An environment, or any building product or service in it, should ideally be designed to meet the needs of all those who wish to use it. Universal Design is the design and composition of environments, products, and services so that they can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. It creates products, services and environments that meet people’s needs. In short, Universal Design is good design. This book presents the proceedings of UD2022, the 6th International Conference on Universal Design, held from 7 - 9 September 2022 in Brescia, Italy. The conference is targeted at professionals and academics interested in the theme of universal design as related to the built environment and the wellbeing of users, but also covers mobility and urban environments, knowledge, and information transfer, bringing together research knowledge and best practice from all over the world. The book contains 72 papers from 13 countries, grouped into 8 sections and covering topics including the design of inclusive natural environments and urban spaces, communities, neighborhoods and cities; housing; healthcare; mobility and transport systems; and universally-designed learning environments, work places, cultural and recreational spaces. One section is devoted to universal design and cultural heritage, which had a particular focus at this edition of the conference. The book reflects the professional and disciplinary diversity represented in the UD movement, and will be of interest to all those whose work involves inclusive design.

Good design is enabling, and each and every one of us is a designer. Universal Design is widely recognized an important concept that should be incorporated in all person-centred policies. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) clearly stipulates that the most effective way of delivering on the promise of an inclusive society is through a Universal Design approach. Sitting at the intersection of the fields of Higher Education and Universal Design, this book presents papers delivered at the Universal Design and Higher Education in Transformation Congress (UDHEIT2018), held in Dublin, Ireland, from 30 October to 2 November 2018. This event brings together key experts from industry, education, and government and non-government organization sectors to share experiences and knowledge with all participants. The 86 papers included here are grouped under 17 headings, or themes, ranging from education and digital learning through healthcare to engagement with industry and urban design. Celebrating and integrating all that is good in design, diversity and education, this book will be a valuable resource for all those interested in the inspiring and empowering developments in both Universal Design and higher education.

Proceedings van: Gerontechnology : international conference on technology and aging, 1st, Eindhoven, August 26-29, 1991.

In the 21st century Assistive Technology (AT) should be defined as a scientific and technologic approach to the development of products and services oriented to support the elderly and people with disabilities in their daily activities, maximizing their personal autonomy, independence, health and quality of life.

The book provides new perspectives from leading experts examining the role of architects and urbanists in designing for inclusivity in our built environment. By focusing on themes of gender, race and ethnicity, ability, neurodiversity, age, poverty and socio-economy and the non-human, the book tackles the complex challenges that designers and scholars encounter and need to address in their works. The volume offers a diverse compilation of peer-reviewed papers related to architecture for inclusivity in various different formats, ranging from visual essays, argumentative papers and scholastic texts. It presents the notion of "availability", a concept which works to challenge the "othering" inherent in notions of inclusion and accessibility. In its introduction it presents a critical discourse around the challenges and potentials lying in the design for availability targeted towards a systemic change of our societies. The book is part of a series of six volumes that explore the agency of the built environment in relation to the SDGs through new research conducted by leading researchers. The series is led by editors Mette Ramsgaard Thomsen and Martin Tamke in collaboration with the theme editors: - Design for Climate Adaptation: Billie Faircloth and Maibritt Pedersen Zari - Design for Rethinking Resources: Carlo Ratti and Mette Ramsgaard Thomsen (Eds.) - Design for Resilient Communities: Anna Rubbo and Juan Du (Eds.) - Design for Health: Arif Hasan and Christian Benimana (Eds.) - Design for Inclusivity: Magda Mostafa and Ruth Baumeister (Eds.) - Design for Partnerships for Change: Sandi Hilal and Merve Bedir (Eds.)

Current ideas about human diversity often highlight the importance of the relational and dynamic nature of interactions across different domains of human function, activities and participation. Universal Design (UD) is defined as design that is usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible and without the need for adaptation or specialization. The term ‘universal’ is intended to embrace human diversity, making it the opposite of the one-size-fits-all approach. The Universal Design conference series was started in 2012 with the aim of promoting UD as a discipline-independent philosophy and approach which can transcend the boundaries between communities of knowledge and communities of practice. The first part of this book is a collection of 6 invited papers arising from some of the informal and semi-formal discussions and debates which took place as part of the UD 2022 conference in Italy. Authors were invited to submit papers presenting real case studies, and asked to discuss not only the opportunities and strengths, but also the challenges encountered when implementing UD in various domains. The second part of the book presents 6 essays by researchers who have worked on different aspects of UD over the years, each written from the perspective of the author’s own research strand. The book will be of interest to all those working in the field of universal design and inclusivity.