Selwyn Goldsmith
Dublin Core
Title
Selwyn Goldsmith
Description
Profile and biography of Selwyn Goldsmith.
Person Item Type Metadata
Birth Date
1932
Birthplace
Newark, Nottinghamshire
Death Date
2011
Occupation
Architect
Biographical Text
Selwyn Goldsmith was a disabled British architect and urban planner.
Goldsmith was educated at Abbotsholme school, Staffordshire, and read architecture at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, completing his qualification at the Bartlett School, University College London, in 1956. He contracted polio immediately afterwards, which resulted in his being paralysed on one side of his body.
In 1963, he authored Designing for the Disabled, a comprehensive architectural planning manual providing guidance on access for disabled people to facilities and buildings. This was a entirely new concept for the United Kingdom. In 1967, he was commissioned to write the second, expanded, revised version of the text. He studied the local population of Norwich, and based his findings on their experiences (in total, he interviewed 284 wheelchair users). From this research, he developed the dropped curb, now a standard in accessibility practices.
After a brief stint as the buildings editor at the Architects' Journal, Goldsmith joined the Department of the Environment (DOE). In 1981, he produced reports on mobility housing, and was a key figure in the international year of disabled people. In 1982, he became the first architect to receive the prestigious Harding award, for his services to disabled people.
In 1992, Goldsmith retired from the DOE, and set about writing a new book, Designing for the Disabled – The New Paradigm. Partly autobiographical, this work focused on the needs of wheelchair users, ambulant disabled people, children and families with pushchairs. In 2000, he published his last book, Universal Design.
Goldsmith was educated at Abbotsholme school, Staffordshire, and read architecture at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, completing his qualification at the Bartlett School, University College London, in 1956. He contracted polio immediately afterwards, which resulted in his being paralysed on one side of his body.
In 1963, he authored Designing for the Disabled, a comprehensive architectural planning manual providing guidance on access for disabled people to facilities and buildings. This was a entirely new concept for the United Kingdom. In 1967, he was commissioned to write the second, expanded, revised version of the text. He studied the local population of Norwich, and based his findings on their experiences (in total, he interviewed 284 wheelchair users). From this research, he developed the dropped curb, now a standard in accessibility practices.
After a brief stint as the buildings editor at the Architects' Journal, Goldsmith joined the Department of the Environment (DOE). In 1981, he produced reports on mobility housing, and was a key figure in the international year of disabled people. In 1982, he became the first architect to receive the prestigious Harding award, for his services to disabled people.
In 1992, Goldsmith retired from the DOE, and set about writing a new book, Designing for the Disabled – The New Paradigm. Partly autobiographical, this work focused on the needs of wheelchair users, ambulant disabled people, children and families with pushchairs. In 2000, he published his last book, Universal Design.
Files
Collection
Citation
“Selwyn Goldsmith,” Disability Inclusivity in Medicine: Representations, Policies, Environment, and Technologies, accessed April 27, 2025, https://mail.dhd752groupproject.digital.uic.edu/items/show/31.