Time to Redefine 'Disabled' Design

Accessible design leads to better products for everyone

By Laila Weir, Newser User

Posted Nov 2, 2008 10:14 AM CST

(Newser) – The world is long overdue for a major change in how devices for the disabled are both perceived and designed, an industry leader says. In fact, it's time to stop designing disabled-access items altogether, Northwestern professor and author Don Norman tells CNN. Why not just make it so showers, baths, toilets, etc., can be used by everyone? “Designing for people with disabilities almost always leads to products that work better for everyone."

An example of such “accessible design” is the “Universal Toilet,” created by two Korean designers, which both the disabled and the general public can use. Norman, who also complains that wheelchairs, walkers, and the like are "ugly," said that designers and companies need to become more aware of disabled users’ needs: “The first step is education, awareness, and empathy."

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Miroslava Sekaninova from Slovakia helps her partner Jan Puchein during the 2008 Wheelchair Dance Sport World Championships, Oct. 25, 2008. (AP Photo)

Sportsmen compete during the 2008 Wheelchair Dance Sport World Championships, Oct. 25, 2008. (AP Photo)

Tyler Byers wins the Twin Cities Marathon wheelchair division in the rain on Oct. 5, 2008, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo)

Kazuo Kawasaki, the Japanese designer of Sarah Palin's glasses, speaks while sitting on a wheelchair he designed. (AP Photo)

Johan Andersson of Sweden competes in the 2008 Paralympic Games on September 12, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Getty Images)

The Universal Toilet, designed in South Korea. (www.monuments.nu)

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Make cans and bottles that a one-handed person can open and guess what, many people will find it makes their lives easier when they only have one free hand. - Don Norman, design professor and author

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Time to Redefine 'Disabled' Design