History of Universal Design
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History of Universal Design
"'Universal Design' means the design of products, environments, programs, and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. 'Universal design' shall not exclude assistive devices for particular groups of persons with disabilities where this is needed." –Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), United Nations, 2006
1950s–1960s
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s inspired the subsequent Disability Rights Movement that greatly influenced the legislation of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s which, in turn, influenced the creation of "Universal Design." The concept of "Universal Design" emerged from the “barrier-free” movement, which started in the USA in the 1950s as a response to World War II veterans and activists with disabilities demanding an accessible environment in the fields of education, employment, healthcare, and services. Physical barriers in the environment were seen as a significant hindrance to people with mobility impairments.
Accessible design has become a prerequisite for the recognition of the civil rights of persons with disabilities and an issue of non-discrimination of this population group.
The “barrier-free” movement began a process of change in public policies and design practices. Notable were the efforts of the Veterans Administration, The President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, and the National Easter Seals Society, among others, resulted in the development of national standards for “barrier-free” buildings. In 1961, the American Standards Association (later known as The American National Standards Institute, or ANSI), published the first accessibility standard titled, "A 117.1 – Making Buildings Accessible to and Usable by the Physically Handicapped." These standards were not enforcable, however, until adopted by state or local legislative authorities.
In the 1960s, organizations of persons with disabilities began to develop a new concept of disability which showcased how many problems emerge not because people have disabilities, but because of interactions between people and society (“the social model of disability”). In 1963, British disabled architect and urban planner Selwyn Goldsmith wrote his pioneering work, Designing for the Disabled; Goldsmith is the earliest progenitor of free access for people with disabilities in the environment. He designed the creation of the dropped curb, now a standard feature of the built environment.
Significant federal legislation was passed in the late 1960s. The Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 mandated the removal of what was perceived to be the most significant obstacle to employment for people with disabilities: the physical design of buildings and facilities they had to use on the job. The Act required all buildings designed, constructed, altered, or leased with federal funds had to be made accessible.
The 1970s
The 1970s continued this trend of significant legislation. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the first civil rights law for people with disabilities. The Act made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of disability and applied to federal agencies, public universities, federal contractors, and any institution or activity receiving federal funds. Initially stalled by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW), many disability advocates held numerous demonstrations, notably the 504 sit-in, which began on April 5, 1977 at various HEW offices in different regions such as Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Seattle. The most successful sit-in, planned by activists Judith Heumann, Kitty Cone, and Mary Jane Owen, took place in San Francisco, lasted 25 days, and to date, is the longest sit-in at a federal building. Over 120 activists participated. Regulations were signed on April 28, 1977.
Early on, advocates of barrier-free design and architectural accessibility recognized the legal, economic, and social power of a concept that addressed the common needs of people with and without disabilities. As architects began to wrestle with the implementation of standards, it became apparent that segregated accessible features were "special," more expensive, and usually ugly. It also became apparent that many of the environmental changes needed to accommodate people with disabilities actually benefited everyone. Recognition that many such features could be commonly provided and thus less expensive, unlabeled, attractive, and even marketable, laid the foundation for the universal design movement.
The 1980s
"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."
–Ron Mace
In 1985, disabled American architect Ronald "Ron" Mace coined the term “Universal Design” to describe the idea that many people, whether disabled or non-disabled, benefit from a more accessible built environment. Mace concluded that architects and product designers should make all environments accessible, rather than requiring disabled people to request “retrofits” (or alterations) after a building has already been constructed. Although these ideas had circulated for decades, Mace’s term propelled the concept into the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) era. (Hamraie, 2017).
In 1989, Mace 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. Together, with a group of architects, designers, and engineers, he developed the 7 Principles of Universal Design, which are now used in various fields including architecture, education, healthcare, transport, information and communication technology.
The 1990s
Mace's pioneering work in accessible design was pivotal in the passing of national legislation prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities, the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 and The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The Fair Housing Amends of 1988 expanded the coverage of Civil Rights Act of 1968 to include families with children and people with disabilities. The Act also required that accessible units be created in all new multi-family housing with four or more units, both public and private, not just those who had received funds.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 created widespread public awareness of civil rights of people with disabilities. Discrimination in employment, access to places of public accomodation, services, programs, public transportation, and telecommunications is prohibited by this law. Physical barriers impeding access must be removed wheever they visit. It is a uniform nationwide mandate that ensures accessibilty regardless of local attitudes.
In 1991, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) issued Accessibility Guidelines for accessible design. These guidelines were adopted with modifications by the U.S. Department of Justice and became the enforcable ADA Standards for Accessible Design.
In 1997, the Center brought together a team of advocates of Universal Design who compiled and developed The Principles of Universal Design, which has been translated into French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Hindi, Arabic, Indonesian, Hebrew, and Chinese. In 1999, the Center received a grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), U.S. Department of Education, to operate a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center to advance Universal Design and continue improving on the accessibility and feasibility of the built environment.
2000s–Present
Today, disabled architects like John "Jack" H. Catlin continue to advocate and include Universal Design into their urban and architectural practices. Access Living, for example, a center of service, advocacy, and social change for people with all kinds of disabilities, led and run by individuals with disabilities, opened in 2007. Its building is one of the first examples of being completely created with Universal Design in mind. It is also entirely environmentally friendly. Its construction and planning was overseen by Catlin and LCM Architects, the firm where he is Partner.
Discussions and implementations of Universal Design continue today, though they are yet to be widespread.