Photo of the bamboo play area at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo which is accessible to all.
Patti’s article in this issue addressed ADA and what ‘upgrades’ are certainly needed after 34 years. The natural progression of ADA, as she pointed out, is Universal Design. If you haven’t been following the UD bandwagon these days – the goal of Universal Design is to ‘design spaces, places, and events so they can be accessed, understood and used by ALL people.’
Universal Design was coined by an architect (Ronald Mace – 1997) who wanted to focus on accessible housing with a ‘universal’ design. He championed accessible building codes and standards in the US based on an all-inclusive philosophy of barrier free design.
Universal Design has become part of everyday language in the last few years, and not just architecturally. Universal Design applies to education, websites, events, and programs. The Foundation has included it as one of our guiding principles (ADA standards are the law and the minimum. Exceeding that through the principles of Universal Design is desirable).
As community members, businesses, and grantees consider Universal Design, an important distinction needs to be made and thoughtfully considered.
Accessibility (ADA) gets a person ‘to’ or ‘into’ a place/event/activity.
Inclusion philosophically supports the person participating in that place/event/activity.
Universal Design prepares the place (to be accessible and inclusive) before a person ever gets there.
We will be talking more about Universal Design in upcoming issues. For now, though, here are just a few of the spaces and places that have been working to build a Universally Designed experience in our communities.
- Fort Wayne International Airport (cane trail, hearing loops, signage, sunflower lanyard project, training, and more)
Photo of a fidget board shaped like an airplane at Fort Wayne Airport.
- Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo (family bathrooms, quiet spaces, exhibits specifically designed to be accessed by all)
- Downtown Fort Wayne (audible crosswalks)
- Jackson-Lehman Y (equipment distanced to allow mobility devices and other space needs)
- Taste of the Arts Festival (stages accessible to performers and audience, transportation for those who can’t get to the location they want to visit)
- AWSF Building (flexible seating, zero thresholds, pinch proof door hinges, adult changing table)
- Greater Fort Wayne, Inc. (making sure a microphone is always used, having caterers keep food on all one level, commitment to regular education of businesses)
- Inclusive/Universally Designed parks all over the region (Drover Park in Huntington, Winona Lake Limitless Park, Whicker Park in Bluffton, Boone Park in Fort Wayne, to name a few).
- Honeywell Center and Eagles Theater in Wabash (sensory bags available at all events, family bathrooms
We aren’t excluding those of you not mentioned – we just couldn’t fit everyone in the space we have available!
Why does Universal Design matter? Why make a distinction between the three important elements? As you participate in your own community, look around. What barriers do you see that could be made more accessible, more inclusive, and ultimately more universally designed? Stay tuned for more…