Universal design advocates designing products for the comfort and safety of all ages and abilities.

As information flies at us with ever-increasing speed, it is not surprising that we resist staying current with the latest information.  How can we possibly learn all that there is to know about design as well as the profession’s latest trends? We wake up in the morning and feel that somehow we have missed a shift in the sands of design while we slept. We find that we are running our businesses in an archaic form, when just yesterday we were so hip and happening.  

Whether I am in a meeting or seminar and someone throws out the latest acronym or subject, at times I find myself nodding my head like a fool when I have no idea what they are talking about. I immediately scratch the word or initials on a notepad and Google the word and find out the definition.

That is exactly what happened to me in an ASID meeting years ago when the term universal design hit the discussion table. My mind was asking, “What is that?” while everyone else in the room seemed perfectly clear on the topic and the terminology. I left the meeting wondering if everyone there was playing catch-up like me, or whether they were already familiar with the term. So, I made a mad dash for the search bar and found myself realizing what a simple concept it was and how I wished there was a better term to explain such a much-needed part of our design process.

Design For All
Universal design is simply “inclusive design” or “design for all.” People come in all sizes and abilities, and design should include as many universal design solutions as possible. This simple concept grabbed hold of me to help design spaces that all ages can enjoy, and that we need not separate our design solutions based on Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to meet the required ADA standard. We should strive to make our spaces and furnishings universally easy to maneuver for everyone – from toddlers to the aging. Spaces need to be accessible for healthy members of society, as well as the physically challenged. Design has a responsibility to let everyone participate equally.

Since that moment and other similar moments, I have begun to notice when subjects like universal design come up, that we as humans are not that thrilled about change and are very hesitant to embrace new concepts. We all hope to ignore much-needed shifts, praying it will all go away so that we can continue in our businesses without taking the time to stop and learn. We can also delegate an entire topic to experts who are tracking that part of the profession and smugly wish them the best in their endeavors. The same can be said with the phenomena of global warming or Darfur: Someone else is tracking it and someone else will have to care.

Thanks to an expert on universal design, Patricia Moore, all that changed for me. Moore is a noted speaker on universal design and all things accessible, and I have had the pleasure of hearing her speak on several occasions. She really made me realize I had to slow down and think longer about what I was designing and how comfort and safety for all ages and abilities are paramount in the earliest planning.  

I could not go about willy-nilly designing spaces that would be an encumbrance to many who would experience them. Just like the use of compact fluorescent bulbs, this was another area where I was going to need to bend and change, or end up putting my clients in a difficult position for their future.  

Moore has a gift for making you see that the five-year-old using the bathtub has many of the same needs as the 85-year-old grandfather.  Rounded corners, non-slippery surfaces and ease of maneuvering around a bath or kitchen need to be part of our normal materials and space planning.

A new mom can use a grab bar to help lift her child, as could a grandmother recovering from surgery. A youthful homeowner may return from a ski trip with a broken leg and benefit from having a shower available to accommodate those needs. So we – as a design community – will hopefully embrace thinking of the whole group using our spaces and remember our clients’ needs may change.

Planning Ahead
Clients in my practice have proven to be very open to the shifts in the usage of their spaces that may happen over time–  from visiting parents to grandchildren. Adding these considerations into your planning can make you part of an invaluable team that is concerned about the needs prior to the need.   

Universal design will reap long-term benefits for your clients and make you a part of their life solutions. It is a wonderful light-bulb moment for most clients to realize they can plan ahead without added cost, and save renovation time and money in the future so they can stay in their home longer. It also adds resale value to plan a home that can accommodate an older buyer at the time the family may want to relocate.

The cost of refitting spaces is far more costly than planning early and, as the population ages, the need to refit spaces is going to be a huge part of our design businesses. AARP and Easter Seals all have information and links on universal design because their members are asking questions about creating safe environments to enhance their family’s lives.  

Clients want a home, office, bank and stores that help support the lives of family members who are compromised through aging or illness. Our family members can receive a report from a doctor that can change their life, and we can help during those times to plan a better solution for their changing needs.
    
Close to Home
In my own family, my mother went into a nursing home after a stroke left her with very limited abilities. My parents’ home could not accommodate her. We considered full-time nursing at home, but the refitting of their home was just not possible.

My parents live in an older home on two floors, and they were very stubborn about not moving to a new neighborhood with assisted living. They had been in great shape and traveling non-stop, so the idea of needing something in their home wasn’t on their radar.

After a sudden and significant stroke, my family’s world shifted, and I regret not putting my foot down about refitting the doors and baths to accommodate their aging in place. We had discussed it, and my parents said they would do it when they got old. This personal experience has made me realize how a shift in health needs for anyone can be dramatic and fast.

My parents had just returned from a trip three days before her massive stroke and had the next trip all planned. But planning for illness was low on their scope, even in their late 70s. What a gift for other families if we can help implement changes that will allow decisions to be made without space restrictions.  

Keeping families together and active is one of the main benefits of universal design. Allowing children to be with grandparents and parents to care for themselves and others is truly a gift to the families that the design profession can make happen.

Juliana M. Catlin, FASID, is founder and president of Catlin Interiors Inc. For more information, call 904-396-5522.