Ebook: Universal Design 2024: Shaping a Sustainable, Equitable and Resilient Future for All

This book is a collection of papers from the Seventh International Conference on Universal Design, UD2024, organized by the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth, and Family Affairs (Bufdir) on behalf of the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Equality.

The UD conference series is one of the largest and most cross-disciplinary conferences on universal design. Past events have been held in a number of European countries: UD2012 (Oslo, Norway), UD2014 (Lund, Sweden), UD2016 (York, UK), UDHEIT2018 (Dublin, Ireland), UD2021 (Helsinki, Finland), and UD2022 (Brescia, Italy).

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) emphasises the concept of “universal design”. This concept is central to the convention’s goal of ensuring social inclusion for persons with disabilities. Organisations, such as the European Disability Forum (EDF), advocate using the term universal design to align with the UNCRPD.

Universal design, inclusive design, design for all, innovation for all, and accessibility are concepts aimed at making products, environments, and services usable and accessible for diverse users, regardless of ability, age, or background. While these terms imply common goals, they each offer distinct approaches to creating inclusive solutions. Additional approaches, such as barrier-free design, user-sensitive inclusive design, countering design exclusion, ability-based design, and universal usability, provide further insights into designing for diverse user groups.

Although the conference uses the term universal design, it welcomes researchers and practitioners from the various disciplines designing for diverse user groups in the hope that this will result in a wider spectrum of viewpoints, and will help to unite our forces to advance the field.

Through keynotes, academic paper, practical project and poster presentations, workshops, field trips, panels, and knowledge exchange, the conference aims to highlight best practice, disseminate recent research, and foster collaboration across sectors, disciplines, and nations to further advance universal design. By integrating knowledge and perspectives from users, practitioners, researchers, experts and policy makers, the goal is to provide designers and innovators with insights which will help them to create products, environments, and services that are accessible, usable, and beneficial to all individuals, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds.

The papers in this collection have undergone a thorough review process, detailed below. Topics covered include product and service design, systems development within both the private and public sectors, and various disciplines. The collection illustrates a continuation of the development and research within areas like theory, policy approaches, standards, co-creation, user involvement, community engagement, design methods and tools. There are also papers about universal design in education, architecture, the built environment, urban planning, navigation, and transport. Key themes attracting more attention include: measuring the costs and benefits of universal design, universal design dilemmas, health and wellbeing, tourism and cultural heritage, and emerging technologies like virtual and extended reality, as well as artificial intelligence.

The conference proceedings are accompanied by a conference compendium containing extended abstracts which describe practical presentations and work not selected for inclusion in these proceedings. We hope that both collections will serve as a valuable resource for users, disability and minority group advocates, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers, facilitating the exchange of ideas, best practice and knowledge, as well as identifying knowledge gaps.

Looking ahead, there are still many open issues within the field; areas needing further research, and emerging areas that require research. Society is facing important challenges that will require a combined effort and mutual understanding in the present and near future, such as climate change and pandemics. How can we address such societal issues in a way that includes everyone? What are the implications of the various solutions proposed for vulnerable groups? Rapid changes in society and the environment, the rise in certain health challenges and the proliferation of new technologies, highlight the need for ongoing dialogue and collaboration, the exchange of experiences, and continued research. We believe that this collection of papers reflects this development to some degree. Understanding people in all their diversity remains crucial, meaning that more research from the perspective of intersectionality is needed, as is addressing the needs of people with allergies, chronic diseases, invisible disabilities, and mental health conditions. As this collection demonstrates, co-design, community engagement, and user involvement continue to be foundational aspects of universal design and similar approaches.

There is also growing recognition of the fact that the concepts and knowledge within universal design are crucial for achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in Agenda 2030. Consideration of the knowledge already produced, and promoting more research within this field are both essential if we are to ensure good health and well-being and promote quality education, decent working conditions and economic growth, reducing inequalities, and enabling sustainable cities and communities.

Universal design must continue to be promoted within mainstream design and development, and approaches to facilitate this must be explored. We hope that this collection will inspire you, as we continue our work in this challenging and evolving field.

Kristin S. Fuglerud

Juan Carlos Torrado Vidal

Wolfgang Leister

186 countries have ratified The Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) since 2006. Sweden ratified the CRPD in 2008, Denmark in 2009, and Norway in 2013. In the context of the United Nations, the concept of Universal Design (UD) introduced in the CRPD is new. Previously, accessibility was the dominant concept. By ratifying the CRPD, these three countries have agreed to initiate or advocate for research and development aimed at utilising UD when designing goods, services, equipment, and facilities. Additionally, they have committed to encouraging the integration of UD in the formulation of standards and guidelines. As a starting point for a future debate about the research part, this paper studies the uptake of UD in national policy in the three countries. The findings show that the approach in each country differs. Norway quickly developed their own version of UD (that has been critisised by scholars), thus choosing a top-down approach. By contrast, Denmark has been reluctant and is still using the concept of accessibility, waiting for the different sectors to adopt the concept of UD in their own way – as a kind of bottom-up strategy. While Sweden, has chosen another approach between these two strategies focusing on UD as a guiding principle, accessibility, and a third concept: usability. Finally, the paper discusses these approaches in relation to the built environment, using a framework that distinguishes between and act (like a process) and a state (as a result). All three counties are characterised by a dual focus on both act and state in line with the literature; however, the state dominates. The paper argues that we must acknowledge this duality but focus more on the process-related aspect to further develop UD as a human right concept.

In Denmark, the local disability councils are encouraged to develop municipal disability policies in alignment with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These councils are often involved in public building and infrastructure projects. Inspired by Carol Bacchi’s strategy for policy analysis, ‘What’s the problem represented to be? this paper studies and compares municipal disability policies and Disabled People’s Organisations Denmark (DPOD)’s first policy on Universal design (UD) and accessibility. The findings reveal that the municipal disability policies predominantly focus on accessibility, with only a few addressing UD. Among those that do, there are varying interpretations of UD, such as a concept for housing. In contrast, the policy of DPOD embraces UD more comprehensively. The problem represented – ‘the environment is not accessible for everyone, and everyone cannot participate’ – and the use of UD as the solution indicate a paradigm shift towards inclusivity, focusing on everyone rather than just people with physical disabilities. The paper suggests that UD, as presented in the DOPD policy can be seen as an approach to spatial justice for all. This approach appears essential for the disability movement, though it is though-provoking that is has taken so long to be adopted. Better late than never.

In this paper, we aim to contribute to an enhanced theoretical ground for Universal Design (UD) by examining the concept of “inclusion”, presenting a conceptual critique of it based on our research on categorisation and UD, and proposing a way forward. This study is based on a comprehensive analysis of a range of photographs related to inclusion and exclusion collected during five recent research projects. We employ theories on categorisation and UD to inform our critique and discussion of inclusion. The findings show that inclusion 1) entails categorisational ambivalence, 2) upholds patterns of norm and deviation, and 3) results in power being redone, rather than undone. Consequently, inclusion becomes paradoxical, where efforts to promote equity and empowerment simultaneously become another reification of existing power structures and marginalisation. To address this issue, we propose moving beyond “inclusion” to “nonclusion” and the corresponding “nonclusive design” as a foundation for UD. This entails a shift in categorisation towards design that resists categorisations of bodies, persons, and roles. We argue that such a shift can usher in a new paradigm regarding how the path towards a society where everyone belongs can be conceptualised and realised.

In this paper, we extend the gap model of disability that supports digital equipment and cyber-physical situational variations. We explore an alternative approach to visualizing and understanding disability that takes into account the diversity of personal abilities, the diversity of digital equipment and equally important, the situation (environmental, psychological, and digital) in which the information system is used. The most important implications of this work are twofold. First, this work will contribute to the need for Universal Design to take into account not only the diversity of abilities and impairments of the users that are tangible and recognizable in the physical environment, but also the diversity of digital equipment and usage situations. Second, as part of the systems development cycle, in user testing of digital services, this work highlights the essential need to not only involve a diverse set of users, but also to conduct testing in diverse digital environments (smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop PCs), and in diverse realistic usage scenarios, including strong sunlight or low light situation, as well as tired, alert, stressed or distracted, and slow network. The proposed model attempts to give a more holistic view and promote a more comprehensive understanding of the disabilities that can occur during use of digital services or mediated communication in daily life.

The advantage of Universal Design (UD) over mere barrier-free design is that it can benefit everyone, regardless of age or ability. The imperative to include design for personal safety even outranks accessibility as a design precept. Evolved almost four decades ago, Ron Mace’s Seven Principles did not anticipate advanced standards of safety in today’s world. Whilst Principle Five – ‘Tolerance for Error’, states that ‘the design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions’, this notion of ‘error’ implies that it is the user who is at fault, rather than the provider. This may lead to inhibition and fear, hampering one’s lifestyle in a multitude of ways. Fear of falling, inhibition of being unable to find a public toilet, forgetting a password or simply being made to feel old and incapable can all have an adverse effect. A cross-disciplinary group of experts undertook a number of studies on design for age-friendly cities in Ireland, through empirical research, experiential exercises and dissemination into third-level design education. Studies on design and facilities that lead to an individual’s lack of confidence are discussed, including a research programme undertaken for the National Disability Authority on the Universal Design of Fall Detection Technologies. The paper proposes that an additional Principle: “Reduction of Fear” should be a basic design parameter in all aspects of the built environment as well as IT and services. By broadening its scope and joining forces with health and safety issues, UD becomes more inclusive, desirable to client bodies and attractive to everyone. The paper identifies areas where improvement in design is urgently required, suggesting the breadth of benefits accruing from more inclusive design, particularly in reducing fear through safer home zone environments.

Public toilets fulfil an essential need for all human beings. In the context of India, the diversity of population implies a diverse set of complex barriers in the public toilet experience. Inclusion and the contextual translation of universal design becomes crucial, considering the distinct socio-cultural dimensions. This study intends to enquire the above-mentioned perspective and contribute towards an understanding of inclusion and universal design in public toilets. The methodology is a three-part process including literature review, experiential case reflections and ethnographic field perspectives. The gathered data is mapped thematically and assessed qualitatively, based on the existing principles of universal design. The insights from the assessment highlight the need for contextualization of existing universal design principles, bringing out a multi-dimensional complexity of inclusion across human needs, behaviour, physical, planning and service aspects. This study paves a way forward for evolving design directions by raising further questions through fresh perspectives on inclusion & accessibility in public toilets. The raised questions contribute to a dilemma of standardisation versus contextual customisation around the understanding of inclusion and universal design, focusing on the scenario of Indian public toilets.

This paper intends to position the key theoretical understanding of universal design from a global lens to the contemporary times, especially with insights from India as a majority world perspective. Using a narrative-based approach, it combines theoretical insights with experiential insights through state-of-the-art literature and understanding. A seven-lens framework is proposed as a comprehensive approach towards UD viz. the human diversity and demographic lens, the socio-cultural lens, the environment and ecology lens, the economic lens, the technology lens, the policy lens and the philosophy lens. Each lens shares unique perspectives with Universal Design as a shared concept for application evolving a discourse for a human-centric and sustainable futures. It highlights various paradigms originating from the Indian context representing high population perspectives especially the context of economic inclusion through universal design with affordability as a key value. The discussion leads us into understanding contextual relevance of UD beyond its original intent of universal accessibility itself. It concludes to see and propose UD as an integral layer of sustainability with a common goal of sustenance and inclusion.

Universal Design aims to ensure that as many people as possible can participate equally in society, with equal access to housing, education, workplaces, institutions, and public spaces. In the construction field, many of our existing guidelines still need to catch up regarding the diversity of user needs and preferences. Recent developments in low vision rehabilitation have underscored the pivotal role of domestic lighting in fostering independent living and enhancing the quality of life for people with visual impairments. Moreover, several stakeholder organizations and associations in the field of low-vision rehabilitation have published lighting guidelines for this target group. A direct comparison of the different guidelines is difficult, as their focus, vocabulary, and level of abstraction differ: the rehabilitation process focuses on optimizing lighting to support and aid the individual’s abilities in the existing environment. It is not directly related to the design- or construction process. Yet, how do the guidelines for lighting fit the actual settings and conditions in Danish homes of people with incipient vision loss or visual impairment today?

In this paper, a selection of these guidelines is assessed and analyzed in relation to three lighting categories: illuminance, luminance, and the visual system. The guidelines are also compared to the initial findings of an ongoing field study. This field study, a crucial component of the research, investigates the role of lighting for individuals experiencing incipient vision loss. This comprehensive approach, which includes both theoretical guidelines and real-world observations, ensures the reliability and relevance of the research, providing a solid foundation for the findings. The practical implications of this research are significant, as it provides valuable insights for architects, researchers, and individuals with visual impairment. Through observations and walk-along interviews in their home environment, we get their personal narratives and observe their lived everyday environments. 37 walk-along interviews were conducted from October 2023 – March 2024 during dark hours. The preliminary findings of the field observations, including observations and measurements, are compared to the guidelines of both the context of building design and -construction and the context of low-vision rehabilitation and stakeholder organizations.

Libraries have been pinpointed as a possible hub for information and safety during a crisis. We present a workshop design to contribute to the education of librarians with the goal to make them more able to provide inclusive and accessible information in a crisis. The workshop was carried out during a conference for librarians. The results from the workshop indicate that there is a need for further knowledge about methods and tools to make information accessible, as well as practical information about crisis preparedness. The workshop presented here could furthermore be improved upon by creating tailored personas and spending more time on the activity.

This paper presents a multi-case study on universal crisis information design, focusing on individuals with communication disorders, the elderly, and immigrants. Using a research-through-design approach and various qualitative data collection methods, the study explores accessible information solutions by examining the accessibility of crisis information design and developing universal crisis information design guidelines based on the findings. The findings highlight the necessity for simplified crisis messages, multimodal communication, and the involvement of community facilitators. This leads to a set of guidelines for universal crisis information design, including integrating adaptive technologies and multiple communication channels to enhance trust and inclusivity in crisis management. The study underscores the importance of community-based strategies and the role of personalized, clear, and trustworthy information in improving crisis preparedness and response among vulnerable groups.

Current studies at the intersection between architecture and disability focus on addressing the immediate needs of disabled individuals and often overlook the potential of built environments to create positive experiences. Additionally, conventional approaches for investigating disabled people’s spatial experiences often fail to capture the inherent nuanced sensory and emotional aspects. This paper describes the process of filmmaking and the use of film to explore its contributions and limitations in the understanding on how personal and contextual factors influence individuals’ positive spatial experiences. The film Places and Small Pleasures, produced by the Cluster for Spatial Inclusion at the Royal Danish Academy in collaboration with Nossell & Co, serves as a case study for a reflective inquiry. The filmmaking process involved participant interviews, transcript analysis, storyboarding, shooting, editing, and final screening. The analysis of the interviews with four selected participants revealed key spatial attributes and contextual phenomena contributing to their described positive experiences. Four distinct narratives emerged, highlighting the participants’ diverse bodily conditions, emotions and feelings in their favorite places. Representations of their experiences through the film incorporated verbal and non-verbal cues, their bodily reactions, and contextual phenomena, offering an immersive sensory richness for the viewers. By capturing the embodied experiences of the four participants within their personal and spatial contexts, the filmmaking process enhanced understanding and empathy, enriching disability studies and fostering academic discourse in this domain through positive stories.

In this paper, the authors consider a novel eudaemonic approach to spatial design, proposed by Mikus et al., and examine how researchers and practitioners can co-design with participants to achieve a flourishing interpretation of Aristotle’s concept of eudaemonia (i.e., being one’s best self). The approach was tested in doctoral research conducted during 2021 at a time when many areas were under lockdown, necessitating a virtual approach. The research engaged nine older adults, aged 65–80 and living alone in Australia, and nine design professionals via creative methods including interviews, cultural probes, and co-design workshops. Combining these methods in concert with respectful engagement was found to produce not only the aimed-for principles to guide eudaemonic home design but also unintended yet beneficial consequences resulting from meaningful inclusive praxis. Here, the authors reflect on the importance of recognising eudaemonic design as a means of careful methodological praxis to precipitate promising participant outcomes, ranging from individual intrinsic motivation to collective mutual inspiration, to enhance the research experience, and to promote flourishing.

In Swedish policy, Universal design (UD) is implemented as a guiding principle. This paper explores the conditions for co-creation when authorities and civil society collaborate. The empirical basis comes from qualitative analysis of interviews, go-alongs, group discussions, and change-oriented workshops in three urban development projects concerning the re-design of public spaces and buildings in three Swedish cities. Collaboration between municipalities and local disability organisations was formal and established but different expectations of organisations’ capacity and opportunities for influence, caused misunderstandings and mistrust. Interpretation of personal disability experience entailed ambiguity concerning roles and legitimacy. Hence, this paper considers UD a collaborative process, operating beyond regulatory compliance, transcending conventional categorisations, and inspiring and fostering commitment of a diverse population. It concludes that disability experience should be integrated into design processes in an intersectional way, as one of many experiences. That is in line with the CRPD, regarding persons with disabilities as equals and as contributors to cohesion and community building. Such a process requires co-creation where equals contribute to the common process but also reflection on the goals of community participation, and recognizing the needs of personal support and interaction. Since co-creation is a multifaceted, sometimes confusing, and idealistic concept, this paper suggests clarity, distinguished roles, and training of visualization abilities. Constraints of organisational asymmetry and challenges of engaging participants must be considered for developing a realistic view of co-creation. However, openness for learning between and beyond specific projects may develop equitable collaboration. For mutual and sustainable learning, the future usage phase must inform the design process. This positions UD in relation to co-creation as both a space of design possibilities and a human rights concept for an ethically reflected practice.

Designers are increasingly navigating translocated contexts, presenting the need to develop strong skills in sensitively working with host communities, avoiding surface-level engagements, and considering the longevity, ownership, and impact of designs [1]. This paper reviews a series of co-design workshops organised by Imperial College London and Royal College of Art’s MASc Global Innovation Design (GID) students, Abigail Hoover, and Tori Simpson. These workshops assembled a global community of design experts, students, and academics to share their experiences and approaches when designing for diverse communities to create culturally robust design interventions that are contextually innovative in the cultures and communities they exist in. The outcome of these workshops is a collection of co-designed guidelines to support design practitioners in ethical co-design practices, particularly when engaging with communities to which they do not belong. The goal of conducting these workshops was to discuss, and create strategies to avoid design tourism, a concept that straddles many names, including parachute design, design littering, and design imperialism. Meaning ‘projects where the primary purpose of the project is the educational or personal development of the visitors, and the resulting ideas are left without any potential for realistic implementation.’ [2] This paper outlines the tools, techniques, and knowledge generated through collaborative participation and reflection during the workshops that can be applied within culturally sensitive projects and ever-evolving design environments. It will review the created workshop structure and outcome analysis strategies cataloguing results against pre-existing design ethics structures. These outputs prompt the designer to reflect on their own practice, how they involve users, and what is left behind for communities involved. This paper serves as a valuable resource for designers seeking to navigate design with cultural sensitivity and adaptability, incorporate best practice, as well as new approaches to innovation, and facilitate actionable response to generate sustainable futures.

This article presents preliminary findings from a design ethnographic study examining pelvic floor care practices from the perspective of patients with pelvic floor injuries caused by birth treated at the continence clinic in Sundsvall’s Hospital, Sweden. The aim is to enhance our understanding of women’s experiences of pelvic floor injury, provide insights into living with pelvic floor injury, and discuss this from a universal design perspective. The study combines qualitative observations during clinic meetings and individual interviews with participants in a separate room. In total, seven patients participated. The material was analysed using thematic analysis focusing on the patient’s experiences and the continence clinic healthcare meeting situation. The initial findings show that pelvic floor injury symptoms such as leakage, pain and discomfort were seen as a routine part of giving birth and as expected and normal among patients. Another finding is how manifestation through visual evidence with mirroring or illustrations is found to be helpful among patients as it helps them with their healing process. Many participants have unresolved thoughts on the reasons for their pelvic floor injury. The narratives of patients living with pelvic floor injuries highlight themes of ambivalence and uncertainty, with the injuries often overshadowed by the subsequent demands of caring for a newborn, causing overload. The change is not only interpersonal; from a design perspective, the situation as a whole is of interest, including the environment, people, and artefacts. Further research is needed to explore women’s experiences beyond the purely medical aspects. Here, universal design can contribute to increased sensitivity regarding stigma and values and how these can manifest socio-materially in healthcare interactions. This study provides a basis for continued work with co-creation workshops with participants in the following study.

Physical activity (PA) has a well-documented, positive effect on overall health and wellbeing. Additionally, addressing activity-friendly infrastructure in communities can promote PA in everyday life. A universal design (UD) lens on PA promotes accessibility to the broadest audience and contributes to equal benefit of increased PA. This study explores the intersectionality of age, gender, and disability in United States-based gender minority adults using multiple regression analysis. A statistically significant relationship emerged between participants’ (n = 125) disability status and their corresponding perceptions of accessible design in their communities. However, gender, age, and PA did not have statistical significance in the regression model. The results reported in this paper are specific to the unique challenges these populations face in accessing inclusive and accessible community environments. Few health disparities studies have combined multiple elements of one’s identity with measurements of PA to examine environmental perceptions among multiply marginalized communities. This research seeks to address this research gap.

Inclusive library services rely on accessible buildings and services, and knowledgeable staff. This study explored whether a standard accessibility evaluation of physical library buildings is sufficient to reveal barriers that must be attended to for the library to be universally designed. Data was collected through a survey, two accessibility evaluations, and interviews with staff in the evaluated libraries. The findings show that evaluations based upon technical requirements for construction work is useful to identify barriers related to access and safety in the library and certain conditions inside, such as staircases and lightning. However, there is a need for library specific guidelines addressing the organization and presentation of the collection, signage, and to understand what users need to be self sufficient in the library when it is open outside opening hours and no staff is present.

This study explores the proposition of requiring students to hand in universally designed coursework and the transferrable benefits of accessibility audits. Coursework that adheres to universal design (UD) principles will be more accessible to fellow students and teachers. In this study we investigate if the universal design perspective can have positive side effects as a vessel for plagiarism detection. An experiment confirmed that an accessibility checking tool indeed can help flag some cheating attempts that go undetected by the plagiarism detection tool, but not all. Universal designed coursework requirements may prevent students from exploiting several of these cheating techniques. Through the process of preparing universally designed assignments, students will gain practice, knowledge, increased competence, and awareness of UD.