Category: Learning about universal design

Getting a mind-shift with design students

four photos of students experiences barriers in the built environment.
Figure 2 from the study

Societal stereotypes and assumptions about people with different levels of capability are difficult to shift. It takes more than a disability awareness exercise which is easily forgotten when students graduate. Students need to be immersed in the issues. So how can you get a mind-shift with design students?

A paper from Europe presents a case study of a practical teaching method where students identified real barriers to access by observing people with disability encountering barriers. From this, the students also created design solutions. The learning took place over three weeks which allowed students to be fully immersed in the issues.

The learning activities were conducted as an outdoor simulation in collaboration with a higher-education institution, a clinical centre, and people with disability.

This was much more than a disability awareness exercise that is easily forgotten when students enter the real world of architecture and design. The process was about getting a mind-shift to understand and to create with an inclusive approach. 

The title of the paper is, Experiential learning approach to barrier-free design in architectural education. It proposes a method involving different stakeholders, simulation, mapping and creative design. It has some nice images to illustrate points and student designs. The paper comes from Bosnia and Herzegovina which has recently commenced their accessibility journey.  

Architecture students attitudes

architecture blueprint with rule and pencilThe attitudes of architecture students to universal design is the focus of a Deakin University study. It builds on previous work (Design 4 Diversity) in 2010 on inter-professional learning for architecture and occupational therapy students. The findings of this latest study show that while architecture students viewed access to public environments favourably, there was a mixed response in relation to private homes.

Reasons not to include universal design features in homes included cost, client desires and restrictions on creativity. For example, “Over-designing for the sake of making the residence accessible in the future, just in case, is an unnecessary cost”; and “Private homes should be designed to the individual”; and “Legislation restricts design, resulting in negative impacts the ‘requirements’ did not intend”. These reasons are not referenced in evidence and indicate an attitudinal bias.

The study used a quantitative approach and applied statistical techniques to the data. The first part of the document covers the history of universal design, and there is an extended section on methods and statistics. For followers of UD, the Discussion section is of most interest. 

The authors of Students’ Attitudes to Universal Design in Architecture Education, are Helen Larkin, Kelsey Dell, and Danielle Hitch. Journal of Social Inclusion, 2016.

Similar papers

See also Hitch, Dell and Larkin from Deakin University, who also review some of the related literature. The title of the article is, Does Universal Design Education Impact on the Attitudes of Architecture Students Towards People with Disability? Published in the Journal of Accessibility and Design for All.

Researchers from the University at Buffalo presented their research on the incorporation or otherwise of universal design in architectural education at the 3rd International Conference on Design Education Researchers. “Universal Design in Architectural Education: A U.S. Study” was published in The Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference for Design Education Research Vol 2, which has many other articles on the topic of design education.

 

Compliance, heritage and accessibility: A case study

A busy street in Sri Lanka with a tuk tuk and pedestrians. Compliance, heritage and accessibility. War damages buildings and transport systems. It causes them to fall into disrepair and become inaccessible. Sri Lanka is one such example. But what to do? Sri Lanka is committed to disability access in their re-building process. However, they have a complex web of building compliance, heritage and accessibility to navigate. A universal design training program for built environment practitioners is a good start. 

Penny Galbraith summarises the training process and the historical context in an article. She explains how the technical training was devised and delivered. Workshop scenarios were key to the success of the project. 

More than 80 delegates attended the three day training. They comprised technical staff responsible for compliance with regulations, architects, engineers, town planners, transport operators and civil society organisations. The aim was for participants to understand the concept of universal design as a means of problem-solving the issues. This is because a strict compliance approach was not going to ensure accessibility. Consequently, the emphasis of the training was on design not regulation. 

War also increases the level of disability in the population. Many injured people are excluded from work and education. Superstition about disability as a form of punishment for wrongdoing in a previous life exacerbates the discrimination and stigma. While an accessible built environment can’t change attitudes, it can minimise barriers to work, a social life, and education. 

The intent of Sri Lanka’s accessibility regulations is commendable. However, in practical terms, the regulations and regulatory process make this difficult to achieve and compliance levels are low. Universal design thinking encourages creative problem-solving which involves users in the design process. 

Playing catch-up with investment also allows an opportunity to avoid mistakes and to learn from the journey travelled by other countries towards removing barriers in the built environment. 

The title of the article is, A universal design approach to addressing the inaccessibility and disrepair of the built environment in Sri Lanka. It is downloadable from the Design for All India Newsletter, October 2021 (article 3). Note that this publication uses a large bold font which is not easy on the eye. 

Abstract

The combination of accessibility regulations, a rich architectural and cultural history, and recent civil war poses considerable challenges for remedying a damaged and run-down built environment. Sri Lanka has a commitment to removing barriers in the built environment for people with disability and as such has a set of robust regulations that are prescriptive and retrospective. However, drafting and translation errors have made it difficult to achieve these objectives. Consequently, there is a poor level of understanding and compliance with regulations leading to a seemingly intractable combination of difficulties.

A project funded through the aid program of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs sought to overcome these difficulties through a training program. It was decided that a robust understanding of universal design principles would provide participants with different ways of thinking about the problems and solutions. Lessons from Australia were shared including whole-of-journey transport planning. Community and industry engagement was a central theme to taking more strategic and universal design approach to solving complex problems.

Penny Galbraith is a director of CUDA.

 

Universal design as critical design

Four pictures of workshop outcomes explained in the article. Universal design as critical designWhat if architecture, interior design, engineering and product design students spend a week together to investigate the design of the built environment by making it impossible to use? By deliberately creating designs that are impossible or difficult to use, students learned about universal design. This method is known as ‘critical design’.

A week of critical design workshops provoked reflection, awareness, empathy and action among the next generation of designers involved in the built environment. The paper provides details of the workshops and the processes, and the outcomes for the students and their designs. The picture above shows four of the designs discussed in the article.

The students felt the workshop was a great learning experience. Although the workshop method needs some perfecting, it shows that students approach universal design in a more thoughtful way. 

The designs were exhibited for others to experience the difficulties people with different disabilities experience with a design. Critical design is a real challenge to design problem solving. 

The title of the paper is, Empathy Enabled by Critical Design – A New Tool in the Universal Design Toolbox. The article is published in the proceedings of the UDHEIT 2018 conference held in Dublin, Ireland.

Editor’s note: I liked the narrow doorway with a sticky floor that made entry difficult.

Finland Universal Design Conference: Selected papers

Selected papers Finland Universal Design Conference front cover.The 5th International Universal Design Conference was held in Finland earlier this year. This is an academic conference with published papers. That’s great for other academics but not so good for practitioners who want the bottom line. So it’s good to see a more consumable version of 25 selected papers.

The original papers from the conference were published by IOS Press Ebooks, titled, Universal Design 2021: From Special to Mainstream Solutions. It runs to 400 pages and is open access. Each paper is downloadable separately. However, it is a lot of scrolling to find titles of interest.

The Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Universal Design, is in one document with shorter versions of the original papers. The content covers the breadth of physical and digital environments, health and education. It also shows how far universal design thinking has come in the last ten years or so. 

The themes are:

      • Design guidance
      • Accessible cities
      • Urban design
      • Accessibility and universal design
      • Access to culture and mobility
      • Environments for older people
      • Sensory environment
      • Wellbeing and health
      • Higher education
      • Digital tools
      • Assistive devices

The conference attracted delegates and speakers from 20 countries. This is a good document for introducing new people to the breadth of universal design.

Diversity and Inclusion in the Design Studio

aerial view of three people at a desk looking at a set of construction drawings. Diversity and Inclusion Design Studio.We live in a complex and fast-changing world – the pandemic has told us that. Designers have to keep up and that means design educators also need to keep up. But it’s not just content that matters, it’s the way it’s taught in the design studio. So, universal design meets universal design for learning. Understanding indigenous ways of knowing is just one aspect of diversity and inclusion for teachers and students. A book chapter explains.

Experiential learning is a popular way for students to practice skills and apply knowledge. In their book chapter, Sandra Abegglen and Fabian Neuhouse discuss their interdisciplinary design studio course. Bringing together planning and architecture students is not new. However, bringing them together with a traditional Knowledge Keeper is different. This makes it cross-cultural as well. 

The authors describe the setting for the students, the methods and the task scenario. The intention of the course was to engage with Indigenous ways of knowing and living. In this way students could develop proposals that pay respect to traditional stewards of the land. Considerations for accessibility and inclusion were also part of the task. 

Lessons Learned

At the end of the chapter, the authors offer their reflections. 

“As instructors and researchers, we aim to enrich the quality and breadth of learning for our students. We also strive to create learning experiences that meet the demands for future professional practice. … Students learned a lot about Indigenous culture and cross-cultural approaches to design through the inputs of Hal Eagletail, Tsuut’ina Elders and Indigenous design professionals. They learned to work with others, and to appreciate different views and approaches. At the same time, through their projects, they explored what it means to develop ‘inclusive’ design proposals.”

“The outcomes demonstrate that a cross cultural approach in both course instruction and course content supports an inclusive practice. It is a setting that all learners can access and participate in meaningfully, modeling the idea of UDL and projecting it through studio practice onto the work produced by students.”

In our studios, Universal Design was implied and fostered through UDL practice, challenging the traditional one-size-fits-all model. However, for this approach to be successful, instructors need to actively support and foster collaboration and, especially online, allow enough time for a meaningful exchange.”

The title of the book chapter is, Diversity and Inclusion in the Design Studio (chapter 4). It’s open access.

The title of the book is, Incorporating Universal Design for Learning in Disciplinary Concepts in Higher Education Guide. You are likely to find other chapters of interest. 

 

Doing plain language is a process

An empty page in a notebook with a pencil and sharpener. Doing plain language is a processAccessibility and universal design have arrived in written language. People who can read and write well sometimes forget that not everyone else has that capability. But writing a document or webpage in plain language takes a lot of thought. Doing plain language is a process. This point is well made in a blog article.

Kelsie Acton writes about her plain language experiences in a blog post. As with any new idea, we grow with practice. That’s also one of the tenets of universal design: do the best you can with what you have at the time. Then do it better next time – it’s a process of continuous improvement. 

Acton’s article is a great example in itself. It isn’t plain language as such, but it is very easy to read. She explains how she thinks about plain language and the difficulties it poses sometimes. For example, words feel flat – it’s all about facts and less feeling. 

Having more than one version of a document is important. Writing in a way to make people think or to express values are difficult to do in plain language. Acton gives an example of this where she takes an emotive paragraph and turns it into plain language.

Acton says that plain language uses:

      • The most common vocabulary possible so that readers aren’t stopped by unfamiliar words
      • Active voice, so it is clear who is doing what
      • Short sentences
      • Headings, lists, bullet points, and white space to make information clearer
      • Definitions to introduce readers to complicated vocabulary

It makes you think

There is no doubt that writing complex ideas in a straightforward way takes time and effort. Acton says the process makes her think about her own understanding of a topic. Writing in an active voice makes her think about who is doing what. It also makes her think about her relationship to the topic.

So, doing plain language is more than a case of clever wordsmithing. It’s a learning process as well. Kelsie Action’s short article is on the Critical Design Lab website and worth a read. Note the design of the webpage for easy access and reading. 

Universal Design in Architectural Education

Two student models of a housing development incorporating universal design.
Two examples of student designs

Ageing is a fact of life. It’s something we know happens but don’t want to think about. But policy-makers and designers need to think about it as many of us live longer. Yes, it is a good thing, but also a challenge. Two things need to change – designer attitudes and skills, and building codes. So what are architects doing about it? We need universal design in architectural education if we are to leave behind the age-unfriendly designs of last century.

A paper from Ireland discusses many of the housing issues faced across the world. That is, homelessness, affordability, social housing, and ageing safely at home. The crisis in homelessness led to more funding for local authorities to tackle the issues. Hence, an opportunity to try something different. 

The Cork Centre for Architectural Education (CCAE) embarked on a “Live Project” for architecture students. This type of learning allows creativity to meet the real world. It also encourages students to take a moral and social approach to design. 

The authors discuss the real life project which was to design a housing development for older adults. It covers the site and the teaching methods related to universal design. Working with the local authority gave students awareness of different housing provisions. It also changed their perceptions of families similar to their own experience. 

One of the outcomes was that students found it harder to combine both the effective overall site strategy with an equally well-considered scheme for the interior of the houses. However, this was likely due to the limited time frame they were working with. But there is much more in this paper. 

The title is, Universal Design in Architectural Education: Community Liaison on ‘Live Projects’.  The paper is from the 2018 Universal Design Conference held in Dublin.    

Abstract

The infusion of Universal Design principles into existing courses in
architecture should become evident in any project work undertaken. ‘Live project’ is a term used to describe projects that engage the academic world with real-world groups/organizations.

CCAE sees such projects as valuable exercises in a student’s education, particularly, the practical experience of interaction with ‘user-experts’. In 2016 Cork County Council approached CCAE with a proposal to promote age friendly housing as part of their age-friendly initiative.

CCAE developed this into a ‘live project’ for Year 2 architecture students, continuing the integration of UD into the curriculum. This helps students to identify the negative disabling aspects of ageing and show UD principles can be seen as commonplace. For their part, the County Council were able to expand their own thinking, availing of the less constrained ideas that students brought to their schemes.

An approach to achieving the adoption of UD is to consider the Vitruvian definition of architecture as having ‘commodity, firmness and delight’. From this, the aesthetic integration of features to benefit users of limited ability can be achieved without stigmatising anyone as being old or disabled. Now in its second year the project is being run in West Cork.

The chosen site in Bantry town centre, has interesting challenges for the students to incorporate UD principles. This paper will present imaginative but viable projects as examples of student’ responses to the challenges of designing housing solutions and will report on their ability to integrate age-friendly features at different scales.

Resource for architecture students

A long flight of stairs with a handrail leading to a large concrete column. A resource for architecture students.
Note the left hand rail leads into the column

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance created a video of all the access problems at a new student learning centre. The Alliance chair, David Lepofsky narrates the video which has captions. If you are looking for design examples, this is an excellent resource for architecture students and upcoming access consultants. The obstacles that sloping columns create are clearly shown in the video along with other issues.

Some aspects of the video could make a comedy sketch if they weren’t so critical to getting around the building. Elevator controls with three different messages are a case in point. The video shows everything from large scale design issues, such as the sloping columns, to the fine detail – where is the sign? Amazingly, the building won a design award.

Full version of 30 minutes is worth the watch especially if using as a teaching resource. With captions on you can watch at a faster speed. However, there is a shorter version of 12 minutes.

Shorter version of the video at 12 minutes below.

 

What does Co-design mean? How does it work?

Two men look at a document. One is a doctor the other is a patient. 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. 

A related concept is co-design in quality improvement, for example, in a hospital setting. Both staff and patients have a role to play in advancing quality improvement. Differing levels of understanding between staff and patients can lead to tokenism. So how can we equalise knowledge so that everyone’s contribution is constructive? 

A research team in a Brisbane hospital grappled with this issue. Their research report is written in academic language and not easy to read. Nevertheless, they conclude that effective patient-staff partnerships require specific skills. Briefly, it means adapting to change, and generating new knowledge for continuous improvement.

A framework

The researches developed a framework that includes ten capabilities under three key headings. 

Diagram of the Co-design Framework.

 

    1. Personal attributes:
      • Dedicated to improving healthcare
      • Self-aware and reflective
      • Confident and flexible

2. Relationships and communication attributes:

      • Working and learning as a team
      • Collaborating and communicating
      • Advocating for everyone

3. Philosophies/Models:

      • Organisational systems & policy
      • Patient and public involvement best practice
      • Quality improvement principles.

These nine points are connected with the overarching theme of sharing power and leadership.

Title of the article is, “Co-produced capability framework for successful patient and staff partnerships in healthcare quality improvement: results of a scoping review”.

Other posts on co-design include The right to participate and co-design, and Co-design is another skill set. 

Are architecture educators teaching universal design?

Architecture blueprint with rule and pencil. Are architecture educators teaching universal design.Some government funded projects require designers to show how the project will embody the principles of universal design. But what do architects think about universal design? How are they dealing with the implementation? And are architecture educators teaching universal design? 

A survey of architects, educators and technologists were asked those questions. The aim of the survey was to find out:

1. How inherent is Universal Design knowledge to current building design practice?

2. What are the current Universal Design education and training needs of Architects and Architectural Technologists practising in Ireland?

3. Which Universal Design themes and topics are of most interest to Architects and Architectural Technologists practising in Ireland?

4. To what extent does existing CPD for Architects and Architectural Technologists practising in Ireland address Universal Design topics?

5. What can motivate Architects and Architectural Technologists practising in Ireland to access Universal Design CPD?

6. What are the most effective means by which to deliver Universal Design CPD to Architects and Architectural Technologists practising in Ireland?

There is still work to do with the data, but the initial findings are that face to face works best rather than online sessions for CPD. Respondents wanted to know more about people with mental health conditions and people with hearing impairments. They also wanted to know more about applying universal design to specific building types. 

The title of the article is Universal Design and Continuing Professional Development for Architects: An Irish Case Study. It is an open access article.

Promoting universal design in education

Some design tutors perpetuate negative attitudes towards changes to design thinking or processes. This was one finding in Promoting Universal Design in Architectural Education. Consequently, practices don’t change. The article discusses ways that design schools can include universal design into their courses. For example, working with other disciplines such as occupational therapists who can explain the functionality of designs. The article also discusses the ‘critical eye’ and the ‘appreciative eye’.

Critical Eye and Appreciative Eye

It’s easy to see the barriers and missing design features. These stand out. The ‘critical eye’ tells us what not to do, but doesn’t tell us the remedy. The ‘appreciative eye identifies the positive aspects which provide good examples. 

Good inclusive design, done well, is inconspicuous and needs a trained eye to notice it. A walkway that is flat and barrier free can be taken for granted. But we do not know how much design effort it took to make it so. The trained eye also needs to see what is not there – what is missing. A handrail or contrast stair nosings, for example.

Unfortunately this paper is published in a small Italic font and is difficult to read. 

Also see Students’ Attitudes to Universal Design in Architecture Education, by Helen Larkin, Kelsey Dell, and Danielle Hitch. It was published in the Journal of Social Inclusion, 2016.

See also Hitch, Dell and Larkin from Deakin University, who also review some of the related literature. The title of the article is, Does Universal Design Education Impact on the Attitudes of Architecture Students Towards People with Disability? Published in the Journal of Accessibility and Design for All.