An article in Architecture and Design magazine makes the point that architects have a creative responsibility to ensure designs are not just accessible but also inclusive and future proofed. In most cases renovating a building to be accessible costs significantly more than making the building accessible from new. Consequently, it makes economic sense to make places and spaces inclusive from the beginning.There are three easy changes architects can make to their design process to make more inclusive places and spaces. First, involve people with disability and other marginalised groups in the design phase. In other words, co-design.Co-designing with a diversity of building users is an essential element of a universal design approach. Architects get to understand the challenges and barriers as well as the solutions that come from this process. The second change is to look beyond access consultants.Access consultants typically focus on regulatory compliance to make sure they meet standards. However, if given more scope, they can also provide solutions beyond the standards within a co-design process. The third change is to avoid exaggerating the design challenges.The co-design process brings practical solutions to the table that are often outside the usual architectural ideas about universal design. For example, the cost of a ramp can be saved if it can be designed out.The article concludes, “Ultimately, the true measure of architectural excellence lies not just in the beauty of the structures we create but the lives changed by making accessibility non-negotiable”. The title of the magazine article is, How architects can help create a more inclusive Australia.
Some background research
A research project by Ielegems and Vanrie compared the costs of new-build with renovation. They found that both have costs but they are significantly lower for new-builds. The aim of their study was to find a research method to calculate the cost of universal design. Their paper is necessarily technical and covers different types of public buildings. The findings vary according to the scale of each building. However, economic arguments usually favour the users of the building and not the builders and developers. Consequently, going beyond compliance becomes a political and ethical decision rather than an economic one.The title of the article is, The cost of Universal Design for public buildings: Exploring a realistic, context dependent research approach. It is covered in more detail in a previous postand was cited and downloaded from the CUDA website for the magazine article above.
Ageing in place and ageing and place are intertwined but distinct. Both place and home need to support people as they age – one is insufficient without the other. Generally, ageing in place means ‘staying put’. That can mean the staying in the same home or staying in the same community or neighbourhood.
Research with older people suggests that ageing in place is more nuanced than just a home or neighbourhood. It’s also about personal and cultural values, priorities and connections to people and places. It is layered with social, material and symbolic meaning. And it’s about having choices about where and how to age.
Janine Wiles and Tara Coleman found that older people valued highly the ability to have choices about their living arrangements and access to services. Familiarity and connections brought a sense of belonging and security.
Meaning of home
Housing is basically an infrastructure concept whereas home is where personal routines and interactions take place. This is what brings meaning. This is why we become attached to places. Wiles and Coleman found that this sense of attachment has positive functional, physical and mental health outcomes all contributing to wellbeing.
Home maintenance
The ability to carry out maintenance tasks contributes to attachment. However, when these tasks become difficult, either through ability or financial constraints, the sense of home is disrupted. Homes in disrepair are not only hazardous but lessen the attachment to the home.
‘Home and aging’ by Wiles and Coleman is a chapter in Handbook on Aging and Place. Editors are Malcolm Cutchin and Graham D Rowles. It is available for purchase from ElgarOnline.
Chapter Introduction
Home is a concept both underpinning and animated by ideas about ‘aging in place’ and experiences of place and aging. Home is an important resource during older age. At a time when people typically face changes and challenges, having a secure sense of home and strong attachment to place can give a sense of agency, autonomy, and resilience. A sense of home is intricately entwined with our preferred sense of who we are, and with how we build and sustain relationships with others and with places. Conversely, disruption to the sense of home can create instability and accentuate the feeling of being ‘at the end of life’ or of vulnerability and fragility.
Norway has been following the underlying concepts of universal design for 25 years. This means they have a history of policy and activities to reflect upon. Previous papers have highlighted successes and where there is room for improvement. A new Norwegian study looks at universal design through a legislative lens and finds legal documents favour visible disabilities.
In more recent years, people with invisible disabilities have raised their voices in the disability rights movement. However, their voices are yet to be incorporated into legislative documents. Historically, people with mobility and vision impairments led the way in disability rights. This means their needs were front of mind when legislation was formed.
The Norwegian researchers wanted to find out if there is a “disability prestige” at play. This is where some disabilities count more than others. Or is it something as basic as just having your disability visible to others? The researchers concluded that visibility was more important to explain discrimination between groups.
The Norwegian study can be generalised to many other countries. In Australia the Access to Premises Standard also favours people with mobility and vision impairments.
The Norwegian researchers carried out their study in the context of transport. They discuss the wording of documents and how terms such as “reduced mobility” are interpreted. It can mean a person with a physical and/or a cognitive impairment. However, it is most often linked to movement of the body.
Prestige versus visibility
In the Norwegian documents mobility impairments are mentioned more frequently than other disabilities. Vision impairments, also frequently mentioned, come in second. The researchers conclude that discrimination between disability types is mostly explained by the visibility of a disability.
Why does this matter? Because when provision for other disabilities and long term health conditions are not mentioned in legal documents, businesses and services don’t provide them.
Is there such a thing as non-mandatory when it comes to the Disability Discrimination Act? Access consultant Bryce Tolliday writes a thoughtful piece in Access Insight on this topic. He bemoans the way building certifiers, designers and others who request design changes. This is because, they believe the consultant’s design advice is non-mandatory. They just think it is “nice to have”. However, in the mandatory vs non-mandatory debate, it’s the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) they should be thinking about.
There is a misunderstanding of the laws affecting new building work as well as the value a good access consultant can bring to the project.
A mandatory requirement is something you must to do and is non-negotiable. Tolliday argues that it’s not possible to have a non-mandatory outcome under the DDA. That’s because the objects of the law are to eliminate, as far as possible, discrimination on the grounds of disability.
Which law comes first?
It’s the mix of different laws, standards and regulations that confuse people. Some are enacted at a federal level and some are enacted by states and territories. Federal laws always trump state and territory laws.
People who want to press the non-mandatory argument rely on the NCC being the primary building regulation in Australia. But this is not the case. Each state and territory has to adopt the NCC elements into their respective building codes. Consequently, the Commonwealth law, the DDA together withe Disability Standards, becomes the law to follow.
The problem for designers and certifiers is that the DDA does not specify design standards or outcomes in the same way as the NCC. How can one know whether a design feature will discriminate or disadvantage a person with disability? Tolliday’s response is:
If they cannot provide an evidence-based reason demonstrating that disadvantage will not occur then what the access consultant is proposing is a mandatory requirement under the DDA.
The outcomes expected by the DDA are not covered by Australian Standards related to disability access. This is due to the minimal requirements of the Standards that do not cover the full diversity of disability.
Case study confirms what’s mandatory
In the case of Ryan v the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service the mandatory requirements went beyond the NCC, the Premises Standards and AS1428. The late Peter Ryan who was blind brought the action. He argued he was disadvantaged by the design of the Hospital. Shorelines, glare, and luminance contrast were not covered by the NCC but covered by other design guidelines and international standards. Tactile and braille signage for the entire hospital was not covered by the NCC or AS1428 either.
Ryan frequently got lost when he visited as an outpatient. He posthumously won the case and it will cost the Hospital millions to address the 17 breaches of the design.
The Judge found Peter Ryan and been indirectly discriminated against. The Hospital had not considered key features that could impact patients who were blind or had low vision.
The key issue for Tolliday is that the Australian Building Codes Board, which looks after the NCC, has said it will not regulate internal fitouts. Office buildings, for example, are not fitted out at completion, so that is reasonable. However, schools, hotels and hospitals are fitted out at completion.
Getting information in an emergency can mean the different between life and death. Or at least the difference between feeling helpless and knowing what to do. But communication is a complex process and not everyone responds to the same methods. So what is accessible information? It’s information provided in different formats.
Easy Read and Easy English use pictures as well as words. These are good for the 44% of the population with a low level of literacy. Targeting this group means people with higher levels of literacy can also get the message. It’s universal design.
Other formats are braille and Auslan, and captioning for videos. The Disability Discrimination Act lists places and services that must not discriminate, but there is nothing specific about information methods. This is something that needs to be made clearer in the legislation. However, the Commonwealth and state governments have policies to cover the provision of information.
Accessible emergency and crisis information
Researchers found four things to improve crisis information.
Accessible information providers, such as Easy Read professionals, are not experts in the subject at hand. They need support from experts such as doctors or police.
2. Accessible information providers need to stay up to date with changing details. Having one direct source is the best way to manage this.
3. Making high quality accessible information takes time and skill. It’s essential to have the capacity and capability ready to act – don’t wait for the crisis to happen.
4. Agencies need to be upskilled. Sometimes crisis information needs to be available immediately such as an evacuation order. Emergency services need more baseline skills to make this information themselves.
Media organisations, businesses and services need to get on board too. The more people who produce accessible information, the better.
War time crisis communication
A Masters thesis on crisis communication for older people in a war-related scenario uses personas as a means of highlighting the issues. Knowing where the meeting points are at a time of crisis are essential, but how best to communicate these. Information channels need to go beyond the Internet and be easily understood. Planning for a crisis from an older person’s perspective automatically includes all ages.
This thesis explains in detail the process used to suggest changes needed for older people to be accommodated in crisis planning.
Crisis preparedness has become a greater focus in Sweden since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in spring 2022. Therefore, information at a national level is required to ensure safety.. However, there is a risk that older people could have difficulties understanding information provided.
The Internet is often used as an information channel, but not everyone can access this. This study investigated different crisis communication channels in Sweden and how they can be tailored for older people. Shelters and meeting points also need to be designed to include older people.
Observations of shelters in Gothenburg and interviews with municipalities were carried out. To guide authorities for future development of crisis information a combination of guidelines, personas and concept proposals are suggested. The concepts proposed are a physical shelter map that can be printed directly from the shelter map MSB (Swedish civil contingency agency).
Proposed concepts for meeting points are a brochure with information about the meeting points that each municipality will offer their citizens. Proposed solution for prioritising the elderly at a meeting point is also suggested with a queuing system and an “area for elderly”.
To understand the concepts and feelings involved, storytelling for both proposals was developed explaining the user journey. This project can be used for further exploration of concepts proposals and development of crisis communication channels and planning for meeting points.
Design can have a dark side, often as a result of unintended consequences. This can happen when designers have just one group of people in mind, or when good design ideas are changed at the last moment. The Fifth Estate article about the Howard Smith Wharves in Brisbane illustrates how good design can morph into bad design.
The wharf development was supposed to be a vibrant playground for ‘lovers of the good life’. The development included restaurants and an active transport corridor along the river. The path required separation with line markings, but all this changed just before opening.
A gravel path was installed with the idea that this would be a “go slow” zone. Of course the community objected. A key city thoroughfare was disrupted and the gravel reduced accessibility. And new safety hazards arose because of no line markings. Who then were the ‘lovers of the good life’? Image above from Facebook.
Design is powerful. It can include or exclude. While many designers are doing their best to be inclusive, others are deliberately creating hostile designs. Why do this? It’s under the heading of “defensive architecture” – ways to prevent crime. But should this be solved with design – it’s the opposite of universal design.
An article from UNSW begins, “Spike, bars and barricades are not typically things you would associate with a park. But it turns out they are part of a growing suite of hostile design interventions in public spaces.”
Creating urban discomfort
Spikes are embedded in flat surfaces underneath bridges to deter rough sleepers. Seats and flat surfaces made too uncomfortable to sit on for any length of time. Flat surfaces act as seating for those tired legs. Meanwhile, it goes against all the principles of universal design and encouraging people to get out and about.
“I believe design functions like the soundtrack that we are not fully aware we are playing. It sends subconscious messages about how to feel and what to expect” says John Carey in his Ted Talk. So what good is design if it’s not for everyone?
John Carey calls fellow architects to create places and spaces for people other than themselves – who, for the most part are white males. “Dignity is to design is what justice is to law and health is to medicine”. “The design reflects back to you your value”. “If good design is only for a privileged few, what good is it?” “Good design shapes our idea of who we are in the world and what we deserve.”
Unlike law and medicine, architecture has failed to attract and sustain women and people of colour. This is a passionate talk that does not mention accessibility specifically, but is a call to consider everyone in designs. Check it out.
You’d think health care workers would know about disability, but apparently, disabilities are not discussed or taught in a health care context. Questions over quality of life, ability to decide and choose are all issues that affect people with disability when interacting with the health profession.
An article written by two nurses calls out ableism in health care. Ableism occurs when a person with disability experiences discrimination or prejudice from a health care provider.
They can underestimate the person’s quality of life or competence which affects their level of care. Patients need to feel safe and not to be fearful of being judged or not being heard.
Case study
The article uses a case study of a 60 year old women with Down syndrome to illustrate the issues during the COVID pandemic. This case is not about the care provider being ableist, but being an advocate for the woman. The doctor was pressured by family members to activate the do not resuscitate (DNR) code when the woman entered ICU. The doctor persisted in advocating for the patient and she eventually recovered.
Communication with patients is key. Patients with cognitive disabilities may face attention, memory and comprehension challenges. Nurses must therefore adapt their communication style, learn about the disability and avoid negative language that insults or demeans.
The authors encourage nurses to advocate for people with disability within health care services and in the design of environments.
Ableism isn’t just about patients – it includes family members, and other health care workers. Knowledge can help overcome stereotypes and stigma and improve health and wellbeing for all. Knowledge also helps nurses and other health professionals to feel confident when engaging with people with disability.
“People with disabilities can be any age, face chronic health conditions or mental illness, belong to a minority group, experience low income or housing insecurity, have limited English proficiency, or a combination of many of these conditions. To better understand the effect of health inequities and the manner in which they affect Social Security Administration’s (SSA) disability programs, the National Academies hosted a public workshop in April 2024 that examined the variety of different experiences of individuals with disabilities and the consequences of those experiences on an individual’s health status, medical record, and SSA disability determinations.”
Whether it’s digital technology, the built environment, or a tourist destination, checklists don’t make an inclusive culture. When it comes to digital accessibility checklists Sheri Byrne-Haber says, “Just say no”. That’s because general accessibility checklists do more harm than good in establishing a good accessibility program. It doesn’t lead to an inclusive culture.
“… requiring accessibility or guilting or punishing people for failing to provide accessibility is at the bottom half of the accessibility motivation hierarchy.”
According to the Hierarchy, Guilt is about not caring enough. The threat of Punishment is based on, “Do this or you will get sued”. Require focuses on technical requirements – the minimum required by law. Rewards, such as certification statements, awards, and badges can bring about change. However, they are often for the benefit of the maker or designer rather than the user.
Enlightenment comes when people see that accessibility is not just the smart thing to do, or the right thing. When people are motivated for good, that’s enlightenment. This is when they can see the powerful benefits end users gain. A better product emerges and business improves so not being accessible doesn’t make sense.
“Inspiration occurs when you see and experience the distinct impact the accessibility (or lack thereof) of your product can have on the lives of an individual with disabilities.”
Byrne-Haber discusses the issues of checklists from the perspective of digital technology, but her arguments apply across the built environment as well. Indeed, you could also add businesses that are claiming Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) credentials. WebAIM’s effectiveness pyramid, Hierarchy for Motivating Accessibility Change, puts it into perspective.
When are checklists OK?
Once an inclusive culture is established, targeted checklists are appropriate for guiding new people to make sure they don’t “break the system”. In the website world, Byrne-Haber says that people adding material to a website need some do’s and don’ts. But this could also apply in other areas too. Maintaining the inclusive design intent of a building requires all stakeholders to keep to the theme. So, for example, a checklist for interior designers might be appropriate in these circumstances.
The Rethinking the Future blog site has an article on architectural education and gender equality. First, it asks if architecture is gender driven both as a profession and in academia. Second, it asks if the diverse experience of students is really fostering and representing diversity. The third point is, how can a more inclusive learning environment be created. The article concludes with a plea for change.
“Analysing the traditional architectural education system, one can observe the persistence of a masculine Paradigm.”
The word “architect” conjures up an image of a man so that if a woman is an architect she is referred to as a female architect, not just “architect”. However, moves to address this gender imbalance is being addressed as more women are accepted into architectural institutions. But how many female star architects are there?
Fostering student diversity
Analysing enrolment data for gender ratios helps identify any significant disparities amongst different countries. The visibility and experience of LGBTIQ students in architecture schools can be carried out through surveys or interviews. Social, political and psychological aspects can be revealed by identifying unique challenges students with multiple marginalised identities face. These can be race, ethnicity, religion, and gender diversity.
Faculty and curriculum
Faculty members should move beyond traditional teaching methods by adopting methods to cater for diverse learning styles. Creating an equitable education experience will bring more diversity within learner enrollments and future teaching staff. With a diversity of ideas and mentors there is a better chance of including the LGBTI community and women.
Pocket parks are often an afterthought by developers, architects and councils. Typically, they are bits of left over space that can’t be used for a building or a road. With increased population density, this public space needs to be planned. And it needs to be accessible and inclusive.
“These pocket parks are a terrific opportunity to answer that problem and to provide public space for the local community where previously there may not have been any.” Mike Harris, UNSW.
Pocket parks are being created in spaces not previously considered for green space in Sydney. Large parks such as Centennial Park in Sydney are planned, but master plans need to plan smaller parks in subdivisions as well.
Pocket parks are not all the same. A town centre might have more seating whereas a residential one could feature play equipment. They can also be part of mitigating heat effects. In existing developments, creating a pocket park might mean reclaiming portions of the street.
“We must consider public spaces as social infrastructure and value them in terms of their wellbeing benefits,” Ela Glogowska, UNSW.
Larger parks are still a must, but smaller places within easy walking distance are also essential. It is worth applying the three basic principles of the Everyone Can Play guide. Can I get there, Can I play, Can I stay. Connection to Country is another factor often forgotten.
An article in Architecture and Design magazine makes the point that architects have a creative responsibility to ensure designs are not just accessible but also inclusive and future proofed. In most cases renovating a building to be accessible costs significantly more than making the building accessible from new. Consequently, it makes economic sense to make places and spaces inclusive from the beginning.
There are three easy changes architects can make to their design process to make more inclusive places and spaces. First, involve people with disability and other marginalised groups in the design phase. In other words, co-design.
Co-designing with a diversity of building users is an essential element of a universal design approach. Architects get to understand the challenges and barriers as well as the solutions that come from this process. The second change is to look beyond access consultants.
Access consultants typically focus on regulatory compliance to make sure they meet standards. However, if given more scope, they can also provide solutions beyond the standards within a co-design process. The third change is to avoid exaggerating the design challenges.
The co-design process brings practical solutions to the table that are often outside the usual architectural ideas about universal design. For example, the cost of a ramp can be saved if it can be designed out.
The article concludes, “Ultimately, the true measure of architectural excellence lies not just in the beauty of the structures we create but the lives changed by making accessibility non-negotiable”.
The title of the magazine article is, How architects can help create a more inclusive Australia.
A research project by Ielegems and Vanrie compared the costs of new-build with renovation. They found that both have costs but they are significantly lower for new-builds. The aim of their study was to find a research method to calculate the cost of universal design. Their paper is necessarily technical and covers different types of public buildings. The findings vary according to the scale of each building.
However, economic arguments usually favour the users of the building and not the builders and developers. Consequently, going beyond compliance becomes a political and ethical decision rather than an economic one.
The title of the article is, The cost of Universal Design for public buildings: Exploring a realistic, context dependent research approach. It is covered in more detail in a previous post and was cited and downloaded from the CUDA website for the magazine article above.
Ageing in place and ageing and place are intertwined but distinct. Both place and home need to support people as they age – one is insufficient without the other. Generally, ageing in place means ‘staying put’. That can mean the staying in the same home or staying in the same community or neighbourhood. 
Norway has been following the underlying concepts of 
Design can have a dark side, often as a result of unintended consequences. This can happen when designers have just one group of people in mind, or when good design ideas are changed at the last moment. The Fifth Estate article about the Howard Smith Wharves in Brisbane illustrates how good design can morph into bad design.
Design is powerful. It can include or exclude. While many designers are doing their best to be inclusive, others are deliberately creating 
“I believe design functions like the soundtrack that we are not fully aware we are playing. It sends subconscious messages about how to feel and what to expect” says John Carey in his Ted Talk. So what good is design if it’s not for everyone?
