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Universal Design

Universal Design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design

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4 Principles

Supportive
Adaptable
Accessible
Safety Oriented

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7 Principles

Equitable use - the design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities
Flexibility in use - design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities
Simple, intuitive use - use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level
Perceptible information - design communicates necessary information eﬀectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities
Tolerance for error - the design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended action
Low physical eﬀort - the design can be used eﬃciently and comfortably, with a minimum of fatigue
Size and space for approach and use - appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use, regardless of the user’s body size, posture, or mobility

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A closer look…

Flexibility in use - design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities
Simple, intuitive use - use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level
Perceptible information - design communicates necessary information eﬀectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities
Tolerance for error - the design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended action

Examples

Power doors with sensors at entrances that are convenient for all users.
Scissors designed for right- and left-handed users.
A moving sidewalk or escalator in a public space. OR an instruction manual with drawings in addition to text
Redundant cueing (e.g. voice communications and signage) in airports, train stations, and subways cars
“Undo” feature in computer software that allows the user to correct mistakes without penalty
Lever or loop handles on doors and faucets. OR touch lamps operated without a switch.
Controls on the front and clear floor space around appliances, mailboxes, dumpsters, and other elements. OR wide gates at subway stations that accommodate all users

Equitable use - the design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities
Low physical eﬀort - the design can be used eﬃciently and comfortably, with a minimum of fatigue
Size and space for approach and use - appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use, regardless of the user’s body size, posture, or mobility

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Universal Design Goals

Body Fit - accommodating a wider range of body sizes and abilities
Comfort - keeping demands within desirable limits of body function and perception
Awareness - ensuring that critical information for use is easily perceived
Understanding - making methods of operations and use intuitive, clear, and unambiguous

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Universal Design Goals

Wellness - contributing to health promotion, avoidance of disease, and protection from hazards
Social Integration - treating all groups with dignity and respect
Personalization - incorporating opportunities for choice and the expression of individual preferences
Cultural Appropriateness - respecting and reinforcing cultural values, and the social and environmental contexts of any design project

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A closer look…

Body Fit - accommodating a wider range of body sizes and abilities
Wellness - contributing to health promotion, avoidance of disease, and protection from hazards
Social Integration - treating all groups with dignity and respect
Personalization - incorporating opportunities for choice and the expression of individual preferences
Cultural Appropriateness - respecting and reinforcing cultural values, and the social and environmental contexts of any design project

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Social Model of Disability

Social restrictions

disabling barriers, environments, and cultures (e.g. inaccessible buildings, houses, and transportation systems)

Goal: increase accessibility

Focuses on the social restrictions of inaccessible buildings, houses and transportation systems. How do such restrictions disable people?
The social model shifts attention to the problems created by disabling barriers, environments and cultures.
The main goal of the social model is to provide increased accessibility to the built environment for disabled people, through the elimination of disabling barriers.

Accessible Icon project: co-founded by Sara Hendren and Brian Glenney, designed to display an active and engaged disabled person. This symbol is officially used in the state of New York and Connecticut. In 2015 the Federal Highway Administration rejected the new design for use on road signs because it hasn’t been endorsed by the U.S Access Board, the agency responsible for developing the federal criteria for accessible design.

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Key Points

UD defines ways of thinking about designing environments and products that work for the greatest number of people
Applied to address the evolving diversity of populations
A continuous process to improve human performance, health, wellness and social participation
Demands that we think about design as an innovation process

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Resources

Hamraie, A. (2017). Building Access. University of Minnesota Press. https://doi.org/10.5749/j.ctt1pwt79d.

Null, R. L. (2014). Universal design : principles and models (Second edition.).

Steinfeld, E., Maisel, J., & Levine, D. (2012). Universal Design : Creating Inclusive Environments. (1st ed.).

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Contact Information

Ana Fierro, Ph.D

avfierro@arizona.edu

Access Consultant

Disability Resource Center

University of Arizona

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