The term ‘universal design’ means different things to different people depending on their experiences. It emerged from the barrier-free movement in the United States. Once it was realised that barrier-free was good for everyone, it was seen as a universal good. Hence the term universal design. A look at universal design through a disability lens reminds us of our obligations. In Access Insight magazine, Dr Ben Gauntlett reminds us of Australia’s obligations to implement universal design. As the past Disability Discrimination Commissioner he knows Australia’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. That is to, “undertake or promote research and development of universally designed goods, services, equipment and facilities, which should require the minimum possible adaptation and the least cost to meet the specific needs of a person with disabilities, to promote their availability and use, and to promote universal design in the development of standards and guidelines”.
Disability policy
Dr Gauntlett argues that adopting universal design principles is a critical aspect of disability policy in Australia. But it’s often thought that the NDIS is the only disability policy that exists. Of course, this is incorrect, but shows the poor level of knowledge about Australia’s disability policy. Key aspects of policy from a human rights framework for people with disability are lack of appropriate accessible housing, exercising legal capacity, indefinite detention in the justice system, and sterilisation of women without consent. But housing is the most pressing policy issue. Dr Gauntlett expresses his concern that some states have indicated a reluctance to follow through with the agreement to adopt the Livable Housing Design Standard in all new housing. This could mean a breach of Australia’s obligations under the UN Convention.The article concludes that, “We must develop a culture of universal design in all aspects of our society…” and that “every one of us has the obligation to raise awareness of the responsibility of governments to promote and legislate for universal design approaches.”The article is titled, Recognising the need for universal design approaches through engagement with the United Nations. It is on page 10 of Access Insight – Winter 2021. View on issuu or download as a PDF. The Sustainable Development Goals also incorporate universal design and the inclusion of people with disability.
Similarly to museums, a visit to a national park is an experience. So, applying universal design principles is more than just being accessible. It it has to offer enrichment, be multi-sensory, and engage participation. An in depth study by landscape architect Rachel Cross showcases the application universal design in Yellowstone National Park.
Mammoth Hot Springs at Yellowstone National Park is a great place for a case study. Rachel Cross includes international examples and illustrations of national parks. They show how universal design strategies were applied using the four elements: accessibility, enrichment, engagement and multi-sensory experiences.
The report features the planning and thinking behind the Yellowstone project and includes design drawings. The last part of the report has the universal design guide for national parks.
4 Pillars of Universal Design: accessibility, enrichment, multi-sensory, engagement.
Each of the four pillars are explained in further detail for designers, an lists what is required and what is recommended. The final part of the report has concept drawings with design objectives.
“Universal design is an important, emerging practice that strives to create inclusive experiences for every person who visits a place, no matter their abilities. This report examined acts and guidelines currently used to inform the design of inclusive spaces, finding key gaps. The new guidelines were then applied to the projective design for Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park.
The projective design illustrated new possibilities for amenities to support accessibility, enrichment, engagement, and multi-sensory elements, thus creating a more inclusive and immersive site experience. Although many aspects of universal design can be achieved in a site design, there are unique challenges that designers must address for each project.”
Cross makes an important point about incorporating universal design features into the concept design and not leaving to a later stage. The value of universal design is better understood when it is part of the whole design process.
Three pillars of UDL courtesy NSW EducationIs Universal Design for Learning (UDL) gaining momentum? Answer – it looks like it. UDL has been around for some time, but not all educators have the opportunity to develop UDL skills. A UDL approach values diversity and supports all students to learn.The NSW Education Department has a UDL planning tool for educators. It covers the basics and has links to other resources and videos. It mentions obligations under the Disability Standards for Education. There is a specific section for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander students with disability. However, UDL is for all learners – they are just good teaching and learning strategies. The University of New South Wales has additional resources for higher education. Most resources link to CAST whose work is considered the gold standard in UDL. While these resources focus on school and university education, it is also applicable to continuing professional education and staff training.
The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design has been promoting UDL for more than ten years. It has strong links to the School of Education at Trinity College Dublin. This has lead to UDL gains in higher education. But they wanted to find out if UDL is gaining momentum in school education. They found that curriculum development is shifting towards a UDL framework in Irish schools. It was most established in the middle years, and increasing in primary years. Teachers who engaged in professional UDL learning were more likely to embed UDL into practice. However, learning opportunities for UDL are limited. This lack is not a personal teacher one – there is a lack of policy support. The title of the article is, Universal Design for Learning: Is It Gaining Momentum in Irish Education?
Abstract
Responding to student diversity has become a key policy priority in education systems around the world. In addition to international and national institutional policies, major changes are underway in instructional practices and pedagogy in many national contexts. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has become a key pedagogical approach used in education systems which seek to promote inclusive and equitable education in response to student diversity. Despite Ireland’s policy commitment to inclusive education, UDL has been traditionally focused on the higher education sector with little discussion about the role UDL can play at primary and second-level education to achieve inclusion. Furthermore, there has been no research to date on the extent to which education policy reforms are introducing part, or all, of the aspects of the UDL framework. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which UDL is gaining momentum in Irish primary and second-level education through an analysis of curriculum policy. This paper examines the development and evolution of UDL in Irish education policy over the past decade by exploring the use of UDL in national educational curriculum frameworks. The paper highlights how UDL is slowly and implicitly emerging in education policy at a national level but suggests further momentum could be gained from its inclusion in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and professional development programmes. By exploring the development of UDL within existing policy contexts, the paper argues for a more explicit commitment to UDL as part of ongoing curriculum reform at the primary level, the review of Senior Cycle, and Ireland’s broader inclusive education agenda
People who can’t hear well at meetings tend to avoid them. They also avoid events at restaurants and even family gatherings because it’s frustrating and tiring trying to concentrate on listening all the time. People with hearing loss tend not to disclose at meetings, which makes matters worse. When speakers announce, “Can everybody hear me?” few, if any will respond. Besides, without a microphone, nothing improves. The Ideas for Ears Protocol for meetings and events has some great tips.
Unless people with hearing loss are catered for, their voices will be left out of focus groups and community consultations. Their exclusion then becomes self-perpetuating. People with hearing loss should be able to participate in civic events and activities on the same basis as others.
Ideas for Ears in the UK actively advocates for people with hearing loss and has developed the Hearing Access Protocol for meetings and events. It provides guidance on how to run meetings so people with any hearing ability can hear and follow them. The Protocol was developed by people with hearing loss and it comes in PDF version and a short online Hearing Access booklet.
The Center for Real Life Design at Virginia Tech renovated two kitchens to incorporate many universal design features. One was designed for a multi-generational family, including an older grandparent and a child with autism spectrum disorder. The other was planned as a multifamily kitchen. These examples show how to do universal design in the kitchen.
The Center’s webpage has an article that explains the design features, and several pictures illustrate the outcomes. The first part of the article is about the Centre, and the second part has detailed explanations.
Lighting is of particular importance to anyone with low vision. And people who wear glasses also need good light to see what they are doing. And more light isn’t always better if it produces glare.
Doug Walter writes in ProRemodeller magazine about research in kitchen lighting. He says, “Most kitchens are woefully underlit. Lighting is often an afterthought, yet even when it’s carefully planned, designers and lighting experts often don’t agree on which lamps work best in particular fixtures and where those fixtures should be located.”
In the absence of any standards, the kitchen designer or the homeowner to have to work it out for themselves. The article offers practical and technical advice about lighting the kitchen.
Newly built home is not accessibleWhat are the social inclusion obstacles in the built environment, who do they affect, and how? There’s a good amount of research on accessibility in the built environment. There’s also a lot of research on accessible housing design. However, the two are rarely discussed in tandem. While identifying the obstacles in the built environment for people with disability, researchers found that it was a lack of accessible housing causing the most problems.Researchers at Deakin University were looking for social inclusion obstacles in the built environment. They wanted to know what aspects were key for people with disability. While many were found, most issues could be traced back to a lack of accessible and affordable housing. In short, they found that housing was at the centre of multiple issues creating obstacles for living meaningful lives. Several workshops were conducted in the regional city of Geelong. Stakeholders included people with disability. Access to appropriate and affordable housing was a key factor across all the workshops. It affected employment, connecting with family and friends, transport, services and facilities.
Not just your own home
While it is important for people with disability to have an accessible home, all homes must be accessible so they can visit neighbours and feel included in their community. This point is often lost on policy-makers. Another factor not often mentioned is the ability to engage with the community to influence attitudes. That is, unless people with disability could get out and about, get a job and get to the shops, they will remain invisible, and nothing changes. Consequently one of the recommendations was to raise awareness of attitudes towards access and inclusion across different professions. There is a lot to unpack in this articleincluding a discussion on co-design and whether it has the desired result. Universal design is discussed in the context of built environment courses. Also available from SpringerLinkwith institutional access.The title of the article is, “Housing at the fulcrum: a systems approach to uncovering built environment obstacles to city scale accessibility and inclusion”. The research was conducted before the Australian Building Codes Board completed their cost benefit analysis on accessible housing.
From the abstract
This paper describes a study determining actions to overcome unintended obstacles in the built environment to city-scale accessibility and inclusivity. Prior studies have largely failed to connect social inclusion obstacles with factors leading to social exclusion in other domains. An approach based on systems thinking allowed a wide range of stakeholders, including many with lived-experience of disability, to exchange ideas. One hundred and nineteen actions were identified to overcome these obstacles, with 37 of these prioritised according to impact and feasibility. Nineteen of these 37 are imbedded in the built environment. Access to appropriate and affordable housing was identified as a key factor across all domains. Access for people with disability to appropriately designed and affordable housing was at the fulcrum of many other issues which created obstacles to meaningful living and fulfilled lives. The process showed how housing is impacted by, and has impacts on, a wide sphere of socio-political and physical contexts.
Gender neutral bathrooms are also good for other groups of people who are often neglected in the assignment of sanitary facilities. Prevailing social attitudes are probably the biggest barrier to gender inclusive public bathrooms for people who identify as transgender. A guide to gender neutral bathrooms is a great help.
Other minority groups face bathroom discrimination. Gender inclusive bathrooms benefit people with disability and older people with carers. Parents with small children also have difficulty finding suitable toilets.
A new approach
Gender inclusive bathroom by Elizabeth Felicella
Gender-neutral bathrooms have sparked many public debates in the US, however, in Australia, this is still a fairly new concept. We are familiar with unisex accessible sanitary facilities that provide a space that allows carers and users of any gender. Yet, the public services’ push towards gender neutral bathrooms to foster inclusiveness of transgender and intersex employees are causing debate in its Canberra buildings.
The National Construction Code in Australia only recognises the provision of male and female sanitary compartments. Perhaps universal design will provide the solution that architects are looking for:
“Because public bathrooms need to be designated male or female, it forces transgender and nonconforming individuals to choose between the two, sometimes leading them into uncomfortable or unsafe situations. The code leaves architects with a choice, too: take the easy route and design single and multi-occupancy bathrooms labelled “male” or “female,” or design around the code–the latter of which often takes more creativity and resources.”
All gender bathrooms – embracing change
An academic paper discusses the “why” from the perspective of university staff and students and their restroom needs on campus. Thoughtful design gives a person a sense of security and belonging. Floor plans included. The title of the paper is, All-gender Restrooms: Embracing change in the built environment.Time for building codes to catch up.
Transgender, recreation and inclusion
People who identify as transgender are often concerned about their safety in public recreation situations. Dreaming About Access: The Experiences of Transgender Individuals in Public Recreation is a report of the qualitative research undertaken by Linda Oakleaf and Laurel P. Richmond. Designing for the inclusion of people who identify as transgender is not just about participation. It also affirms their worth and dignity. At the end of the executive summary they say,
“Practitioners who wish to translate data from this study into policy should focus on two areas: removing barriers to access, and affirmatively encouraging participation. The barriers discussed most often by participants related to public/private spaces such as bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers.
Practitioners should ensure that all locker rooms, bathrooms, and showers allow for privacy. As is frequently the case with universal design, this will benefit many users who are not transgender. While the best practice would be to provide gender neutral spaces, at a minimum there should be at least one stall with a door in each bathroom and curtains or other barriers in all showers. Policies and procedures should affirmatively include participants across the gender spectrum and should be aimed at increasing participation.”
More on public bathrooms
The latest access consultants’ newsletter has a focus on bathrooms in different settings as well as continence problems.
There’s also a discussion on the best terminology for labelling public toilets. Gender neutral was a term coined a while back, but there are new thoughts. Many people who identify as transgender or intersex feel unsafe in public toilets. A survey in the US found more than half avoided public bathrooms and use strategies like not drinking. Access the newsletter can be online through issuu, or downloaded in a 9MB PDF file.
Bottom line – should we have any toilets designated and signed by gender or should they just be toilets? As the sign says – Who cares? Just wash your hands.
Lee Wilson also covers some of the issues related to public toilets. He says, “Gender neutral toilets cater for people who for many reasons feel uncomfortable using a toilet that is designated as either male, female or unisex. In the future, we will see an increase in these amenities”.
Katherine Webber did an international studyon toilets and toilet needs and behaviour. She links it to social and economic participation.
When a government department or access committee starts talking about access maps and map accessibility, where do you begin? Of course there are consultants to help with this, but it’s good to have some idea of what to put in the brief. It’s also a good idea to know if the right thing has been delivered. A toolkit or guide for maps would be great but there’s a little to be found in lay language.
Technology moves fast. So toolkits and guides for digital maps soon become out of date. Another problem is they can’t stop software updates from stripping accessible features. And then there is is the issue of inadvertently uploading or linking inaccessible content on websites. But not all is lost.
Access maps and map accessibility are distinct areas of endeavour. However, we would want a digital access map to also be accessible. City of Sydney has an example of an interactive digital access map.
City of Sydney access map with all icons
Sydney access map with filters applied
Making access maps accessible
Screenshot of Seattle Access Map
Many people use Google Maps and similar apps to help them navigate the built environment. They focus on road networks and points of interest but lack information for pedestrians. Google has an option to list individual “accessible places” such as a park. But this is of little use to someone with vision impairment. So how to make access maps accessible?
There are two key accessibility issues. One is collecting and integrating access information into maps. The other is designing digital maps so they are accessible to users with diverse physical, sensory and cognitive abilities. There is a third issue. Some local governments have an access or mobility map, but these are often buried on a website somewhere. Many people don’t know they exist.
A conference paper has more detail about the challenges faced in designing and creating digital accessible access maps. The title is Grand Challenges in Accessible Maps published on the ACM website.
Resource list
Here is a list of links that cover basic and technical issues of map accessibility including non-digital maps. Thanks to Jo Szczepanska for sharing the list.
An article by The Paciello Group explains the issues clearly and has other useful links for non technical people.
The W3C website has a section on different types of accessible maps including tactile maps. Static maps and interactive maps are covered in Map Accessibility.
Accessible Maps on the Webis a magazine article from the US. It’s a bit more technical but illustrates some of the issues.
Another resource for digital applications is Gregg Vanderheiden’s Accessibility Masterlist. It covers everything you can think of. Each feature is coded for either blindness and low vision, language and learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and Deaf and hard of hearing. Some links take you to products, others to related research papers. Prepare to spend some time going over the lists and links.
Older adults spend more time at home compared to other age groups and want to stay in their home as they age. Ageing in place is a broad concept. Attachment to home and place play a key role in the wellbeing of older adults. Consequently, remaining “in place” minimises early entry into supported accommodation. An article by Hing-Wah Chau and Elmira Jamei compares Australia with some of the work on age-friendliness in other countries.
The article covers familiar ground of the WHO Age Friendly Cities program and discusses three aspects related to the built environment. Public spaces, housing and buildings, and public transport. The title of the article is, Age-Friendly Built Environment.
Housing
The UK Lifetime Homes Standard eventually influenced the development of a mandatory code for accessible housing in the UK. The lowest level of the code is now considered too low and will be upgraded.
So far, the 2010 Australian Livable Housing Design Guidelines have failed to bring about change to the building code. However, in April 2021, state and territory jurisdictions agreed to a basic level of accessibility in all new homes. However, two states have specifically refused to act on this. For more on this check out the posts in the Housing Design Policy section of this website.
The European Homes4Life scheme covers more than building design. It covers physical, outdoor access, economic, social and personal domains for new and existing residential buildings. Affordability, privacy, dignity and connectivity are all considered. Also included is smart technology.
Public spaces and transport
Outdoor spaces need to be welcoming of older people and encourage social interaction. Mixed use developments, housing diversity, pedestrian safety and natural landscapes all get a mention.
Walkable neighbourhoods and frequent, reliable and safe transport options are key to ageing in place. Affordability is also a consideration for people with minimum incomes. Cycling is also part of the active ageing agenda. However, car ownership is the best mobility option for people living in outer suburbs.
The article compares some of the work in other countries with Australia rather than offering something new. However, the conclusions draw attention to an important point. The design and planning of the built environment needs to hear the voices of those often excluded. Co-design collaboration is worth the time taken, and should be extended to other decision-making processes that affect their neighbourhoods and ability to remain active.
Dr Hing-Wah Chau presented a paper at the 2021 Universal Design Conference in Melbourne. The topic is about introducing students to universal design through community design studios.
There are good reasons why revolving doors are not a good idea for a lot of people. But how many designers know this. Unless the building code says don’t do it we will continue to see these in new buildings. The New Zealand Government produced a useful guide to support their building code. It covers building accessibility and explains why some designs are just not helpful.
Buildings for everyone: Designing for access and usability is a good practice guide which goes into fine detail. For example, problems with sudden changes in light levels, issues with highly patterned flooring, and how wheelchair users might inadvertently damage doorways or tiling. The guide also links to features to the relevant sections of the Building Code.
While this is a New Zealand publication, there is good information for other jurisdictions. The main contents are:
Builder user activity
Surrounding area and transport
Pedestrian circulation
Vehicle circulation and parking
Building entrances
Internal circulation
Interior space
Fixtures and fittings
Building types
Means of escape
Building management
This guide explains the “why” of the specific designs. So there should be no more thinking, “near enough is good enough because a little change here and there won’t matter”. It does matter. The publication is from the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Welcoming and inclusive communities
Universal design is mostly associated with the disability community but it is much broader than that. The concept of inclusion means everyone – people from all walks of life regardless of who they are, where they are from and what they can do. The subject of migrants and rural communities is often absent from discussions on inclusion. However, when it comes to economic growth, regions and migrants become the focus of attention. So a guide on welcoming and inclusive communities is most welcome in this space.
The guide is written with local stakeholders in mind. It is a place-based, community-driven process. Understanding the barriers and enablers for different migrant groups underpins this universal design approach to settlement.
The Planning for Welcoming and Inclusive Communities guideis based on research and is structured in three parts: an introduction, opportunities of regional migration, and initiating a settlement strategy. Seven appendices complete the document. The steps of assessment, consultation and planning are explained in detail with helpful guidance.
The individuals and organisations involved in the settlement process have an opportunity to contribute to the design of practical policy. Of course, when consultation is done well people begin to feel welcome.
“Many migrants would preference rural or regional Australia above a major city, because of a strong desire to engage in farming activities. For many, this desire to connect with the land is more important than securing a specific type of employment or cost of living.”
The guidelineis a joint initiative of Welcoming Cities, Monash Migration and Inclusion Centre and the Queensland Government. TheWelcoming Cities organisation has more to say about settling migrants in regional areas.
A book to help
Ed Steinfeld with his book
Published in 2012, Steinfeld and Maisel’s book, Universal Design: Creating Inclusive Environments, is still relevant today as a standard text. It introduces designers to the principles and practice of designing for all people. It covers the full range from the foundations of accessibility to the practice of inclusive design.
Topics include interiors, products, housing and transportation systems. Best practice examples demonstrate the value of universal design as both a survey of the field and reference for researchers. Trove has a copy, otherwise it is available for purchase through Google Books or Wiley publishing.
The term ‘universal design’ means different things to different people depending on their experiences. It emerged from the barrier-free movement in the United States. Once it was realised that barrier-free was good for everyone, it was seen as a universal good. Hence the term universal design. A look at universal design through a disability lens reminds us of our obligations.
In Access Insight magazine, Dr Ben Gauntlett reminds us of Australia’s obligations to implement universal design. As the past Disability Discrimination Commissioner he knows Australia’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. That is to,
“undertake or promote research and development of universally designed goods, services, equipment and facilities, which should require the minimum possible adaptation and the least cost to meet the specific needs of a person with disabilities, to promote their availability and use, and to promote universal design in the development of standards and guidelines”.
Lighting is of particular importance to anyone with low vision. And people who wear glasses also need good light to see what they are doing. And more light isn’t always better if it produces glare.
Gender neutral bathrooms are also good for other groups of people who are often neglected in the assignment of sanitary facilities. Prevailing social attitudes are probably the biggest barrier to gender inclusive public bathrooms for people who identify as transgender. A guide to gender neutral bathrooms is a great help. 
People who identify as transgender are often concerned about their safety in public recreation situations. 
The latest access consultants’ newsletter has a focus on bathrooms in different settings as well as continence problems. 
Lee Wilson also covers some of the issues related to public toilets. He says, “
When a government department or access committee starts talking about access maps and map accessibility, where do you begin? Of course there are consultants to help with this, but it’s good to have some idea of what to put in the brief. It’s also a good idea to know if the right thing has been delivered. A toolkit or guide for maps would be great but there’s a little to be found in lay language.
Older adults spend more time at home compared to other age groups and want to stay in their home as they age. Ageing in place is a broad concept. Attachment to home and place play a key role in the wellbeing of older adults. Consequently, remaining “in place” minimises early entry into supported accommodation. 
Outdoor spaces need to be welcoming of older people and encourage social interaction. Mixed use developments, housing diversity, pedestrian safety and natural landscapes all get a mention.
