Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 02/19/2004

Home

Other Continued Universal Design Guidelines- Beyond the ADA Universal design is a design philosophy that focuses on ensuring reasonable accessibility for all users b?yond the tTpical definition xvhich is often associated with a wheelchair user. The realit3, is that the majority of people with disabilities are ambulatory and do not require a wheelchair and the r.ange'iof abilities and disabilities ~oes well beyond bruited definition. '~ ~ The Enabler model brings to hght the broad spectrum of disability concerns that must be considered if universal design is to be achieved. The model serves as a conceptual aid that helps designers and lay persons empathize with the people who will actually be using a site, building, or facihty, and encourages a more comprehensive and integrated view of people with and without disabilities. Universal design attempts to consider all degrees of sensor), awareness, all types of locomotion, and all levels of physical and intel]ectual function in the design process. By doing so, the needs of individuals with varying desires, abilities, and expectations can be reasonably accommodated in an appropriate setting. The end result is that individuals with and without disabilities are accommodated in a manner that meets their expectations for a specific space or setting. This is distinctly different than simply accommodating a set of accessibility requirements that ensure compliance to the laxx; but may not ensure accessibility for all people. Ensuring that a Design offers Universal Access Opportunities Since universal design is still an evolving approach to design, achieving universal access is simpler in concept than in practice. Anticipating the needs of people with varying degrees of abilities and disabilities is a formidable task, since it is often very difficult to understand the specific needs of individuals with different abilities when one does not share those limitations. Therefore, ir becomes imperative that the design process include individuals that represent a cross-section of the people with and without disabilities. As the project moves into design implementation phases, efforts should be made to involve representatives of the divergent populations in the detail design of specific facilities. This approach helps ensure that the design for a given facility will actually serve the intended population. 50