Beyond “Access” to Universal Design

interior view of the lobby ramp at the Ed Roberts Campus showing the sweeping red ramp encircling the lobby as it climbs to the second floor, echoing the large oval skylight.

At McGuinness Law Group, we often see cases where people with mobility disabilities are excluded and even injured by architectural barriers at places of business and public areas. By now, most people know that the Americans with Disabilities Act requires most buildings to be built or renovated to accommodate physical disabilities. The Fair Housing Act also requires buildings constructed on or after 1991 to include some features of accessibility. But “disability access” still makes inclusivity an afterthought, or a requirement to be checked off at the end of a project’s design. Today, we’d like to talk about a broader concept: What if all buildings were built to be universally accessible to everyone? It’s a concept called “universal design” and it’s a step up from the ADA.

Universal design means designing products, environments, programs, and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. The intent is to simplify life for everyone by making products, communications, and the built environment more usable by as many people as possible at little or no extra cost. Universal Design benefits people of all ages and abilities. It is a human-centered approach that is user-friendly and convenient, but is also respectful of people’s dignity, rights, and privacy.

Some aspects of universal design are obviously beneficial. After all, a stroller-pushing parent appreciates a ramp just as much as a wheelchair user does. But universal design is also part of forward-thinking, business-savvy planning. Did you know that children born today are likely to live to 100 years? That means a lot more aging population, which has the highest rate of disability. Even today, 13.4 percent of the US population has a disability. The number of people living with physical, sensory, mental health, or intellectual and neurodiverse conditions is increasing, as is the life expectancy of people with particularly severe or multiple impairments. Yet the employment rate of working-age people (ages 21 to 64) with disabilities in the United States remains at 45 percent. Inclusive design solutions promote accessibility and usability, enabling people with all levels of ability to live independently. Independence for all people is influenced by how accessible and usable products, services, and environments are.

Universal design also leads to increased market reach, improved customer satisfaction, and improved public perception. Everyone knows about OXO Good Grips products. Though it was designed with older people with arthritis in mind, everyone loves their veggie peelers and ice cream scoops!

Chris Downey, an architect who became blind in 2008 because of a brain tumor, has become a leading proponent of universal design. Celia worked with him when both were appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the California Commission on Disability Access. “I am much more excited about designing spaces that connect people and communities than designing separate or special places for people with disabilities,” he says. “This is not about code obligations or assuming that people with disabilities or from the broader community won’t do this or that task. The assumption here is that they will do any or all of these things, so let’s operate from there.”

There is an impressive example of universal design at The Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley, CA. It includes exhibition space, community meeting rooms, a child development center, fitness center, offices for non-profit organizations, and vocational training facilities. The visual centerpiece of the lobby, pictured above, is a helical ramp winding upward to the second floor, its bright-red frame serving simultaneously as art and access. It’s fun to use regardless of one’s ability, which is exactly the point.

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