Ethan is nine months old and wears diapers. He is learning to walk because he wants to go where the other people go and do what they do. Because his legs are weak and his balance underdeveloped, Ethan can only “walk” by using furniture for support. He falls frequently, usually without any serious injury and only occasionally suffering a bruise or minor laceration. Most of the time Ethan is able to pull himself up to a standing position by reaching for a low table or chair. Occasionally, he reaches for the higher kitchen table to get up, but it’s too high and he’s not strong enough to pull himself up. Sometimes Ethan’s feet get tangled in rugs, or get caught on cords causing him to fall. Stairs and changes in floor elevations are dangerous for Ethan and could cause a very serious injury. Ethan’s mobility range at nine months is limited because his hands are too weak to turn the knobs on the entry doors of other rooms.

Lola is ninety years old and she also wears diapers. Lola has a sharp mind and wants to go where most other people go and do what they do too. Her legs, like Ethan’s, are not very strong and she also must hold onto furniture to get around the house. Lola, like Ethan, has difficulty pulling herself up on occasion; she needs assistance getting up from sofas and chairs, and support bars to get on and off the toilet. Rugs, lamp cords, and elevation changes can also cause Lola to fall, but unlike Ethan, Lola is not resilient. She fell six years ago, lacerating her head, breaking a hip, and requiring nursing care. That happened when she was visiting a residence with a “sunken” family room that became a “fall in” family room for Lola.

Except for resiliency and nearly ninety years age difference, Lola and Ethan have similar weaknesses and needs. Static electricity shocks and startles both of them. Ethan’s baby skin is thin and sensitive – easily burned. Lola’s skin is also thin and sensitive, especially to cold, and easily burned. Ethan cannot open doors because his hands are too weak to turn the knobs. Lola cannot turn the doorknobs either because old age and arthritis have weakened her hands. Both depend upon strong furniture and rails for support and to maintain balance. At nine months, Ethan sees and hears well, but doesn’t understand. At ninety, Lola understands but does not see or hear well. Both are strong-willed and independent-minded, but both need assistance to be safe.

Lola and Ethan, separated by nearly ninety years, have special needs that are very similar. But how truly “special” are those needs? Are Lola and Ethan “handicapped” people? Not long ago people with some of the same limitations as Lola and Ethan but not necessarily their ages, would have been labeled “physically handicapped.”

Fortunately, attitudes have changed and are continuing to change. No longer are there “normal” people and “handicapped” people. There are just people; people with human faults and frailties. In fact, all of us will at some time in our lives need some form of physical support. It may be the result of a broken bone, pregnancy, a lower back problem, an old football injury, a twisted ankle, or a chronic disease like arthritis or osteoporosis. It may be a basic disability, or it may just be the onset of old age. And, of course, elderly folks like Lola and very young children like Ethan require products and a “built” environment with extra safety built in at all times.

If we design products and buildings with the “special needs” of Ethan and Lola in mind, will we not be accommodating the needs of all people regardless of age? And if we do that, will not our products and designs be inclusive and Universal? In the words of Dr. Ron Mace, “By incorporating the characteristics necessary for people with physical limitations into the design of common products and building spaces, we can make them easier and safer for everyone to use and more widely marketable and profitable. This Universal Design approach goes beyond the minimum requirements and limitations of accessibility law.”

Curb Cuts to accommodate wheelchair users where sidewalks meet roadways are also great for baby strollers, tricycle riders, grocery carts, and travelers pulling wheeled luggage. Extra wide doors facilitate moving furniture, and lever handles have become an upscale aesthetic design feature as well as accommodating arthritic hands. Shower seats are convenient for all people regardless of physical abilities. Highly styled and colorful grab bars provide safety while also functioning as towel bars. The application of Universal Design Principles to products and buildings in recent years has greatly improved the quality of life and safety of people of all shapes, size and physical abilities. Universal Design – creating a more accommodating world for all people!

To learn more about UNIVERSAL DESIGN, click on the following links:

· The Center for Universal Design
http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/
· Principles of: Kansas State University
http://www.ksu.edu/humec/atid/UDF
· Online U-D Education, University NY Buffalo
http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/rercud/
· Design & Need, Adaptive Environments
http://www.adaptiveenvironments.org
· Adaptive Communications, University of Wisconsin http://trace.wisc.edu/world/gen_ud.html
· Web Design, University of Washington http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/universal.design.html
· In Education, CAST
http://www.cast.org
· In Education, Ohio State University
http://hec.osu.edu/ud/
· Housing, AARP
http://www.aarp.org/life/homedesign
· Housing, Iowa State University
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/pages/housing/uni-design.html
· International Sources, Independent Living http://www.independentliving.org/links/links-accessibility-and-universal-design.html