Design For The Disabled

How difficult is it to open a jar without the full use of one's hands? How safe is it to step into the shower when one has arthritis or a knee injury? Is getting into a car always as simple as one-two- three, or could it take more planning for someone with an injured back? Asking these kinds of questions - and many more - is part of a new and growing dimension of design. The trend in making products - and information - more accessible to those with any kind of disability is gathering momentum. Interestingly, seeking design solutions that meet the needs of the disabled results in a better overall design, benefitting both the able and disabled.

New terminology has been coined to describe more inclusive design processes, including terms such as accessible design, barrier-free design and assistive technology. Universal design is a relatively new approach that has emerged from these models and describes the design elements of buildings, products and environments that allow for the broadest range of users and applications. The Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University in the U.S. developed Principles of Universal Design, ¹ which guide a wide range of design disciplines. The Center defines universal design as designing products and environments in such a way that they are usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design for particular users.

Creating awareness among designers

Sometimes, all it takes to spur designers on to find better solutions is becoming aware of the shortcomings of a particular design. During a visit to a rehabilitation center for children and teenagers, designer Shabtai Hirshberg witnessed a boy on crutches refuse help from a physical therapist as he tried to mount a tricycle, only to get his leg caught on the seat. Mr. Hirshberg, an industrial design graduate from Hadassah College in Jerusalem, spent the next few months working with physical therapists and a rehabilitation psychologist on building a better tricycle, the A2B, for disabled children. The tricycle allows independent use for play, while also providing rehabilitation solutions. For now, it is just a prototype. But there is perhaps a wider market for it. Many of the design features - such as the two wheels in the front and the chest plate, which...