Universal Design Pioneers
The links in this section direct you to Centers that have been at the forefront in investigating the needs of people with disabilities and have contributed significantly to advancing universal design in education.
"Adaptive Environments (AE) is a 29 year old international non-profit organization, based in Boston, committed to advancing the role of design in expanding opportunity and enhancing experience for people of all ages and abilities. AE’s work balances expertise in legally required accessibility with promotion of best practices in human-centered or universal design."
"The Center for Assistive Technology & Environmental Access (CATEA), formerly known as the Center for Rehabilitation Technology, has been in existence for over 25 years. Our foci are:
- Development, evaluation, and utilization of assistive technology (technologies or devices designed to allow or improve performance of activities of daily living or work).
- Design and development of accessible environments (environments, private and public, accessible to all people, including those with disabilities).
- CATEA is a unit of the College of Architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. We are supported in our mission by strategic partners and a national advisory council. Visit History for more information on the development of CATEA."
Georgia Tech
The IDEA Center at Buffalo NY is dedicated to improving the design of environments and products by making them more usable, safer and appealing to people with a wide range of abilities throughout their life spans. Includes project information, community dissemination activities, publications, and sample pictures of UD homes, and links.
University at Buffalo
" The Center for Universal Design (CUD) is a national information, technical assistance, and research center that evaluates, develops, and promotes accessible and universal design in housing, commercial and public facilities, outdoor environments, and products. Our mission is to improve environments and products through design innovation, research, education and design assistance."
North Carolina State University
"An advisory document reflecting best practice and current statutory requirements for the design of buildings, structures, highways and transportation." UK
"Design for All is a process whereby designers, manufacturers and service providers ensure that their products and environments address users irrespective of their age or ability. It aims to include the needs of people who are currently excluded or marginalised by mainstream design practices and links directly to the concept of an inclusive society. A key feature of design for all is the emphasis placed on working with user groups representing the true diversity of users as a route to innovation and new product development"
European Design for All
Focus is on how instructors came to use podcasting, but also discusses other UDL ideas they incorporated.
University of Minnesota
Based on podcasting presentations that the author made at the 2007 College Reading and Learning Association Conference (Portland, OR) and the National Conference of the National College Learning Center Association (Atlanta, GA) and a workshop on November 15, 2006 held at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The Power Point slides for the presentation given at the CRLA and NCLCA Conference are provided below. The UMN presentations has two parts: one for a basic overview of podcasting and the other examines its use in education.
Arendale, D. - University of Minnesota
A partnership between the IDEA Center (University of Buffalo), the Ontario Rehabilitation Technology Consortium (ORTC), and representatives from the design and disability communities nationwide. This webpage introduces their 2 research projects, 3 development projects, 4 training projects, and 6 dissemination projects as a rehabilitation engineering research center (RERC).
Questions and answers about the federal guidelines.
HUD
Ron Mace, an internationally renowned architect, product designer and educator, is credited with conceiving the term “universal design.” He founded the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University in 1989. In 1997, a committee of 10, under Mace’s leadership, wrote these seven principles of universal design. These principles are the standard for universally designing products, communication, and environments “to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without adaptation or specialized design”.
The Center for Universal Design, NC State University
"This web site supports the teaching and study of universal design. It also provides a place where educators can interact with each other. Our goal is to develop a community of learners who exchange information for the benefit of all."
Center for Universal Design, N.C. State University; IDEA Center, University at Buffalo; Global Universal Design Educator's Network
"The Universal Design Network is the homepage of the Global Universal Design Educators™s Network and the Monthly Online News. The Network is a loose coalition of people committed to universal design education." It includes a comprehensive list of links, both US and foreign. Their monthly Online News is searchable by topic.
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