Requirements
Environmental Barriers – Going to the Source
Let's get right to the source. Ron Mace coined the term and “wrote the book” on environmental universal design.
A thorough treatment of environmental barriers by Mace, Hardie, and Place (1991) is online:
http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/pubs_p/docs/ACC%20Environments.pdf .
If you are an administrator, get your hands on that document. It will inform many decisions you make.
Universally designed environments are not just humane; they also make increasingly good business sense. We have a large Baby Boomer population that is aging, increased recognition of the rights of individuals with disabilities and their inclusion in mainstream environments, and extended life expectancies are creating a larger-than-ever market. If you are in the business of designing learning environments for adults, you will meet this market force head-on if you haven't already. The better you design your environment and system for this expanded market, the more this larger market will appreciate and respond to your services and products.
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