Editing Universal design (section)

=== 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.