4th draft

Interior design for people of all ages and abilities










Min Hyung Lee
07/FA-ENGL-097-19
Thomas Healy
Dec 3rd, 2007





Interior design for people of all ages and abilities

Introduction

Most families which have a handicapped person feel that the disabled are kept at a distance from society. I agree with them which have a handicapped person in their family because I have a disabled nephew in my family. I can see his difficulties maneuvering in public spaces and also I can fully understand his family’s sorrow. Even though there are many laws regarding accessibility for the handicapped in Korea, the handicapped still have difficulties in daily life in Korea. This is true even in the school for the disabled. Most laws regarding accessibility distinguish between people who have functional limitation and people who don’t have it. It means itself of definition of accessible design connotes important factors of discrimination like us vs. them. As our society ages, we need to think about these issues because most seniors have some sort of functional limitation. Even though disabled people and seniors have rights to participate in society, they often struggle with physical obstacles like stairs, narrow corridors, and doors. Therefore, the government and communities need to consider human diversity and benefits people of all ages and abilities.

 What is universal design?

The world which was designed by people can’t satisfy everyone perfectly. We all have problem with the space we live in and the products we use because designers are trained to design for the average group of people .But in fact this group does not exist in the real world. Every individual is unique and the human species is quite diverse. According to Young, L. C., & Pace, R. J. (2007), “The U.S. Congress, recognizing that inaccessible buildings are one form of discrimination, passed in 1988, the Fair Housing Act Amendments, and in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA). Each contains design specifications that provide minimum requirements for building design to eliminate discriminatory building practices and make spaces usable by people with disabilities.” Even though accessible design tries to suggest some criteria for the handicapped after the ADA, this design is just for the handicapped. So, designers should consider products or environments to suit the wide range of users, including children, elderly people, people with disabilities, and people who are ill or injured. Designers coined the term, universal design, which can fully explain adaptable design for diverse people. According to the Center for Universal Design (2007), “Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” Universal design does consider human diversity in the real world and benefits people of all ages and abilities.

 Principles of Universal Design
According to the Center for Universal design, a group of experts developed the following principles of Universal design in 1997:
 Principle 1. Equitable Use
– The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse ability
 Principle 2. Flexibility in Use
– The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities
 Principle 3. Simple and Intuitive Use
– Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience,
knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.
 Principle 4. Perceptible Information
– The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities.
 Principle 5. Tolerance for error
– The design minimize hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended action.
 Principle 6. Low Physical Effort
– The design can be used effectively and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue
 Principle 7. Size and Space for approach and Use
– Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of user’s body size, posture, or mobility.

Accessible design for the handicapped just focuses on approaches that eliminate discrimination for minority group. In contrast, instead of focusing on one minor group, universal design should suggest an approach that provides expanded usability for diverse groups.

 Public restroom

As these principles mention above, public restrooms are one of the places which need a more flexible design because a diverse population uses them. Even though many laws regarding accessibility have extensive requirements for public restrooms, these requirements focus on just the solution of maneuvering problems with wheelchair users. For example, the ADA encourages a 4 feet main entrance and 60 inch wide space for turning around in the middle of a restroom for a public accessible restroom design because wheelchair users need more wide space to enter and they need turning space in the middle of restroom to change their direction. However there are many other things to think about public restrooms like the height of the lavatory, paper towel dispensers and toilets or urinals for children. Universal design expands these basic functional requests for wheelchair users to provide convenience and more flexible design to accommodate a wider range of user groups. Thus, public restrooms should have, according to Danise (2003):

 Toilets with an adjustable height seat
 Additional family style restrooms with emergency alarm to provide parents the opportunity for assisting young children.
 Well lit entry spaces for safety.
 Disposable toilet seat covers from a dispenser mounted at a height reachable by all people.
 Lavatory, soap and paper towel dispensers located inside a large toilet stall for convenience.
Accessible design requires numerical standards in public restrooms. However, it does not pursue expanded usability and convenience for all. In contrast, even though universal design is ideal rather than accessible design, it can make public places like true home for everyone in the community.

 Seating
Even though every public place can’t be comfortable like home to every group, public seating for performances must be more comfortable places to all because users pay a price for their seats and they have the right to enjoy their performances. However, wheelchair seating in theaters, stadiums, and other places is located in the back or front sides of the main seating space. This is because more wide space is needed to place wheelchairs. Many wheelchair users can’t enjoy performances or events from this location because they are blocked from seeing performances. Even though wheelchair users consider these seating are located at the worst places for them, they have to pay the highest ticket prices for wheelchair seating. I think it is not fair for them. Universal design can suggest more convenient ways to enjoy users’ right in public seating. Thus, public seating should have, according to Danise (2003):

 Accessible seating designed as an integral part of the seating plan so that people using wheel chairs are not isolated from family and friends.
 Electric outlets located near wheelchair seats for recharging power chairs.
 Seat with proper support systems to prevent fatigue.
 Signs located throughout the facility to identify the most convenient routes to accessible seating area.
People paid for the seat so they have the right to enjoy the performances in the public seating. The use of wheelchair can’t be obstacles against the right to pursue one’s happiness. ADA guidelines of focusing only on dimensions can’t meet diverse needs in the community. Therefore, universal design leads to design approach to meet the right to pursue one’s happiness in public space.

 Entrances and Exits
Although the ADA guidelines meet minimum requirements for door openings, many people still have difficulties with entrances. According to Danise( 2003), “The clear opening requirement of 32 inches accommodate average sized wheelchairs, which are 25 inches to 28 inches wide, but wheelchair are available from 20 1/2 inches to 34 3/4 inches wide. People who use larger wheelchairs find it difficult, if not impossible, to maneuver through many doorways without hitting their elbows or causing damage to door frames” (p. 47). All doors meet all minimum requirements of the ADA with dimensions, while wheelchair users are not only the ones who has difficulties maneuvering through doorways. People carrying packages, strollers, and small children also experience some difficulties going through entrances. Thus, entrances and exits should have, according to Danise(2003):

 Wider openings and maneuvering clearances at doors that accommodate different users and style of movement (e.g. a person in a wheelchair, a person with a dog, a child in a stroller, adults carrying bags of groceries.)
 Light weight doors that can be opened and closed with very little force.
 Automatic sliding doors that open without any effort.
 Push-type, lever, or U-shaped handles that can be operated easily by someone with poor hand strength.
Low Physical Effort (Principle 6) can be applied for Entrances and Exits design. Automated doors and light weight doors are good examples of this principle because this enables all people, regardless of their abilities to open the doors.


Conclusion
This thesis suggests many practical criteria for applying the principles of universal design to the design of the architectural environment. In terms of entrances and exits, universal design suggested automatic sliding doors and light weight doors for diverse users in public spaces. Public seating considered that people using wheel chairs are not isolated from family and friends and the most convenient routes to accessible seating. Finally, universal design applied toilet with an adjustable height seat and additional family style restroom with emergency alarm for public restroom.
Before universal design, there were many attempts to approach with numerical value, which is concept of accessible design. However accessible design can’t meet all demands of diverse groups. Even though actually universal design can cover all ages and abilities exactly in the real condition so far, there are many specific benefit of applying universal design.


References


Danise Levine. ( 2003). Universal Design New York 2. New York. IDeA publication.

Ostroff , E., & Preiser, W. ( 2001). Universal Design Handbook. New York. McGraw
Hill.
The Center for Universal Design (2007). About Universal Design. North Carolina State University. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/about_ud/about_ud.htm
Young, L. C., & Pace, R. J. (2007). Accessible Multifamily Housing. North Carolina State University. Retrieved September 20, 2007, from http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/pubs_p/docs/acessiblemultifamilyhousing.pdf