Sustainability and Universal Design - Lessons from the Medical Home

Justification of the paper Design is often associated with making good looking, expensive products. However, as the Rio Declaration stated in 2005, designers can also contribute to better life-quality in society. The goal of... [ view full abstract ]

Justification of the paper
Design is often associated with making good looking, expensive products. However, as the Rio Declaration stated in 2005, designers can also contribute to better life-quality in society. The goal of this paper is to discuss universal design (UD) as concept and tool for a sustainability oriented society. The paper analyses relationships between UD and sustainable development (SD) within a project called ‘The Medical Home’ employing examples from assistive technology that allow elders to remain living in their own homes.

Purpose
With the impending demographic changes the amount of elderly and of people with impairments increases. Yet, a sustainable society is one that is pursuing its goals, impervious to the effects of any demographic distribution and by applying universal design, developers and planners can make it possible for everyone to participate in sustainable societal development.

Theoretical framework
Universal Design is a concept and methodological framework for inclusion. In 1995 the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development introduced the term ‘people-centered sustainable development.’ which comprise numerous references to people with disabilities and notes the relevance of including older people or children, who may be vulnerable to social marginalization, poverty and marginalization. The paper analyses parallels between UD and SD with help of assistive technology examples, providing new ideas for sustainable design research and practice.

Results and conclusions
The connection between universal design and sustainable development can be build up in a way that a design solution is not truly considered sustainable until it is accessible.

Implications for Tipping Points
The paper adds towards knowledge building in how to reconcile economic and ecological with social sustainability in the design of assistive technologies and services. It shows how UD can be applied to increase the sustainability value for the end-user, as well as for society as a whole.

Keywords: Universal design, sustainable development, design process, user involvement, access.