Designing for all: The importance of Universal Design in the built environment
Living in a world not designed for you
Imagine a world designed exclusively for children. As an adult, you’d find yourself constantly adapting—banging your knees on tables, bumping your head on everything, and tripping down stairs too small for your feet. Handrails would be too low, and every action would be slower and more challenging, leading to continuous frustration and even physical pain. This world wasn’t designed for you, and every interaction with it would hinder your progress.
For people with disabilities, this analogy isn’t far from reality. It’s not that they are lacking—it’s the environment that excludes them.
My journey into accessible design
I’ve been passionate about accessible design since I knew I wanted to spend my life in design and architecture. Like many, I have family and friends with visible and invisible disabilities, and my own life has been impacted by spaces that weren’t designed for all.
My first experience in accessible design was shortly after graduating in Architectural Technology. My 65-year-old grandmother, slowly losing her eyesight to glaucoma and occasionally needing a walker, was having a new home built. I reviewed the designs and made a few meaningful suggestions: widening the doors, combining the laundry room and bathroom for a turning circle, extending the patio for a future ramp, and adding adjustable lighting. These changes cost almost nothing, but they allowed her to live independently in her home for 20 years.
The responsibility of designers
For designers like me, it’s our responsibility to see the world differently, like that adult in a sea of children. We must empathize and anticipate that the needs we have today aren’t the needs we’ll have tomorrow. Being able-bodied is a temporary state for us all.
We also need to consider the unseen. At 39, I was diagnosed with ADHD. Suddenly, it made sense why I was so sensitive to light, sound, and clutter—nuances others might not notice and navigate more easily. Disabilities don’t have to lead to inability if we design environments that support rather than exclude. What if we designed our built environments to help us achieve more with less stress and more joy? Imagine these concepts applied to productivity in the workplace.
Designing for inclusion
Returning to our analogy of a world designed exclusively for children—what if it we designed for everyone? Ramps replace stairs, handrails are at multiple levels, and doors open with ease. Now, the building allows for multiple ways to interact with its spaces, empowering users rather than hindering them.
People with disabilities shouldn’t have to research every place they attend to ensure they can enter without struggle. A person with stamina-related disabilities shouldn’t waste precious energy navigating confusing floor plans. An equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment should be beautiful to the blind, restful for the weary, and a symphony to the deaf. Designing for inclusivity means including everyone in the process of design, and considering their needs and perspectives. Just like the example with my grandmother, considering these needs from the start means the costs of these changes can be small but the rewards are great.
Building a world where all can thrive
The purpose of design isn’t just to create beautiful structures but to create beautiful interactions and experiences. Buildings should be the scenery, and people should be the stars. When we design with empathy, consultation, and a commitment to understanding the diverse needs of people, we set the scene for an inclusive, equitable, and diverse society—a world where we can all thrive.
Laura Vero-Augustine is an accessibility consultant focused on creating inclusive environments for corporations, builders, and design firms. With a background in architectural technology, she brings a personal commitment to ensuring the built environment supports everyone, fostering spaces where people can thrive.