Designing for the Disabled
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Welcome to our information page on
designing for the disabled. Within
these pages you will find practical
guidelines and references for
professionals and students alike.
Page Last Updated – 12/6/02
Universal Design
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The movement for universal
design began in the 1950’s
with the increasing activism
on the part of WWII veterans
to make consumer products
and built environments more
accessible to the disabled.
As the reasons for universal
design became more apparent
to industry and consumers
alike, it became obvious that
universal design could
Benefit all consumers.
The purpose of universal
design is the creation of
products and environments for
a very broad range of users.
Seven Principles of
Universal Design
1.
Equitable Use
2.
Flexibility in Use
3.
Simple and Intuitive
4.
Perceptible
Information
5.
Tolerance for error
6.
Low physical effort
7.
Size and Space for
Approach and Use
Designing for the Visually
Impaired
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It is estimated that there are some
7 to 10 million people living in
United States today with partial or
full visual impairment. So it is
important to design products that
take into consideration methods
for making products and
environments more friendly to the
visually impaired user
Practical guidelines for designing for
the visually impaired
Guidelines for Designing for
the Visually Impaired
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1.
2.
3.
Practical guidelines
Use of visual aids such a Braille
Increase display and sign size
Avoid use of colors that are hard
to distinguish from each other
(like yellow and red)
Use multiple resources, such as
audio and visual. (See example
below)
4.
Example of
multiple resources
Reasons for Universal Design
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Changing demographics show that
more people than ever in the United
States are elderly or living with
disabilities. The number of people
with functional disabilities is expected
to increase in the future. Much new
state and federal regulation has been
passed in the last three decades to
make society more accessible to those
with disabilities. From an economic
standpoint, universally designed
products have had a great degree of
commercial success as crossover
products to the mainstream market.
Guidelines for Designing for
the Hearing Impaired
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Using devices such as closed
captioning on television can be
very helpful for people who
cannot experience physical
stimulus.
Make sure to use an adequate
signal to noise (S/N) ratio.
Higher frequencies can be harder
to hear.
Designing for the Physically
Impaired
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Consumer studies have shown that
difficulties the physically impaired
encounter in products can be broken
into four categories. These are (in
decreasing difficulty)
•Transporting
• Lifting
• Gripping
• Manipulation
In designing products, an engineer
should minimize the level of each
activity that must be performed by
the user.
Links and References
References
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• Universal
Design
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Bamforth, S. and Brookes, N.J. Proceedings of the Institute of Mechanical
Engineering, Journal of Engineering Manufacture. Incorporating the Voice of Multiple
Customers into Product Design. V.216, pp. 809-813.
Keates, S., Lebbon, C., Clarkson, J. Investigating Industry Attitudes to Universal
Design. Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge. UK.
Dept. of Trade in Industry (UK) A Study of the Difficulties Disabled People
When Using Everyday Consumer Products. Government Consumer
Safety Research. Aug 2000.
Urban Management Department of the Lebanese Company for the
Development and Reconstruction of Beirut Central District (SOLIDERE) in
collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Western Asia (ESCWA). Accessibility for the Disabled-A Design Manual for a
Barrier Free Environment.
Links
The Center for Universal Design www.design.ncsu.edu/cud
Department of Labor-Office of Disability Employment Policy.
www.dol.gov/odep
Americans with Disabilities Act Document Center www.jan.wvu.edu
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Universal
Design
Reasons
For
Hearing
Impaired
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