Universal Design for the Physical World Flashcards
Our Designs Disable People
We built a world that caters to the young and fully-able-bodied. In part, this is because designers themselves tend to be young and fully-able-bodied. Our designers have created a world that assumes a certain kind of physical sameness and neglects our natural physical diversity. Usually this neglect is unintentional. Designers aren’t trying to be mean. They just tend to not think about the needs of people with disabilities because they aren’t always aware of what those needs are.
Universal Design in the Physical World
The physical world is all around us. We can immediately grasp the immediacy of the challenges. Some of the examples (like sidewalks, doors, drinking fountains, etc.) may not seem at first to be relevant to web accessibility, but trust us on this one: thinking about these types of situations will help you understand the real nature of the problem.
Rules and regulations
Rules and regulations vary among countries. Many countries have minimum building standards for design and construction, but simply complying with minimum standards usually results in the need for accommodations. Countries often have best practice UD guidelines to support their minimum standard to better support accessibility.
Universal Design Principles Background
In 1997, a group of architects led by Ronald Mace at North Carolina State University called into question approaches to designing buildings, products, and environments. Mace and his group of architects realized that individuals are diverse and design of physical environments and products should be adaptable to individuals’ needs. Together, the architects concluded that physical spaces and products should be “universal”.
The Seven Principles of Universal Design
- Principle One: Equitable Use
- Principle Two: Flexibility in Use
- Principle Three: Simple and Intuitive Use
- Principle Four: Perceptible Information
- Principle Five: Tolerance for Error
- Principle Six: Low Physical Effort
- Principle Seven: Size and Space for Approach and Use
Principle One: Equitable Use
The design of the product or environment should be useful and marketable to everyone regardless of his or her abilities. If possible, everyone should be able to use the environment or product in the same manner. If identical uses are not provided, then equivalent options should be provided.
Principle Two: Flexibility in Use
The design of the product or environment should provide people with a variety of options for use of its features. The environment or product should be adaptable to an individual’s preferences and abilities.
Principle Three: Simple and Intuitive Use
The purpose of the product or environment’s features should be easy to understand. A person’s background, language, or experience should not hinder his or her understanding of how to use the product or navigate the environment.
Principle Four: Perceptible Information
Information about the product or environment’s design should be communicated effectively and should be perceivable to everyone. A person’s sensory abilities should not hinder him or her from receiving information. Information should be presented in different formats to increase effective communication to individuals with diverse abilities.
Principle Five: Tolerance for Error
The design of the product or environment should reduce the chances of accidents or hazards from occurring. The design should also anticipate any unintentional actions that may occur during use.
Principle Six: Low Physical Effort
The design of the product or environment should require little to no physical effort to use. A person should be able to use the product or navigate the environment comfortably without feeling fatigued during use or after use.
Principle Seven: Size and Space for Approach and Use
Sufficient space should be provided in the design so that it allows anyone to use the design features regardless of physical build or physical abilities.
Accessible Sidewalk Navigation
An accessible sidewalk is one that, at a minimum:
is broad enough to allow people in wheelchairs to navigate and pass by others
is flat enough to make wheelchair navigation feasible
has no obstacles for wheelchair users or for blind users to bump into
has clear, predictable boundaries making navigation by the blind feasible
has curb cuts to allow wheelchair access to and from the sidewalk to other surfaces
is relatively straight, to not cause confusion for blind users
Inaccessible Sidewalk Navigation
By way of contrast, a bumpy, broken sidewalk presents some real accessibility challenges. People in wheelchairs may not be able to navigate over the bumps and broken edges. Blind pedestrians may trip on the bumps and cracks.
Construction along the sidewalk path can be another serious problem, making the sidewalk impassable to people with mobility or visual impairments. Construction zones can be very dangerous for blind people to navigate.
Cobblestone surfaces are nostalgically beautiful, but they are also difficult for people in wheelchairs, people who use walkers, canes, or who experience other mobility challenges.
Curb cuts
Curb cuts are one of the most basic accessibility enhancements for sidewalks. A curb cut is a ramp graded down from the top surface of the sidewalk down to the surface level of the street, creating an unbroken transition to make it easier for wheeled devices—like wheelchairs, strollers, bicycles and carts—to navigate.
Bumped and Ridged Tiles
Bumped tiles at the edge of the sidewalk or near obstacles can help to warn blind pedestrians and keep them safe. Blind people can feel the bumps with their feet or with their cane.
Ridges in the sidewalk can help guide blind people who use canes along the sidewalk or hallway path, and to important destinations, such as elevators, building entrances, etc.
UD Principles and Examples that Apply to Sidewalks:
Principle 1, Equitable Use
Sidewalks that are wheelchair accessible and have curb cuts that orient people who are blind, assist people with motor disabilities and people who walk with objects such as carts and strollers
UD Principles and Examples that Apply to Sidewalks:
Principle 4, Perceptible Information
Detectable warnings built into curb cuts that warn people who are blind that they are approaching a street
UD Principles and Examples that Apply to Sidewalks:
Principle 6, Low Physical Effort
Sidewalks that are smooth and absent of bumps and cracks
UD Principles and Examples that Apply to Sidewalks:
Principle 7, Size and Space for Approach and Use
Width of sidewalk allows for use of assistive technologies (e.g., rollators, wheelchairs)
“Unvisitable” Houses
The vast majority of single family homes, townhomes, and row houses in western countries have steps leading up to the front door. This means that if you have a friend who uses a wheelchair, there is no way for your friend to come visit you and enter into your house independently. You, or someone else, will need to help your friend up the stairs. Or, if your friend is in an electric wheelchair, which can weigh hundreds of pounds, chances are you simply won’t invite your friend over, because there is no way to get your friend in and out of your house.
Universal Design for Entrances
One way to get around the problem of steps is to eliminate the steps altogether. Many modern commercial buildings have done just that. This kind of design allows for easy access for everyone. No one is excluded.
Ramps
A ramp is another way to make an entrance accessible to a wheelchair. Ramps plus steps give people an option to choose between the two ways of approaching the front entrance. Ramps take up quite a bit of space, so they are not as elegant in some ways as a simple flat entrance, but ramps are an acceptable option.
UD Principles and Examples that Apply to Building Entrances:
Principle 1, Equitable Use
Same entrance to the building for all people (instead of a main entrance for people who can walk up stairs and a separate entrance for people in wheelchairs)
Ramps built into stairs – not separate from stairs (sleek, modern universal design)