Level Playing Field
A group of recent projects demonstrates that true universal design goes beyond mere accessibility.
Architectural Record
Learning Objectives:
- Define the term “universal design.”
- Outline strategies for designing for people with diverse disabilities, including those with limited mobility or impaired sight or hearing.
- Discuss the benefits of universal design for nondisabled users.
- Describe the recently launched certification system for universal-design projects.
Credits:
This test is no longer available for credit
In 2015, the New York transit system opened its first new subway station in 25 years; the city of Toronto hosted the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games; the YMCA opened a new facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan; and a San Antonio school for deaf children won a design award for redefining what a learning place can be. What united these disparate events was an underlying commitment to including as wide a range of users as possible: in other words, to universal design.
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Photo © David Sundberg/Esto
Originally published in Architectural Record