Universal Design, Public Policy and Philosophy

Universal Design as a Political Philosophy

Universal Design is a concept of creating environments and products with the intent

of maximizing utility and accessibility for all. It is partially based int he idea that solutions

for disabled people in design can also increase ease of use for those of all abilities. A

simple and ubiquitous example would be street crossings with both auditory and visual

signals. The auditory signals were put in place to assist the visually impaired, but they have

the added benefit of increasing safety for all in conditions of bad visibility.

As someone with a disability I have seen these sorts of assistive technology become

commonplace and in fact the standard. When I went to elementary school the classrooms

all still had old-style chalkboards. But around 5th grade, since I had a 504 plan my

classroom was outfitted with a white board because it was easier to see with high contest.

Now of course every classroom has such a board. It is the norm.

There are many technologies that were first developed for the disabled that became

universal. Pellegrino Turri designed the first typewriter in the early 1800’s for his blind

friend.1 More modern examples are text to speech technology, and AI driven object

recognition software. Technological advancement is often driven by a need and then a

realization occurs that even for those who do not need the innovation or tool it makes life

Easier.

These examples are all in the context of physical spaces, objects, and tools but this

philosophy can also be applied to the way we design and construct our society. For

example. Medicare and Medicaid in the United States grant medical coverage for the

elderly, the disabled, and the economically disadvantaged. These government services

greatly increase the quality of life for these groups, but increasingly today we see the push

for the idea of Medicare for All. Services created for the disabled and disadvantaged that is

being recognized would increase the quality of life for all, the application of Universal

Design of our healthcare system.

Another prime example is public transportation. Those with disabilities are more

likely to struggle with reliable transportation and thus be more dependent upon public

transportation. But increasingly public transportation can be seen to benefit everyone.

Whether that is because owning a personal vehicle becomes prohibitive due to finances or

space, or because we want to move toward a more sustainable greener economy. Once

again, it would be beneficial to apply Universal design to how we approach cost-effective

public transportation and city planning. Some cities for instances have already begun

experimenting with non-profit rideshare programs for everyone. Related issues that came

to the forefront of public awareness during the COVID pandemic are mail in and absentee

voting, and remote working from home. Realities disabled people have always had to deal

with that were suddenly a concern to all.

According to the US Census more than 44 million people, over 13% of the US

population had some form of disability, though by other measures this number is much

Higher. This in itself is a substantial proportion of the populace who have legitimate

political, social, and economic problems that are not always adequately addressed, but

when taken in the context that policies that could increase their quality of life could also

benefit the vast majority of the people. Just as we construct and design our tools,

environments we also construct our government and society. Thus, the concept of

applying Universal Design to political philosophy and public policy by emphasizing

inclusivity rather than an adversarial outlook where one group must lose so that another

may gain could be an exceptionally successful political strategy.