Information tagged with: Universal Design

A very general overview of universal design as applied to your home.

PDF file:  Toward Universal Design A good overview of the concept of universal design in everyday environments. Design illustrations, a brief history of the movement for disability rights, and recent legal developments are included. PDF file from NCSU, AUED.9.96, Ronald L. Mace, Graeme J. Hardie, and Jaine P. Place, 1996, 44 pp.

September 2003:  "Easy-grip handles, flat thresholds, and adjustable-height vanities are just the beginning in the world's most accessible house. Its creator invited us in for an exclusive look."

Designing for People of All Ages and Abilities. It discusses the history of universal design and provides excellent illustrations of each principle. Seven in-depth case studies are profiled. This book was the first comprehensive look at the concept and application of universal design in products and the built environment. By Molly Story, James Mueller, and Ron Mace, 1998, 164 pp UDF.12.98 PDF file from NCSU.

Institute for Human Centered Design's (formerly Adaptive Environments) bibliography on universal design topics; includes books, newsletters, journals, audio-visual and web sites.Very comprehensive.

Institute for Human Centered Design's (formerly Adaptive Environments) bibliography on universal design topics; includes books, newsletters, journals, audio-visual and web sites. Very comprehensive.

PDF file:  This article was originally featured in Icon, a publication of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) by Joseph Dennis Kelly II, Publisher: ASID ICON, 2004

"The universal design movement has entered into a new phase in which the focus is on making it beautiful," says Riley, author of (Rizzoli, $40 hardcover) and editor of WE magazine, a lifestyle magazine for those with disabilities.

"Universal Design in Higher Education is a comprehensive guide for researchers and practitioners on creating fully accessible college and university programs. It is founded upon, and contributes to, theories of universal design in education that have been gaining increasingly wide attention in recent years. As greater numbers of students with disabilities attend postsecondary educational institutions, administrators have expressed increased interest in making their programs accessible to all students. This book provides both theoretical and practical guidance for schools as they work to turn this admirable goal into a reality. It addresses a comprehensive range of topics on universal design for higher education institutions, thus making a crucial contribution to the growing body of literature on special education and universal design. This book will be of unique value to university and college administrators, and to special education researchers, practitioners, and activists."

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) stands at the forefront of contemporary efforts to create universal access to educational curricula for all students, including those with disabilities. The “universal” in UDL does not mean there is a single optimal solution for everyone. Instead, it underscores the need for flexible approaches to teaching and learning that meet the needs of different kinds of learners.

In this first UDL Reader, Anne Meyer and David H. Rose, cofounders of CAST, the educational nonprofit that developed the UDL framework, bring together a collection of articles on the practical, classroom dimensions of the UDL revolution in education. The authors offer insights on learner differences, the capacities of new media in the classroom, and effective teaching and assessment practices. The volume also includes lessons from teacher professional development workshops, classroom-based research, and UDL practitioners themselves.

A highly readable volume aimed particularly at school teachers and administrators, this book is also an uncommonly accessible introduction to UDL for all readers committed to creating improved and universal access to educational materials for all students.

"The Universally Designed Classroom addresses crucial questions about how to create full access to the general education curriculum for children with disabilities. Based on years of research and innovation at CAST (The Center for Applied Special Technology), the book provides a helpful overview of the digital solutions that are at the forefront of efforts to create universal access. It also looks closely at the major policy and practice issues connected to this initiative.

The book appears at a pivotal moment in special education policy and practice. The recent reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), together with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and a general trend toward more inclusive education policies, has laid the groundwork for fully addressing the educational needs and abilities of children with disabilities of many kinds. Complementing these legal and social trends are remarkable new technologies designed to facilitate the education of those same children. Universal Design for Learning, or UDL--a network of methods, technologies, and materials developed at CAST--stands at the vanguard of this new era of initiatives and possibilities in special education.

The Universally Designed Classroom offers a concise and useful introduction to this burgeoning field. A book for teachers, administrators, scholars, policymakers, parents, and citizens, it will be required reading for all who are committed to providing the finest education for all students."

Chapter 1: Education in the Digital Age

Chapter 2: What Brain Research Tells Us About Learner Differences

Chapter 3: Why We Need Flexible Instructional Media

Chapter 4: What Is Universal Design for Learning?

Chapter 5: Using UDL to Set Clear Goals

Chapter 6: Using UDL to Support Every Student's Learning

Chapter 7: Using UDL to Accurately Assess Student Progress

Chapter 8: Making Universal Design for Learning a Reality

"Although it sometimes may seem that everything to be said on the topic of Universal Design must surely have been said, this topic is so hot right now that I feel compelled to offer an update on current news and directions. Recently, including at this year’s International Builders’ Show, there were a number of new and notable products and product design improvements being shown...."

From Dwell Magazine: "In the first video of a two-part series, New York–based firm Smart Design examines the intersection between Universal Design principles and the limitations of public bathrooms."

"Although it sometimes may seem that everything to be said on the topic of Universal Design must surely have been said, this topic is so hot right now that I feel compelled to offer an update on current news and directions. Recently, including at this year’s International Builders’ Show, there were a number of new and notable products and product design improvements being shown."

"Issues swirl together, and after weeks of being conscious of an ever increasing crescendo of complaints about technology in the classroom I sat talking with a group of other PhD candidates about Universal Design and Universal Access and why it does not seem important to most people, even in a college of education where everyone mouths support of the idea of education for all, in an American state where the Governor has promised to double the number of college graduates, in a nation committed to an idea called, "No Child Left Behind."

"The travel & hospitality industry is sensing the spark of something new. At Rolling Rains we monitor its progress and call out ideas that are standing the test of the times.

In particular we search out examples of how Universal Design creates new travel opportunities and products that are, to quote the definition of Universal Design, usable by the widest range of people operating in the widest range of situations."

"A hands on account of the trials & tribulations we encounter renovating a house for disability access."

"Moving Beyond Individual Accommodations Through the Application of Universal Design Principles and Practices."

Great selection of blog authors on a variety of issues on successful living for older adults and the people who care for them.

Blog about the universal design learning environment.

Over 60 posts from 2007-2009 looking at universal design from a wide range of perspectives, many that are non traditional.

October 10, 2010

"UB's Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute are partnering to research and change the accessibility of housing, public buildings and outdoor spaces able to accommodate people of all abilities and ages."

by: Rebecca Bratek, The Spectrum, a student publication from the University of Buffalo

Smart Senior

"Reviewing products and ideas to make independent living safer and easier."

"We hope AIPatHome.com is helpful to people who are considering new lifestyle choices that will help them safely and creatively remain in their home. Our mission is also to support a wide range of age in place professionals in their critical work to help the people we care for and about maintain the highest quality of life possible in their home – where they want to be."

"AHWGO was started in 2009 in the San Francisco Bay Area by Susanne Stadler, an architect, and Natasha Boissier, a social worker, with the goal to promote an interdisciplinary dialogue among experts, thinkers, activists and designers on the topic of aging."

Great (and long) post about how and why universal design is better positioned now than at any time in the past to succeed and become mainstream. Points include:

• Reason 1. World demographics are changing.
• Reason 2: World economies are changing.
• Reason 3: More societies throughout the world are valuing human diversity.
• Reason 4: Social sustainability is a natural part of the environmental sustainability movement.
• Reason 5: Attitudes about consumption are changing.
• Reason 6: Major corporations are developing ad campaigns that foster ease of use and inclusion.
• Reason 7: Mass customization is making it easier to develop universally designed solutions.
• Reason 8: Digital technologies are augmenting or eliminating static solutions to dynamic conditions.
• Reason 9: Design that works for everyone is starting to make sense to government officials at the local, regional, national, and global levels."

"The Rolling Rains site is a service to the travel & hospitality industry. It provides resources on Inclusive Tourism - a concept arising from the vigor of a global disability community that both enjoys and asserts the right to full social inclusion."

A unique perspective as one family journals the creation of their universally designed home.

A short video clip with good visuals narrated by universal design author Cynthia Leibrock and provided by Kohler.

Two-part video: Smart Design in Manhattan discusses Universal Design in NYC Public Bathrooms; with Dan Formosa and Richard Whitehall. Focuses a bit more on the experience of public bathrooms than the accessibility.

The Healthy House Institute has a growing list of articles on universal design; use their SEARCH window to find them by typing in the keywords, universal design.

5:00 minute overview of kitchen design with some universal design considerations.

A useful overview of toilets: types, placement and accessibility.

"It's all about people-powered products: We are a community of people passionate about well designed everyday products. By sharing our loves, hates and ideas, we can challenge the one-size-fits-all approach to assistive equipment through the use of clever modern design."

Site features:  Loves & Hates,  Ideas Factory,  Product Reviews