Gresham Lecturer Advocates for Universal Design
In architectural design, the understanding of how places are accessed and used by all people, regardless of ability, is crucial.
Edward Steinfeld, SUNY Distinguished Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, explained the concept of universal design and how it has helped architecture become more accessible at the 18th Glen E. Gresham/RESNA Colin McLaurin Distinguished Lecture.
Steinfeld is internationally known for his research and publications on accessibility and universal design. He has written or edited 10 books, including Universal Design: Creating Inclusive Environments, the first textbook on the subject.
While accessibility focuses on generating solutions that accommodate individuals with disabilities, universal design goes beyond disability-specific adaptations, aiming to produce inclusive environments and products that are usable by everyone, regardless of ability, age or other factors.
“Accessibility is actually a compensatory strategy. It’s implemented as a top-down activity to adjust a world that is designed to exclude the disabled body. Universal design, on the other hand, is a bottoms-up activity that seeks to change the consciousness of designers so that they will take diverse bodies and abilities into account in all their work,” Steinfeld said.
He explained that universal design’s foundational period began in the 1980s after advocates lobbied for improved accessibility standards. It has continued to evolve until today, where Steinfeld believes it has started to penetrate mainstream society.
He also believes in engaging other disciplines and professions that may see the benefits of universal design, including the audience of rehabilitation science students, faculty and community members attending the lecture.
The Gresham Visiting Professorship in Rehabilitation Science was endowed by the late Albert Rekate and his wife, Linda, and is presented by the Department of Rehabilitation Science. This lecture was co-sponsored by the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), of which Jim Lenker, associate professor in UB’s Department of Rehabilitation Science, is current president