Types of Accessible Design
Universal design, universal design for learning, and inclusive design prioritize diverse user needs, including those with disabilities, promoting equal access to products, environments, and information. These approaches enhance accessibility and foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in society.
Universal Design
Universal design refers to the concept of designing products, environments, and systems to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. Universal design principles can be applied to various products, environments, and systems, including architecture, technology, transportation, education, and urban planning.
Examples of Universal Design
Elevators, automatic doors, Target pharmacy pill bottles.
Benefits of Universal Design
Benefits of universal design are that they are cheap and work the same exact way for everyone. Specific needs to specific people do fail to be considered by universal design, however.
The Circle as Universal Design – Recognizable by everyone and viewed in the same way
Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework aimed at creating inclusive learning environments that accommodate the diverse needs of all learners. Universal Design for Learning emphasizes multiple different ways to deliver the same information, and ultimately outcomes of a given task.
Examples of Universal Design for Learning
Doors that can open manually and with a button, captions and transcripts provided with video/audio media
Benefits of Universal Design for Learning
Benefits of Universal Design for learning include making sure everyone is receiving information in a personal, effective method that will promote the most learning. Universal Design for Learning does involve a longer process to execute successfully.
The Cylinder as Universal Design for Learning – Can be viewed as a circle or cylinder
Inclusive Design
Inclusive design refers to the practice of creating products, services, and environments that consider the diverse needs and abilities of all users. Inclusive Design often involves a product or service to be fully customizable by the user to fit their needs. Adaptability is the most important aspect of this pillar of design and aims to get the users involved.
Examples of Inclusive Design
Accessibility settings, car seat, a photo book with braille print and raised images.
Benefits of Inclusive Design
The best parts of inclusive design is that everyone can customize the service to fit their needs and people of all kinds are accounted for. However, in this current time, inclusive design is very expensive to achieve.
The Discs as Inclusive Design – Versatile and adaptable, customizable for the user
Abilties Design
Abilities design is the type of design that considers all of the previous design pillars. According to University of Minnesota-Duluth Professor, John O’Neill, abilities design is:
“The practice of design that uses a combination of universal design, universal design for learning, and inclusive design to meet various accessible outcomes and goals.”
Abilities designfocuses on synthesizing existing design principles to create the most efficient final outcome of a product that can be used by the most people possible.
Examples of Abilities Design
Adaptable equipment such as stabilized spoons, modified jar openers, adjustable sinks, urinals at different heights.
Benefits of Abilities Design
Everyone is considered, doesn’t need to be expensive, expands off of existing design principles.
The Sphere as Abilities Design – Full integration of all the parts before