Ronald "Ron" Lawrence Mace, FAIA
Dublin Core
Title
Ronald "Ron" Lawrence Mace, FAIA
Description
Profile and biography of Ronald "Ron" Lawrence Mace, FAIA.
Person Item Type Metadata
Birth Date
1941
Birthplace
Jersey City, NJ
Death Date
June 29, 1998
Occupation
Architect
Biographical Text
Ronald "Ron" Lawrence Mace was a design pioneer, the visionary of Universal Design, and the founder and program director of The Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
Born in New Jersey, NJ, he grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 1950, at the age of nine, he contracted polio, and used a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He studied architecture at the North Carolina State University's School of Design, where he encountered inaccessible facilities that limited his use and mobility around campus. He graduated with a BA in 1966.
After four years of practicing conventional architecture, he became involved in the effort to produce the first building code for accessibility in the nation. This code became mandatory in North Carolina in 1973 and served as a model for other states.
In 1985, he pioneered the concept of "Universal Design." In 1989, he established the federally-funded Center for Accessible Housing, currently known as The Center for Universal Design, at the School of Design at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He was also a Research Professor in the Architecture Department in the School of Design at the North Carolina State University.
Ron's pioneering work in accessible design was instrumental in the passage of national legislation prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities, the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 and The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Mace was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and received the Distinguished Service Award of the President of the United States in 1992 for distinguished service in promoting dignity, equality, independence and employment of people with disabilities.
Born in New Jersey, NJ, he grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 1950, at the age of nine, he contracted polio, and used a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He studied architecture at the North Carolina State University's School of Design, where he encountered inaccessible facilities that limited his use and mobility around campus. He graduated with a BA in 1966.
After four years of practicing conventional architecture, he became involved in the effort to produce the first building code for accessibility in the nation. This code became mandatory in North Carolina in 1973 and served as a model for other states.
In 1985, he pioneered the concept of "Universal Design." In 1989, he established the federally-funded Center for Accessible Housing, currently known as The Center for Universal Design, at the School of Design at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He was also a Research Professor in the Architecture Department in the School of Design at the North Carolina State University.
Ron's pioneering work in accessible design was instrumental in the passage of national legislation prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities, the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 and The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Mace was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and received the Distinguished Service Award of the President of the United States in 1992 for distinguished service in promoting dignity, equality, independence and employment of people with disabilities.
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Collection
Citation
“Ronald "Ron" Lawrence Mace, FAIA,” Disability Inclusivity in Medicine: Representations, Policies, Environment, and Technologies, accessed April 27, 2025, https://mail.dhd752groupproject.digital.uic.edu/items/show/11.