Make the world more diverse through universal design: here are four steps to get started

Universal design offers an opportunity to do something tangible about one of the complex problems where solutions are not found in one place for one problem, but instead cut across fields and have to be developed together. It is the kind of problem we have come to realise the world is full of.

In Denmark, the concept is relatively new, and the disciplines that have been familiar with it have mainly been within design and architecture. But universal design represents an approach we can use across disciplines, from architecture and design to pedagogy, leadership, communication, policy development, product development, and much more. In other words, it is a tool we can apply across fields, which is exactly what is needed when we try our hand at complex problems.

To put it in a slightly well worn phrase, it is only our imagination that sets the limits when it comes to using universal design as a tool to make room for more people.

Universal design is about arranging the world in such a way that more people have the opportunity to participate and to make their mark where they want to. And when we talk about universal design, we are talking about diversity in terms of functional ability and physical and mental capacity. That matters because more than one brain thinks better than a single brain. It also matters because different life experiences and a more diverse mix of people in workplaces, in politics, in leadership corridors, and in boardrooms lead to better solutions to the challenges we face. Large companies understand this, which is why diversity, inclusion, and belonging have become key terms among leaders.

This is where the cross disciplinary concept of universal design comes in as a welcome helper, offering concrete actions that anyone can take. Here are four of them.

1. Become aware of blind spots.
   We all have blind spots. As a society and as individuals, we have blind spots in how we incorporate people with disabilities and impairments into the way we design our society. Consciously and unconsciously, we often create separate solutions for people with disabilities. We start from an unspoken sense of “them and us” when it comes to who the users are, and from a “minority and majority” approach. Ask yourself: How do we understand disability? What assumptions do we hold about people with disabilities? Do we always picture a wheelchair, for example, or do we have a more nuanced understanding of what disability is? Disability and impairment are a natural part of being human, and people with disabilities exist across all other minorities, majorities, and identities. Practise reflecting on and discussing your own blind spots, and do it together with your colleagues and the people around you.
2. The world is diverse, so solutions must be too.
   People with disabilities are different, and disabilities are different. Therefore, solutions must be different as well. Put another way, diversity in users’ needs requires diversity in the solutions you create. A universally designed solution can be one solution, as long as it is not merely the lowest common denominator for everyone. Sometimes, however, the situation may require that the universally designed solution is a range of solutions, for example three different counter heights, or two ways of accessing information in a digital solution, because one solution for everyone does not work.
3. Be critical of norms.
   Be aware of your own and your shared understanding of who the users are. What is your own mental picture of people with disabilities, and how might it be challenged? Around 30 per cent of the Danish population live with a self reported impairment that affects their everyday lives. This includes physical, sensory, cognitive, neurodivergent, and psychosocial impairments. They are also single people, fathers, mothers, managers, football fans, tango dancers, teenagers, and schoolteachers. Disability and impairment exist across all ages and identities, and people with disabilities are the world’s largest minority. So question your own assumptions about who people with disabilities are, and stay curious about the language and the words you use when you talk about people with disabilities.
4. Seek knowledge, and take one step at a time.
   Universal design is a complex field of knowledge that requires cross disciplinary expertise and collaboration in order to be addressed. That knowledge includes both lived experience and professional expertise. It also includes practice based knowledge and academic knowledge. It is knowledge about every aspect of lived life, which is why cross disciplinary work is so crucial. Seek your knowledge from many different experts, and be mindful that regulations, for instance in construction, only represent minimum requirements. Universal design is a new field and a new concept in a Danish context, and it takes experience, testing, and experimentation to become wiser. And it is better to take small steps than not to move at all.

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