deal do they get if they find themselves excluded from matches? A research paper based on eleven European clubs looks at the issue of inclusive sport for fans.

“Football is more than just a sport, as it is often described as a place where social bonds are established, and fans of different backgrounds, ages, and abilities come together. However, fans with disabilities face many challenges in accessing these events and participating in fan life.”

An empty sports stadium with rows of blue seats set around a green playing field.

The researchers acknowledge that larger clubs have more resources to implement disability strategies. In general, they found clubs fell into three categories. 1. Elite performers who integrate fans with disabilities into their systems. 2. Solid performers with established frameworks but have gaps in services. 3. Developing clubs with emerging structures needing further work to support accessibility.

The title of the paper is Communication with Disabled Fans at Sports Events: Approaches, Challenges, and Opportunities. Although this paper is based on football clubs, there is application for other sporting codes.

From the abstract

This study investigates how effectively European football clubs communicate and implement accessibility features for disabled fans. Using semi-structured interviews with representatives from eleven European football clubs and a systematic analysis of club documentation.

We present a validated Fan Communication Model incorporating key weighted criteria, including infrastructure, dedicated personnel, engagement, specific adaptations, ticketing, challenge management, and feedback systems. This model provides a standardized framework for evaluating disability support communication in football organizations.

Facilities for whole communities

Artist impression of new home for Matildas and also the whole community..
Photo courtesy Football Victoria

Larger sports facilities are being designed for whole communities, not just sports teams. It has to be a social, economic and environmental investment. Belinda Goh from Populous provides some insights into the design processes behind two case studies. They cover cultural diversity, connection to country and including women in the design of sports facilities. 

The focus of Belinda Goh’s presentation for the NSW Office of Sport webinar was two case studies. The designs were underpinned with a universal design approach using extensive community engagement strategies. Co-creation and co-design were essential to the success of the designs. 

Goh explained that sports facilities should integrate community and grassroots activities with these projects. She uses examples of major professional sports teams bringing women into elite sports. So she is talking beyond standard design thinking to deliberately designing women into these facilities. But this made for more inclusive facilities overall. 

Goh discusses how beginning with a focus on including women has matured into an approach for all Populous’ designs. It is about being more inclusive, equitable and universal in their approach. She says it also about going beyond access codes to making people feel like they belong. 

Considering culture

In a second case study she discusses the new multi-use sports facility on the mid north coast of NSW. This project posed some additional challenges. It involved delving into the “why” of the project and significant community engagement. The area has a high Indigenous population as well as the largest Sikh population outside India. 

Apart from consulting with sports organisations, they talked with people from arts, youth, and the nearby high school among others. In considering the culture of the spaces they also included the concepts of universal design and access to all spaces. 

Belinda Goh’s presentation is engaging and worth a look in the video below. 

There is more on the ABC news website about the Matilda’s new home. Well, not so much a new home but a first home. The facility will also house a sports science centre, a gym and recovery rooms. 

Gym equipment designed for disability

A team of industrial designers have used a universal design approach to creating gym equipment. Their paper explains their process, but more importantly, there are images of various designs for aerobic equipment. A great addition to any gym but essential for disability sports organisations. 

The title of the paper is, Development of Aerobic Exercise Equipment Using Universal Design: Treadmill and Arm Ergometer. 

Explaining inclusive sport with videos

The Inclusive Sport Design website has some good resources, namely videos, blog posts and other useful material. The resource list has four short videos explaining inclusive sport.

Two young men each with one leg and using crutches, compete for the football on the football field. Inclusive sport.

Inclusive sport program planning and framework briefly explains the key elements to planning an effective and sustainable inclusive sport program.

Universal design: A smart approach

A universal design approach to all things designed is a smart approach for every organisation and business. This is not new information to followers of universal design principles. However, we need to keep saying it to remind all designers to be inclusive with their designs. It is a smart approach with economic benefits as a Getaboutable blog post says.

“By considering universal design from the outset, businesses and institutions can foster inclusivity while also achieving long-term efficiencies.”

overhead picture of the fresh food section of a supermarket. Universal design includes everyone.

CUDA followers are aware of the benefits, but the Getaboutable blog post is a good example of how to explain these to others. It covers all the usual suspects such as being beyond compliance and the benefit of a proactive approach.

Benefits of a smart approach

Universal design improves usability, enhances customer and employee satisfaction, and often leads to innovative solutions that serve a broader audience. Organisations that integrate universal design principles early in their planning process can realise significant advantages:

  • Cost Savings: Addressing accessibility needs from the start is far more cost-effective than retrofitting solutions later. Fixing non-compliant infrastructure or redesigning a digital platform after launch is expensive and disruptive.
  • Broader Market Reach: An inclusive approach allows businesses to connect with a more diverse audience. With over 1.3 billion people worldwide living with a disability—many of whom influence purchasing decisions—universal design is also a smart business strategy.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Many industries face increasing legal and ethical expectations around accessibility. Taking a universal design approach helps organisations stay ahead of evolving standards and avoid potential legal challenges.
  • Economic Benefit: Investing in universal design is not just a social responsibility; it also makes sound economic sense. Research indicates that companies leading in disability inclusion outperform their peers financially. Over a five-year period, such companies experienced 1.6 times more revenue and 2.6 times more net income than others.*

There is more in this blog post, Universal Design: A Smarter Approach for Every Organisation. All images portray a visible disability. At the end of the post is a link to 4 tips for creating accessible online information.

Playgrounds for all children

Guides for inclusive playgrounds for all children, and adults for that matter, basically provide the same information. This post provides links to some of them.

The most universally designed guide, is Everyone Can Play. With just three things to guide: Can I get there? Can I Play? Can I stay?

Part of the front cover of the Everyone Can Play Guideline. It has playful lettering.

Water and adventure play, and connection to Country and community, are now part of Everyone Can Play. The original guide broke new ground by taking a universal design approach from guide concept through to the design of the guide itself. The result was a very readable and informative guide with just the right amount of information. The update process followed a similar process. A great example of how an iterative process brings great results.

Inclusive Play guide from South Australia

Connection is a key element: Connect with place, Connect with each other, and Connect with self. The guide touches on aspects of play such as considering the senses and challenging activities across ages and levels of capability. The document concludes with some checklists for the preceding elements. These cover access, landscaping elements, layout, safety and location.

The document was found in a literature review of universal design play guidelines. The review is titled, “Designing public playgrounds for inclusion: a scoping review of grey literature guidelines for Universal Design.

Playspaces: Adventurous and Inclusive

Sanctuary magazine has a great article on nature play in parks and home gardens titled, Playspaces: Child’s play gets serious. Touched by Olivia has achieved many of its aims and is now part of Variety. For academics, the Sanctuary article is also available from Informit. 

An article from Denmark discusses the dangers of standardized playground equipment designed by adults with no input from children, who prefer to make their own play. You need institutional access for a free read.

Let’s play together in NZ

A case study from Auckland, New Zealand is a good example of how to create co-designed playspaces. The project began with a review of the existing facilities and how to achieve the outcomes within budget constraints.

The title of the article is, Te Pua Keith Park – Nau mai, Haere mai Let’s Play Together. The article has many photos that highlight the key areas of the playspace. There’s a useful reference list as well.

There is also a magazine article that shows photos of the many park elements and features.

Inclusion in Motion playground

The Town of Canandaigua has partnered with Dream Big! Inclusion in Motion, to bring a new park to the community that features a completely accessible and inclusive playground that everyone can play on, regardless of their level of ability or mobility. The development video gives a design overview. It is being completed as community funds allow.

Play equipment and universal design

The design of playspace equipment and landscape design need to go together for a universally designed play experience. Everyone should have the opportunity to experience a variety of challenging and engaging play experiences. To be inclusive, most equipment should be designed to suit both adults and children. The New South Wales Government has a section in it’s very successful Everyone Can Play guide on play equipment and universal design.

Play equipment is an important part of the play experience and needs to be considered as part of the overall design of a playspace. Consequently, the overall landscape plan and the equipment must work together.

A girl and a boy are playing on rope play equipment.

This section of the NSW Planning website also explains the difference between inclusive and accessible design. Accessibility is commonly associated with mobility standards and safety compliance. In playspaces, access standards are important for aspects such as surfacing, equipment design and toilets. Inclusive playspaces go beyond the basics of accessibility.

Typical inclusive play equipment includes a flush carousel, hammock or basket swing, in-ground trampolines, and ramp access to a feature structure. Theme play equipment and use colour palettes that respond to the local context. And ensure surface treatments are easy to use and accessible.

The key point is to do the best you can with the resources available regardless of location or size of the playspace. The guidance lists design steps which includes the six design principle in the Everyone Can Play guide. Not mentioned, but implicit in the guide is to involve the local community in the design of the playspace.

Universal design and play

The NSW Department of Planning website also has a section on inclusive design in relation to playspaces. It covers the definition, who it serves, and why inclusive playspaces are important. The NSW Department of Planning has changed its terminology from the first iteration of Everyone Can Play from universal design to inclusive design. This is to fit with their other planning policies.

Inclusive play spaces are easy to access, have a range of play options and facilities to create a comfortable environment. The key questions are: Can I get there? Can I play? Can I stay? These questions underpin the whole design.

An inclusively designed carousel with children sitting and standing and one child pushing them around.

Inclusive playspaces provide a welcoming place where everyone feels comfortable and can enjoy play experiences together. A sub section of the webpage includes an explanation of universal design and how it informs the Everyone Can Play Guide.

Building playgrounds for children

An empty wooden swing hangs over green grass. Playgrounds for all children.

Inclusive play spaces are receiving more attention, but which equipment and design features are most suitable? Children, parents, teachers, landscape designers and equipment manufacturers all have a stake in the outcome. This means there are often gaps between what is required, what is available and what gets implemented.

Late-life loneliness: Co-designing a solution

Staying connected is an important part of designing for access and inclusion, but how do you engage with socially isolated people to find out the cause of their loneliness? They are disconnected to community and not willing to share their state of loneliness. But there is a way to co-design a solution for late-life loneliness without close contact.

Newspaper articles deemed as human interest stories elicit most letters from readers. So, is there a way to turn this into a method for finding out about loneliness in the community? The COVID pandemic created a wave of isolation resulting loneliness for a lot of people. But how can you engage isolated people in research? – they are after all, isolated and disconnected. The newspaper turned out to be a really good way to engage hard-to-reach people.

The title of the article is, Co-designing a solution against late-life loneliness with older adults through journalistic research in a newspaper. A really interesting way of conducting research.

An older woman sits at a table in a room with a tv behind her.

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive reference for an innovative low-contact co-design approach, aimed at mitigating sample bias commonly found in traditional co-design workshops for eHealth technologies. By partnering with a regional newspaper (134 000 readers), we engaged the broader public in the co-design process, to tackle the issue of late-life loneliness. We employed co-design fiction, dilemma-driven, and empathic design methods, integrating these within journalistic content to prompt the reader responses. This initiative attracted 77 responses, including 34 from older adults (65+ years), 27 of whom shared personal experiences with loneliness. Our findings highlight the potential of low-contact, co-design via newspapers to foster inclusive participation, overcoming the limitations of conventional workshops, and enabling engagement with a more representative population sample.

Better architecture with universal design

Numerous guidelines exist on adherence to standards, but what is designed will be used by people with diverse bodies, abilities. There is no typical user, only what is in the designer’s mind. But it isn’t just about access, it is about being inclusive. That’s where better architecture with universal design comes in.

“When thinking about accessibility in architecture, codes set the baseline, while design defines the ceiling.” Enrique Tovar

A parkland area with walking paths and grass in a city. People are walking and sitting on the grass in groups. It's better architecture.

Tovar writes in Archdaily about the application of universal design principles to create spaces that work for everyone. She discusses how to apply them to all projects – integrated and intrinsic features.

Tovar takes each of the seven classic principles of universal design and discusses them in detail. The article has lots of photos, some of which might pose some questions for dedicated followers of universal design. Nevertheless it is good to have such articles in mainstream professional magazines.

The title of the article is, How Do the 7 Principles of Universal Design Help Us Create Better Architecture?

From the summary

“While each of the principles of universal design is compelling and necessary in its own right, the real challenge for architects is to integrate them seamlessly and simultaneously into the overall design. The maxim that “the best accessibility is the one that goes unnoticed” resonates strongly in this context. Furthermore, since good architecture embodies inclusivity, it is crucial to acknowledge that accessibility is essential to this inclusiveness. If we aspire to create a society and built environment that are universally welcoming and inclusive, why not recognize that designing for everyone is a fundamental aspect of architecture?”

Good colour contrast for websites

How did you choose the colours for your last website update? Did you choose colours based on your brand logo and text or did you use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) algorithm? But can the WCAG algorithm guarantee good legible colour contrasts for websites? Research by The University of Cambridge says it doesn’t. So they have developed an alternative algorithm for good colour contrast for websites. 

Five different coloured ovals with both black and white text for comparison. Human perception is better for good colour contrast for websites.
Examples of black and white text for comparison

The Accessible Perceptual Contrast Algorithm proposes that legibility of text on websites is better with perceived difference than a mathematical contrast ratio. White text on strong coloured backgrounds are preferred over black text in almost all cases in the study. 

In the examples above, the black text passes the WCAG contrast ratio but fails the white text. The Accessible Perceptual Contrast Algorithm passes the white text and fails the black text. 

Sam Waller explains this more fully in his article, Does the contrast ratio actually predict the legibility of website text? 

As a result of this work, an early working draft of WCAG 3 proposes using the new method for calculating contrast. 

This is important information for choosing brand logos and text so it isn’t just something web designers should know. Many website designs are guided by brand colours so choose carefully. This information is also important for product labelling especially for online shopping. 

Colour contrast enhances usability

Using eye tracking and similar software, researchers investigated the way users read and access information on websites. They chose a travel website and a banking website for the research. The study found that the positioning of information and increased contrast enhanced the ability to find key elements on the website.

The article takes a universal design approach to the study, and uses eye tracking technology. The study found that regardless of website context, universal design principles are key to creating effective and accessible interfaces.

The title of the article is Usability analysis of graphical interfaces of travel websites according to the universal design principles.

Colour perception can vary across cultures

 

Three smart phones showing the colour game.Anyone interested in optimal colours for web and phone might be interested in a project that came out of a colour matching game app. The game is based on colour perception. Feedback data showed designers how people perceive colour. With the help of academics they began to analyse the data in meaningful ways.

Preliminary analysis indicates there is a variation across countries. For example, Norwegians were better at colour matching than Saudi Arabians. Singaporeans struggled to identify greens, and Scandinavians did best with red-purple hues. Research papers are to follow which could lead to more inclusive colour choices. The article concludes, 

“But the fruits of the project live on in open source. A generic version of Jose’s tools to query the Specimen dataset are hosted here on github. My greatest hope is other researchers find and make use of what was gathered, and that other designers and engineers consider leveraging play in unexpected ways”.

The title of the article on FastCompany website is, Our viral app made less than $1,000. We’d still do it again.

Picture courtesy FastCompany.

8th principle of universal design?

The classic and often quoted 7 Principles of Universal Design were devised in the 1990s. The world has moved on, but many academics and practitioners remain committed to these principles. Steinfeld and Maisel updated them in 2012 to include cultural awareness as an 8th principle. In the 2020s we need to think more broadly again. A new paper proposes safety as the 8th principle, but maybe it should be the 9th.

The 7 Principles of Universal Design were devised at a time when designers were considered responsible for creating accessible designs. Now we know the benefits of involving users in the design process as well. Of course safety should be automatically considered in all designs, but are all designs safe for everyone? A group of researchers from Ireland make the links between universal design and safety.

Now we understand diversity better, perhaps 7, 8 or 9 principles are insufficient to cover all aspects of our lives and design. The concept of universal design is much broader than just accessibility. Image is a photo taken in 2004 at Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access.

Wall banner saying The essence of universal design lies in its ability to create beauty and mediate extremes without destroying differences in places, experiences and things

Feeling safe gives confidence

What do we mean by ‘safe’. Being safe and feeling safe are two different but related concepts. Not feeling safe can be just as limiting and exclusionary as lack of physical access. A conference paper from Ireland looks at this issue from a fear of falling perspective. Accessibility and safety don’t always go together.

Fear is a natural and essential reaction. Some people might limit or avoid activities outside the home because of the fear of falling. Others at an actual risk of falling might not consider falling as a risk. Neither condition is ideal.

The authors of the paper use examples of how design can make people feel safer. An obvious one is a handrail on a stairway. Having confidence to participate in everyday activities is good for health. Maintaining and restoring that confidence is another element of universal design.

The title of the paper is Widening the Circle: Is There an Eighth Principle for Universal Design?

From the abstract

The advantage of universal design over barrier-free design is it benefits everyone, regardless of age or ability. However design for personal safety outranks accessibility as a design The imperative to include design for personal safety even outranks accessibility as a requirement of a design.

The Seven Principles of Universal Design did not anticipate advanced standards of safety in today’s world. Whilst Principle Five – ‘Tolerance for Error’ gets close, it implies the user who is at fault not the designer. The very fear of falling, inability to find a public toilet, or feeling incapable erodes confidence.

We discuss the design of facilities that lead to lack of confidence. Fear of falling is one of the most limiting when it comes to getting out and about. We propose an additional principle: Reduction of Fear.

By joining forces with health and safety issues, universal design becomes more inclusive, desirable to client bodies, and attractive to everyone. There are areas where improvement in design is urgently required.