The need to integrate inclusive design at our homes, schools, workplaces, malls, hospitals, parks, etc, especially to improve accessibility and mobility for the disabled, needs to be given urgent priority for the wellbeing of society, writes Daniel Wong, Access Consultant design professional.
The world is experiencing a population boom never before seen in history. Birth rate is increasing while deathrate is slowing. People are living longer because of improved healthcare science particularly in wealthier countries. This increase in population and, in particular, aged population, will naturally bring an increase in members of the population experiencing disabilities.
Everyone, at some stage in our lives, will encounter disability in one form or another. We may experience at least one disability as life progresses – an accident, illness, or simply the natural degradation of our bodily functions as we advance in age.
Adapting Design Philosophy
Design professionals the world over are responding to this phenomenon by adapting their design philosophy. Inclusive design, which essentially means designing products, buildings, transportation, public amenities, etc. to allow them to be used by as wide a demographic range as possible, is being promoted in many nations - industries, governments, corporations and educational organisations - to improve the lives of those who live with disabilities.
Inclusive design has many names – Universal Design, Accessible Design, Livable Homes, Adaptable Homes, Disability Management Plans, etc. Accessible design tends to be more specific when dealing with design parameters to achieve better products – often in the built environment (buildings, car parks, public urban spaces and amenities, etc).
Requiring Attentive Design Perspective
Often, when discussing accessible design, we think of the wheelchair symbol. In actual fact, wheelchair users make up part of the demographic living with disabilities. Disabilities come in many shapes – there are physical disabilities that limit the use of the limbs, or the reduced function of faculties such as sight, hearing, speech. There are other disabilities - Down Syndrome, Dementia and a host of other syndromes. There are motor-neuron disorders that render a person unable to fully control their grasp or exert pressure. Disabilities can be due to a myriad causes. Some people are born with certain disabilities. Others may acquire a disability through an accident or illness, or as the side effect of treatment or surgery.
Sometimes people who need accessible design may not even have an obvious disability, but may be going through a phase in their lives that means they need special attention from the design perspective. Parents with young children in prams may have the same spatial requirements to manoeuvre as a wheelchair. An older person may not be strong enough to maintain his/her balance on an un-level surface such as a ramp and tend to fall over.
Inclusive Design Absolutely Necessary
So inclusive design is absolutely necessary given that an ever increasing members of our society will have an episode in our lives that renders us dependent on products and environments that are well designed, for us to continue in as near a lifestyle as we used to enjoy, go to places we want to go, do the things we want to do, without being disadvantaged by our situation.
Inclusive play spaces - breaking barriers, building bridges
Among the business community, shopping malls are savvy to the fact that better accessibility means better business for them. Increasingly shopping malls are being fitted out with accessible features like ramps and lifts, family rooms for changing and feeding, and accessible toilets.
Enacting Disability Discrimination Legislations
Many countries have enacted legislation, like the Disability Discrimination Act, to protect people with disabilities from being discriminated against, in being allowed access to the built environment, media, services, jobs and participating in the community. Some countries or states have specific regulations to guide the design of products and built environment, to ensure better design outcomes that is inclusive and accessible.
For those countries that don’t have legislation to enforce a better design, there exists interest groups that promote inclusive design and improving access generally, working in a loose collaboration to increase awareness and generate active participation in calling for better design and helping people live fuller lives.
My Contribution to Design Thinking
It is this vision that prompted me to write this piece, in my capacity as an Access Consultant design professional. I hope to contribute to making the world we live in a better place for everyone, by forming alliances with like-minded individuals and groups from various countries and promoting inclusive design. Having practiced in Malaysia as an architect, I am aware of a crucial need for an inclusive approach to design thinking. This is true in most parts of Asia, and some parts of Europe too.
Some forward thinking Asian nations like Japan (generally acknowledged as the world leader in accessible design), Hong Kong and Singapore are leading the way in making the public domain more accessible.
As I embark on my new found passion and knowledge in inclusive design, in Sydney, Australia, I can say that I am, through developing this awareness and constant vigilance when designing, improving my skills as a designer and adding value as a consultant.
As the population continues to age, and people continue to travel more and do more, there will be a definite increase in accidents and illnesses resulting in people experiencing disability, be it temporary or permanent. The need for inclusive design is real and urgent. The wellbeing of society is dependent on it.
We already experience many examples of inclusive design in our lives on a daily basis. We can enlarge or reduce the text size on our phones, or increase or decrease brightness to suit our level of vision. We can even have our phones read out missed calls, messages or even entire articles if we wished. Our computers can do the same. Many websites are designed to be accessible.
Design Professionals Need to be Proactive
Design professionals and design schools need to take up the initiative to push for a more inclusive design approach. Inclusive design should be so well integrated into our living environment – our homes, schools, workplaces, malls, hospitals, parks, etc - that it feels so natural having inclusive design, we only notice it when it’s missing.
Then we would have succeeded in creating an inclusive accessible world.
