In the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the term
universal design was officially defined within U.S.
"You can't circumvent ADA by saying I'll apply
universal design instead," he explains.
The principles of
universal design can be applied to making the content more understandable as well as more accessible.
So instead of providing tax dollars for housing models that do not provide a long-term healthcare investment, why not invest in housing and remodels that utilize
universal design? A one-time tax credit for a UD home makes infinitely more long-term financial sense than, for example, the median $82,000 per year mentioned above, a number that will, quite likely, continue to rise in the coming decades.
Ronald Mace, an architect and director of the Center for
Universal Design at North Carolina State University, first coined the term
Universal Design to refer to the concept of simplifying life for everyone by making products, communication systems, and the "built environment" more usable by more people at little or no extra cost (Bowe, 2000).
Universal Design for Learning, as described by Bauer and Kroeger (2004), has several characteristics.
Scott, Shaw, and McQuire add two principles to the original seven developed at North Carolina State University, giving us nine Principles of
Universal Design for Instruction that are described on their "Principles of UDI" webpage (
Universal Design for Instruction: A New Paradigm).
With origins in the disability rights movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s,
universal design goes far beyond eliminating stairs from entrances and exits, widening hallways and installing grab bars in public restrooms.
"Builders tell us that younger buyers don't value it, unless they know for sure that an older parent or relative is going to move in with them," says Richard Duncan, senior project manager at the Center for
Universal Design at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C.
Chief executive of Northumberland National Park Authority Tony Gates said: "We're absolutely delighted that The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre has been judged worthy of a Selwyn Goldsmith Award for
Universal Design.
This volume presents a critical and historical account of accessibility and the principle of
Universal Design, aimed at creating built environments that are accessible for both disabled and nondisabled users.
We're already on a roll with the inclusion of more natural light--one common
universal design principle--wherever we can get it.