Dive Brief:

• Researchers at the University of Cambridge, in the U.K., have developed a kit to help designers better understand what it’s like to have disabilities in order to improve inclusive design.

• The team at the university’s Engineering Design Centre created gloves to simulate dexterity impairments such as arthritis and graduating vision reduction glasses to simulate vision loss.

• Impairment simulation software, an inclusive design process checklist and an exclusion calculator are available from the team to help designers estimate the number of people who would be unable to use their design without using inclusive features.

Dive Insight:

The design profession is turning its focus on improving accessibility in residential and commercial spaces due in part to code requirements as well as to homeowners desires to occupy their residence for longer and for developers to ensure that their spaces meet the needs of a range of tenants.

Architect Chris Downey lost his sight in 2008 and has since worked largely on designing and planning environments for the visually impaired, including acting as a consultant on the Duke University Eye Center Clinic, in Durham, NC, and the Transbay Transit Terminal now under construction in San Francisco. But Downey is one of just a few practicing blind architects in the world, as the field of design traditionally demands a highly acute visual perception.

As a result, many architects and planners unknowingly create spaces where individuals with physical and visual impairments find it more difficult to function than in spaces created using inclusive design principles. To help designers gain a better understanding and empathy of how persons with disabilities navigate the built environment, researchers are leveraging sensory deprivation tools to simulate impairments.

In addition to creating projects that are accessible to larger portions of the population, and don’t discriminate against persons with disabilities by design, inclusive design processes might also lead to greater opportunities to expand and improve upon senior housing, as fewer than 60% of homes and rental apartments are equipped with even one accessibility feature. Meanwhile, universal design features continue to rank among the most common repair and renovation projects and new home features as the aging baby boomer generation updates their homes to allow them to live there longer and millennials increasingly plan ahead and request the same features.