Long, long ago, in a distant galaxy, around 2006, a Google search for universal design would give you under three million results. Today, it’s 41,200,000! This is a fast growing field as we prepare for a planet with an older population. Students considering career choices: look into universal design! This...
Emergency Planning
We know the emergency prep basics but what would make them more universal design? The short answer is, not much. If you have a universal design environment, you’re in good shape. Where emergency planning might be more universal design is in its thorough application and in you actually being prepared....
CAPS – Certified Aging In Place Specialist
Hooray! I am a CAPS graduate. What’s so different? Through manuals, instruction, discussion and testing, I added to my knowledge (even me, Mr. know-it-all). And, I am very excited. CAPS is an acronym for Certified Aging In Place Specialist. It is a three-day training and certification course offered by NAHB,...
Consciousness Precedes Form
Being green has been around for a long time. However, in the last year a tipping point was reached and green is now visible everywhere. Governments are doing it, business is doing it, schools are teaching it, and even the “bad” guys, such as the petroleum industry, are dabbling with...
Denial
Times have changed and immediate gratification is valued higher than long term planning. This is certainly one of the reasons universal design is slow in being widely adopted. Another is the reluctance to acknowledge our aging bodies. This is the denial of our becoming old, frail and helpless. Burr …...
Destination or Journey, Part II
In May 2008, I wrote the following: “One day, there will be the ultimate universal design handbook. It will have well conceived answers to every design quandary, each achieved cost effectively and with elegance. No. That would be as if universal design was a destination, a place we arrive at...
Born Again
Have you raised a child? I often wonder what I learned in school that was so great: geometry, endless history, exotic authors, extreme science? After years of school there was so much practical stuff that I didn’t know: how to cook, nutrition, conflict resolution, and child rearing. Simply bizarre, even...
But I’ll Be Fine
I go to sleep at night, not wondering if the sun will rise tomorrow. I don’t ponder if there will be a winter next January. I won’t check the night sky to see if the moon is still there. All those seem like certainties – they seem guaranteed. I also...
Assistive Technology & UD, Part IV: Vision Loss
“Darn. Where did I leave my eyeglasses now?” This is a familiar cry for many people who use eyeglasses to help with certain tasks such as driving or reading. Eyeglasses are such a simple piece of assistive technology. So simple, we take them for granted. So simple, we even make...
Assistive Technology & UD, Part V: Communication, Intellect & Development
Some disabilities are not readily noticed. It might be a weak heart that limits an otherwise strong person. It might be a learning disability that holds back a high IQ from being fully utilized. In communication, intellect and mental development, a disability more often and more easily escapes notice. It...