Author: Jane Bringolf

Planning action tool from an inclusive perspective

The principles of Design-for-All are used for the basis of an efficient and effective planning action tool in from Italy. It brings together quality of life, multi-functional spaces, environmental sustainability, and inclusive urban planning strategies.

A diagram with five balloons. In the centre is Design for All. On the outside are the other four elements, multifunctional users, quality of life, sustainability, and inclusive planning

The claim is that Design-for-All approach “represents a solution for matching people needs to urban environmental quality improvement”, and that inclusive planning strategies can support an ecosystem services network. The term ‘design-for-all’ is the European equivalent of universal design. 

The title is, Anthropic space and design for all. New knowledge paths for urban planning strategies. The paper originates from Italy which may account for some of the heavy language. You will need institutional access for a free read from Science Direct. Or access it on ResearchGate and ask for a copy. 

From the abstract

City environments show the presence of natural, semi natural and anthropic components that build up both structure and connections of the urban context. This structure shapes and directs space and its functions strictly connected with their sustainable potential uses and sustainable development opportunities. 

The lack of rules and proper planning methods produces inefficient use conditions by resident citizens. The consequence is a widespread quality of life decrease in urban areas. 

The paper introduces design-for-all as an efficient and effective planning action tool.  The aim is to get sustainable operating strategies to match both people needs and urban system quality of life  enhancement in a long term timeline analysis.

Gaining client acceptance of UD thinking

aerial view of three people at a desk looking at a set of construction drawings. Client approach to UD is essential.Although architects might propose universal design principles, it seems that Australia is not the only country where clients are ambivalent at best and resistant at worst in terms of inclusive thinking. In Clients’ Approach to Universal Design – A Slow Change? Sidse Grangaard of the Danish Building Research Institute reports on the research into why client acceptance of UD thinking is not going beyond basic building regulations. It would seem the design and construction industries share much in common across the globe. A useful research project. The full paper is available from the link.

From the abstract

When new buildings do not comply with the accessibility requirements of the Danish Building Regulations, the main reason is often attributed to a lack of knowledge and prioritization.

Clients decide their own focus on accessibility during the design process, and also whether the level of accessibility should be higher than that stipulated in the Danish Building Regulations.

When the client is ambitious about accessibility/Universal Design (UD), the result is a building with an extensive level of accessibility. Thus, the client is a key figure for the project and the level of ambition.

As a concept, UD has not gained currency among the clients. Their ambition level remains defined by the Danish Building Regulations. The analysis shows three concepts about accessibility/UD can be characterized among the clients. 1) accessibility by design, 2) broad accessibility 3) added value. Above all, the findings show that a development is going on towards UD, although slowly.

The article is from the proceedings of the UDHEIT 2018 conference held in Dublin, Ireland, an open access publication. 

Valuing disability in higher education

A young man stands between library book shelves. He has a large book open in his hands.Benjamin Ostiguy applies the concept of “Deep Ecology” to argue that everyone and everything has an intrinsic value. However, many societies only measure value by how it contributes to the economy. Students with disability are considered as “outliers” and as persons who must “transcend” their perceived impairments if they are to belong.

Ostiguy argues that valuing disability can lead to the “identification of novel veins of inquiry, bolster critical analyses, and help facilitate meaningful change in uncertain times”. The title of the paper is, The Inherent Value of Disability in Higher Education.  

Deep Ecology Thinking

1. Employ accessible and inclusive pedagogies, methods, technologies, and research instruments;
2. Avoid adherence to rigid standards and traditional practices absent of “intrinsic value” or unrelated to “fundamental goals”;
3. Before adopting a new technology, method, or instrument, first consider if SWDs will find it accessible and inclusive;
4. Recognize and value the diverse identities, perspectives, strengths, and challenges represented among college SWDs. 
5. SWDs are a heterogeneous demographic with identities, priorities, expectations, opinions, and access requirements. 
6. Employ the concept of universal design in all aspects of your work;
7. Develop research questions that account for SWDs and accurately represent/address their perspectives, needs, and sense of dignity;
8. When faced with apparent pedagogic/epistemological dilemmas, err on the side of accessibility and inclusion;
9. Speak out against campus policies, procedures, and traditions that are not universally inclusive, or stigmatize SWDs;
10. Reject the idea that a student’s value to an academic discipline is proportional with their apparent potential to contribute toward the economy.

From the abstract:

College students with disabilities (SWDs) continue to encounter attitudinal and physical barriers while institutions endeavor to offer reasonable supports. These are mainly in the form of accommodations and modifications. Most colleges administer measured allowances, while managing to avoid change. However, as we proceed into the 21st century, very little seems assured, least of all the status quo.

Under the dominant neoliberal regime, virtually everything and everyone is valued in proportion with their perceived economic utility. Higher education is no longer widely embraced as a public good. There is increased scrutiny of learning from the perspective of “value-add”. 

Viewed through this narrow hegemonic lens, SWDs must assimilate or transcend their perceived impairments if they are to belong. I introduce key concepts from the environmental philosophy/theory of Deep Ecology to the scholarship of disability in higher education. I assert that disability in academe has an “intrinsic value”, irrespective of expected economic utility. The deep valuing of disability can lead to the identification of novel veins of inquiry, bolster critical analyses, and help facilitate meaningful change in uncertain times.

Latest bathroom trends include universal design

Front cover of Houzz bathroom trends study 2021.Renovations are an important part of the home building industry. In the United States there’s a push for older homeowners to consider designs for staying put as they age. And it appears this is working – but usually well after the renovations are needed. The latest bathroom trends are moving to larger bathrooms and a desire for comfort and function.

The 2021 Houzz Bathroom Trends Study updates their 2018 report. Buried within the 2021 report is a section on renovations for “special needs”. However, homeowners are not planning in advance and then leaving it too long before committing to the renovation. Increasing bathroom size was another important trend. 

“More than half of homeowners (54%) say the bathroom renovation is addressing household members’ special needs.”

“Nearly three-quarters of renovators (71%) report that those special needs had developed one to two years before the renovation.” 

“One in 5 homeowners (21%) increased the size of their bathroom either somewhat or significantly, and 6% changed their bathroom location altogether. Half of all renovating homeowners (50%) increased their shower size.”

Both the 2021 and 2018 studies have information on other aspects of style, such as incorporating plants, soaking tubs and natural light. Bidets are also increasing in popularity along with other premium features.

The 2018 Houzz Bathroom Trends Study is a comprehensive report that has some interesting statistics about the age at which people might start thinking of their future needs and doing something about it. It also shows what they are actually doing in terms of renovation design. An interesting and easy to read study which supports the idea that these features should be designed into the home in the first place. It also features bathroom products and fittings.

Accessible bathroom fittings

hewi dementia bathroomHewi is a company based in Germany has a range of bathroom fixtures and fittings that are accessible and good looking. Their aim is to design for comfort and convenience. They have a range that has a focus on dementia. More accessibility solutions are available on the Hewi website. 

Reece omvivo essential basinReece, Caroma and Hewi have updated their catalogues to online only and the dementia options are no longer listed in a separate catalogue. 

Bathroom fittings are under regular review and fashions change quickly. Search under keywords such as “care” or “support” for assistive designs.

 

Doors Opening, Doors Closing

A chrome lever door handle with the door ajar. The door is timber. Doors opening, doors closing.Richard Duncan takes a look at doors and entrances to homes to show the various ways in which universal design thinking can make doorways more convenient for everyone. The article covers every aspect of doors in detail and has several pictures that illustrate how thoughtful door design and door handles can make a world of difference for all members of the family and for visitors too. A nice presentation of practical detail for this one home element. There will be some things not everyone will have thought about. Worth a look.  

Universal Design Principles/Guidelines:

– Provide the same means of use for all users: identical whenever possible; equivalent when not

– Avoid segregating or stigmatizing any users

– Make the design appealing to all users

– Allow user to maintain a neutral body position

– Provide a clear line of sight to important elements for any seated or standing user

Opening The Door To Residential Universal Design is a LinkedIn article. 

Town planning and mental health: a personal perspective

five lane city highway full of cars. Town planning and mental health.Jason Barr is an urban planner who lives with several mental health diagnoses. He has a unique perspective to share when it comes to mental health and town planning and design. His article focuses on his personal experiences in different built environments, and how those experiences impacted his mental well-being.

Barr emphasises the need to design for people and not cars, and the importance of minimising urban sprawl. Given the number of people with a mental health condition, this is a useful perspective on mental health and wellbeing. He concludes:

“As planners, we all know one size does not fit all when it comes to built environments and how we experience them. Being able to live within a community built for people and not cars becomes even more crucial than the literature already tells us it is. Its real life.

“I hope my story can be a reminder to planners and designers everywhere that physical health is not the only dimension of our well-being that we need to pay attention to. Equally important is the consideration of how our cities and towns impact those with mental illnesses. I hope my story “drives” that home.

“Real consequences on real lives. It is my sincere hope that those who are reading this see that, and take these words into consideration as they craft their local neighborhoods, municipalities, and regions.”

The title of the article is: The impact of town planning on my own mental health as a town planner. Published in the Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health. A short and very readable article. 

Language Guide for Journalists and Others

Front cover of the language guide for journalists.Acceptable language regarding people with disability has changed, and standards continue to adapt as understanding and perceptions evolve. Many terms once widely used are now considered to imply inferiority and serve to marginalise people. The National Center on Disability and Journalism updated their Style Guide in 2021. It provides alternatives to terms still seen too often in the media.

The guide also gives an explanation for why some terms are considered offensive, derogatory, and/or marginalising. Unless the context of the story relates to the disability, it might not be necessary to point to any kind of impairment. And think about illustrations and photos too.

Here are a few common terms to avoid:

Afflicted with: Implies that a person with a disability is suffering or has a reduced quality of life.

Able-bodied: Refers to a person who does not have a disability. The term implies that all people with disabilities lack “able bodies” or the ability to use their bodies well. Use non-disabled. Use person without disability. 

Confined to a wheelchair: Describes a person only in relationship to a piece of equipment designed to liberate rather than confine. Use wheelchair user.

Stricken with, suffers from, victim of: These terms carry the assumption that a person with a disability is suffering or has a reduced quality of life. Use living with…

Demented: Refer to someone as having dementia only if the information is relevant to the story and a formal diagnosis has been made. Use “a person with dementia” or “a person living with dementia.” Do not use senile.

Special needs: This can be problematic where there are government funded programs for “special schools”. The term is considered stigmatising – use “functional needs” or describe the specific issue or disability. Everyone has needs.

Inclusive illustrations: What’s in a face?

Four male and female couples with different skin tones and face shapes. Inclusive illustrations.It’s often someone other than the writer of an article that chooses a picture to go with it. Usually this is a stock photo that might not convey the intended message. Stock photos of older people are often patronising. They show young and old hands, or a young person looking lovingly at an older person. Most illustrations are far from inclusive. 

Similarly, stock photos of wheelchair users often use non-disabled models and not real wheelchair users. An article and guideline from an illustrator discusses how to add diversity to your brand whether an organisation, service or a product. The title of the article is, Your Face Here: Creating illustration guidelines for a more inclusive visual identity.

Whether being used to distill complex messages or add a touch of whimsy, illustration is one piece that makes up a company’s visual brand identity.”  

Also have a look at these stock photos of older people and see what you think. Note that they are all white and active – no diversity here. 

Do’s and Don’ts of disability language

front cover of the What Do I Say? booklet.Language etiquette around the topic of disability seems to get some people tongue-tied. Fear of offending often results in just that. But so does using outmoded terms such as “handicapped”. So what are the do’s and don’ts of terminology and language use?

People with Disability Australia (PWDA) have a great guide. It gives a context to the importance of language and how it relates to dignity and respect. It is based on the social model of disability. That is, disability is not an individual medical problem. Disablement is the result of an environment filled with physical and social barriers.

Should you say “People with disability” or “disabled person?” It depends on the individual. However, government policies use the person first version – people with disability. The one to avoid is “the disabled” because it dismisses people and puts this diverse group into one category. The same can be said for “the elderly”. 

Adaptations of the word disability, or euphemisms, should not be used either. Terms such as differently-abled, special needs, or handicapable sound clever but are demeaning. Other terms such as “all abilities” suggests the opposite – a special place for people with disability. If it is inclusive it shouldn’t need a “special” title. However, accessible features can be included in any descriptions of the place or service.

The PWDA guide gives an overview of ableist language and its impact, some advice on reporting on disability, and a list of words and recommended alternatives. 

Disability is not about inspiration

One other important aspect of reporting on disability is what the late Stella Young described as “inspriation porn” in an entertaining TED talk. The portrayal of a person doing everyday things, or achieving a goal, as being inspiring gets the no-go signal. People with disability are often portrayed in the media as being “sufferers” or “heroes”. Rarely is either the case. 

 

The evolution of universal design and accessibility

Book cover showing anthropometric diagrams of a wheelchair user. Title Universal Design and the Politics of Disability. Bess Williamson takes a look at two books and reviews them in tandem, which makes for an interesting read in its own right. Both are about the evolution of universal design and accessibility, but approach the topic from different perspectives.

Aimi Hamraie takes a legal and rights view of history, while Elizabeth Guffey tracks the work of individual designers and the development of symbols and images, particularly the access symbol we know today. They show how accessible design was developed in more than one place at the same time, which shows at least two family trees of access and universal design. One from the Book cover for Designing Disability shows painted floor markings with the international symbol for access. bottom up (“crip technoscience”) and one from the top down (standards and codes).

An excellent and thoughtful review by someone who understands this field of research. The books are: 

Aimi Hamraie Building Access: Universal Design and the Politics of Disability (University of Minnesota Press, 2017) 

Elizabeth Guffey Designing Disability: Symbols, Space, and Society (Bloomsbury Press, 2017). Or from Trove (National Library of Australia).  

Establishing a centre for universal design in Australia

Transforming our World Through Design, Diversity and Education | IOS Press. Front cover.From the Ground Up: Establishing a Centre for Universal Design in Australia charts the establishment and development of CUDA. This paper was presented at the UD Conference in Ireland held at the end of 2018. Here is the abstract – the full paper is available online.

The universal design movement arrived in Australia well before the turn of the century. A handful of individuals are working to incorporate the concepts into their everyday work and promote the concepts more widely.

The term “universal design” is often misunderstood as separate designs for people with disability rather than inclusion for everyone. Compliance to legislated disability access standards has created further confusion. As a consequence many myths about universal design have emerged. Such myths have prevented the implementation and understanding of universal design and inclusive practice.

Australian governments at all levels have shown little interest in promoting universal design principles. This is despite changes to disability and ageing policies promoting more autonomy and independence for individuals. When political leadership is absent, leadership often defaults to the community, or to be precise, to a handful of people with a passion for the cause.

In 2013 a chance meeting of two unrelated individuals set the wheels in motion to establish a centre for universal design in Australia. This paper charts the development and progress of the organisation. The strategies include volunteer effort, harnessing community support, maintaining international connections, using social media, and establishing a resource-rich website and newsletter. 

The chapter is in a book of conference papers from the 2018 Universal Design Conference.

8 Goals of Universal Design

The 7 Principles of Universal Design are well known in the universal design world. They’ve been used as a guide for many years by design professionals and academics. The IDEA Center at the University at Buffalo took these principles and made them more practical. The 8 Goals of Universal Design are the result.

The 8 Goals help practitioners apply universal design and measure outcomes. They cover functional, social and emotional dimensions. 

To find out more about universal design see our free short online course, Introduction to Universal Design.

Slide from the video 8 Goals of Universal Design.
Screenshot from the video below

Briefly, the 8 Goals are:

  1. Body Fit
  2. Comfort
  3. Awareness
  4. Understanding
  5. Wellness
  6. Social integration
  7. Personalization
  8. Cultural appropriateness

The IDEA Center was concerned that the principles were based on Western norms. So they added cultural appropriateness to the list. The 8 Goals can be grouped into three categories: 

Human performance
Body fit
Comfort
Awareness
Understanding		Wellness

is the bridge between
them as it addresses both		Social participation
Social integration
Personalisation
Cultural appropriateness

Sarah Davidson gives an introduction to the 8 Goals of Universal Design in the 3 minute video below. 

Adapt the words to suit

The wording of these goals can be adapted to suit different design contexts. For example, the Everyone Can Play guide adapted the goals to suit the play context:

  • Find: Communicate the purpose and location of play elements and facilities
  • Fit: Provide a range of play opportunities for people of all abilities and sizes.
  • Choose: Enable exciting individual experiences and social interaction.
  • Join In: Create opportunities for everyone to connect.
  • Thrive: Challenge and involve people of all capabilities.
  • Belong; Create a place that’s welcoming and comfortable.

The 8 Goals offer a framework for practical application, research, and for communicating universal design. They complement the 7 Principles of Universal Design, which still stand as general principles. 

The IDeA Center website has more information and some pictures to help explain. Ed Steinfeld and Jordana Maisel devised the Goals in 2012.

The 2020’s have seen a significant shift to the inclusion of users in the design process and co-design methods.

Try out our free online course, Introduction to Universal Design.

Universal design is evolving

The 7 Principles of Universal Design were devised in the 1990s. Steinfeld and Maisel moved us on with the 8 Goals in 2012. In the 2020s co-design is now considered the way to implement universal design. It moves designers on from the checklist approach they use with the 7 Principles.

The term co-design is being used more frequently, but what does co-design mean and how does it work? Well, that depends on the context. It could mean a design group working together. Nothing difficult about that concept. Or it could mean involving end users in the design process. This is where it gets more tricky and more questions arise.

At what point do you involve users? Which users do you involve? Will the users have the required knowledge and experience to contribute constructively? Will designers have the skills to be inclusive and listen to users? Participatory action research incorporates both designer and user learning. But these projects are necessarily long and usually have research funding attached. However, they usually produce knowledge and results useful in other settings. 

Some history

black and white photo of Ron Mace. He is wearing glasses and has a beard. He is wearing a light coloured shirt and a dark neck tie

The name Ron Mace is sometimes referred to as the “Father of Universal Design”?

Mace’s last presentation just before his death in 1998 was at the first International Conference on Universal Design. It gives some insights into his thinking and the evolution from barrier-free to universal design.

Mace contracted Polio as a child, and as a wheelchair user he encountered many barriers to studying at university. Nevertheless, he achieved his aim and became an architect. After practising conventionally for a short time, he became a leader in accessible architecture.

In the US, Mace contributed to the first accessible building code which was adopted by North Carolina. This led to other policy and legislative changes, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In 1989 he set up the Center for Accessible Housing, which became the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University.

Editor’s note: I was fortunate to meet Ron Mace’s partner, Joy Weeber, on my Churchill Fellowship study tour in 2004. She showed me the video of an interview he gave two days before he died. It helped me understand the history and the passion behind the cause for universal design. Joy, a passionate disability activist gained her PhD in the area of disability identity and family denial of disability in the search for “normality”. Jane Bringolf.