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Home Insights Universal design - creating an office design accessible by all
Universal design is creating environments and offices that work for everyone. This goes beyond accessibility or disability, and aims to make spaces inclusive for all; regardless of their age, ability or status in life.
Ashley Skinner
Workplace Consultant
Tuesday, 20th March 2018
4 minutes read time
Universal design is key to supporting an ever-diversifying population. There are times that we are injured, temporarily restricted or have an issue we may not want to disclose at work. It’s about creating spaces where we don’t have to ask, but spaces that are intuitive and can be personalised and adapted to suit our needs. A great inclusive design can enhance productivity and engagement, and provides a great work experience for everyone.
Most organisations are good at accommodating reasonable adjustments, such as specialist chairs or technology. However, in work environments, this often leads to those individuals being fixed to technology or particular supportive furniture. This means that due to their special requests they now have less choice over where to work compared to their colleagues, often taking away the benefits of an agile workplace.
Designing a barrier-free environment means that people who might otherwise have challenges don’t need to be considered as “other”. Part of the universal design concept is that staff don’t have to request special treatment - their workplace should be adaptable enough to quickly change for their needs. It instead ensures that the whole space is inclusive, providing the same user experience, regardless of your staff’s needs.
While we can create an accessible office space, sometimes the building can pose a barrier. For example, sometimes we’ve seen an “accessible” building entrance hidden through the service entrance. Having to enter a building through the service entry (often by the bins, car park or loading dock) can leave accessible users feeling like second-class citizens. Sometimes buildings may have a small lift which will only accommodate one wheelchair user – those accompanying them then have to take the stairs or wait for another lift! So, while it’s important for the workspace to be universally accessible, we often need to consider the building holistically to ensure that all staff have a constant and pleasant user experience.
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