Editing Universal design (section)

== History ==
The term ''universal design'' was coined by the [[architect]] [[Ronald Mace]] to describe the concept of designing all products and the built environment to be aesthetic and usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of their age, ability, or status in life.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/about_us/usronmace.htm |title=Ronald L. Mace|publisher = NC State University|department =College of Design | location = Raleigh |quote = The Center for Universal Design is currently not active due to funding challenges. | archive-url =  https://web.archive.org/web/20171004210213/https://projects.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/about_us/usronmace.htm | archive-date = October 4, 2017 | date = 2008 | format = Remembrance |  website =The Center for Universal Design |access-date= June 16, 2022 }}</ref>  However, due to some people having unusual or conflicting access needs, such as a person with [[low vision]] needing bright light and a person with [[photophobia]] needing dim light, universal design does not address absolutely every need for every person in every situation.<ref name="Independence Australia-2020" />

Universal design emerged from slightly earlier '''barrier-free''' concepts, the broader accessibility movement, and [[adaptive technology|adaptive]] and [[assistive technology]] and also seeks to blend [[aesthetics]] into these core considerations. As [[life expectancy]] rises and [[modern medicine]] increases the survival rate of those with significant injuries, illnesses, and birth defects, there is a growing interest in universal design. There are many industries in which universal design is having strong market penetration but there are many others in which it has not yet been adopted to any great extent. Universal design is also being applied to the design of technology, instruction, services, and other products and environments. Several different fields, such as engineering, architecture, and medicine collaborate in order to effectively create accessible environments that can lend to inclusion for a variety of disabilities.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Advances in design for inclusion: proceedings of the AHFE 2017 International Conference on Design for Inclusion, July 17-21, 2017, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles, California, USA |date=2018 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-60597-5 |editor-last=Di Bucchianico |editor-first=Giuseppe |series=Advances in intelligent systems and computing |location=Cham, Switzerland |editor-last2=Kercher |editor-first2=Pete F.}}</ref> It can change the socio-material relationships people have with spaces and environments and create positive experiences for all kinds of abilities. Which allows for meaningful participation across multiple demographics experiencing disability.<ref>{{Citation |last=Barton |first=Len |title=Sociology and disability: some emerging issues |date=1996 |work=Disability and Society |pages=3–17 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315841984-2/sociology-disability-emerging-issues-len-barton |access-date=2024-04-11 |publisher=Routledge |doi=10.4324/9781315841984-2 |isbn=978-1-315-84198-4|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Barrier-free design ===
In 1960, specifications for barrier-free design were published as a compendium of over 11 years of disability ergonomic research. In 1961, the [[American National Standards Institute|American National Standard Institute (ANSI)]] A1171.1 specifications were published as the first Barrier Free Design standard. It presented criteria for designing facilities and programs for use by individuals with disabilities. The research started in 1949 at the [[University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign]] and continues to this day. The principal investigator, Dr. [[Timothy Nugent]], who is credited in the 1961, 1971, and 1980 standards, also started the [[National Wheelchair Basketball Association]]. 

The [[ANSI]] A117.1 standard was adopted by the [[Federal government of the United States|US federal government]] [[General Services Administration]] under the [[Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards]] (UFAS) in 1984, then in 1990 for [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990|American with Disabilities Act (ADA)]]. The archived research documents are at the [[International Code Council]] (ICC) - ANSI A117.1 division. Dr. [[Timothy Nugent|Nugent]] made presentations around the globe in the late 1950s and 1960s presenting the concept of independent functional participation for individuals with disabilities through program options and architectural design.

Another comprehensive publication by the [[Royal Institute of British Architects]] published three editions 1963, 1967, 1976 and 1997 of Designing for the Disabled by [[Selwyn Goldsmith]] UK. These publications contain valuable empirical data and studies of individuals with disabilities. Both standards are excellent resources for the designer and builder.

Disability ergonomics should be taught to designers, engineers, non-profits executives to further the understanding of what makes an environment wholly tenable and functional for individuals with disabilities.

In October 2003, representatives from [[China]], [[Japan]], and [[South Korea]] met in [[Beijing, China|Beijing]] and agreed to set up a committee to define common design standards for a wide range of products and services that are easy to understand and use. Their goal is to publish a standard in 2004 which covers, among other areas, standards on containers and wrappings of household goods (based on a proposal from experts in Japan), and standardization of signs for public facilities, a subject which was of particular interest to China as it prepared to host the [[2008 Summer Olympics]].

=== Design for All ===
[[Selwyn Goldsmith]], author of ''Designing for the Disabled'' (1963), pioneered the concept of free access for people with disabilities. His most significant achievement was the creation of the [[curb cut|dropped curb]] – now a standard feature of the built environment.

The term '''Design for All''' (DfA) is used to describe a design philosophy targeting the use of products, services and systems by as many people as possible without the need for adaptation. "Design for All is design for human diversity, social inclusion and equality" (EIDD Stockholm Declaration, 2004). According to the [[European Commission]], it "encourages manufacturers and service providers to produce new technologies for everyone: technologies that are suitable for the [[elderly]] and people with [[disabilities]], as much as the teenage techno wizard."<ref name="European Commission">European Commission: [http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/einclusion/policy/accessibility/dfa/index_en.htm Design for All (DfA)].</ref> The origin of Design for All<ref>{{cite web |title=The UK Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries |url=http://www.accessibletourism.org/resources/uk_museumsand-galleries_disability_directory_pdf_6877.pdf |access-date=2013-07-26}}</ref>  lies in the field of barrier-free [[accessibility]] for people with disabilities and the broader notion of universal design.

Design for All has been highlighted in Europe by the European Commission in seeking a more user-friendly society in Europe.<ref name="European Commission" /> Design for All is about ensuring that environments, products, services and interfaces work for people of all ages and abilities in different situations and under various circumstances.

Design for All has become a mainstream issue because of the aging of the population and its increasingly multi-ethnic composition. It follows a market approach and can reach out to a broader market. Easy-to-use, accessible, affordable products and services improve the quality of life of all citizens. Design for All permits access to the built environment, access to services and user-friendly products which are not just a quality factor but a necessity for many aging or disabled persons. Including Design for All early in the design process is more cost-effective than making alterations after solutions are already in the market. This is best achieved by identifying and involving users ("stakeholders") in the decision-making processes that lead to drawing up the design brief and educating public and private sector decision-makers about the benefits to be gained from making coherent use of Design (for All) in a wide range of socio-economic situations

==== In information and communication technology (ICT) ====
{{Main article|Design for All (in ICT)}}

Design for All criteria are aimed at ensuring that everyone can participate in the [[Information society]]. The European Union refers to this under the terms eInclusion and eAccessibility. A three-way approach is proposed: goods which can be accessed by nearly all potential users without modification or, failing that, products being easy to adapt according to different needs, or using standardized interfaces that can be accessed simply by using assistive technology. To this end, manufacturers and service providers, especially, but not exclusively, in the [[Information and Communication Technologies]] (ICT), produce new technologies, products, services and applications for everyone.<ref name="European Commission" />

==== European organizational networks ====
In Europe, people have joined in [[Social network|networks]] to promote and develop Design for All:

*The European Design for All eAccessibility Network (EDeAN)<ref>{{Cite web |title=None |url=http://www.edean.org/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031211231505/http://www.edean.org/ |archive-date=December 11, 2003}}</ref> was launched under the lead of the European Commission and the European Member States in 2002. It fosters Design for All for eInclusion, that is, creating an information society for all. It has national contact centres (NCCs) in almost all EU countries and more than 160 network members in national networks.
*EIDD - Design for All Europe is a [[NGO]] and a 100% self-financed European organization that covers the entire area of theory and practice of Design for All, from the built environment and tangible products to communication, service and system design. Originally set up in 1993 as the European Institute for Design and Disability (EIDD), to enhance the quality of life through Design for All, it changed its name in 2006 to bring it into line with its core business. EIDD - Design for All Europe disseminates the application of Design for All to business and administration communities previously unaware of its benefits and currently (2016) has 31 member organizations in 20 European countries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Design for All Europe |url=http://www.dfaeurope.eu |access-date=18 March 2018 |website=EIDD - DfA Europe}}</ref>
* EuCAN - The European Concept for Accessibility Network started in 1984 as an open network of experts and advocates from all over Europe in order to promote and support the Design for All approach.<ref>{{cite web |title=European concept for accessibility |url=http://www.eca.lu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401120815/http://www.eca.lu/ |archive-date=1 April 2022 |access-date=18 March 2018 |website=www.eca.lu}}</ref> The coordination work of EuCAN and the functioning of the network are mainly voluntary work. In 1999 the Luxembourg Disability Information and Meeting Centre (better known by its acronym “Info-Handicap”) took over the coordination of the steering group, together with the implicit responsibility for the follow-up of the [[European Concept for Accessibility]] (ECA). The EuCAN publications - like ECA - aim to provide practical guidance. They are neither academic nor policy documents.