Universal Design/Accessibility Standards Resources
Information on universal design and accessibility standards for buildings, transportation, electronic and information technology, the media and more.
Resources for Universal Design and Accessibility Standards
Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. The following organizations provide information, resources and/or technical assistance on U.S. and international accessibility standards and universal design. Some of these organizations base their standards on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). While the Americans with Disabilities Act is a U.S. law, accessibility standards produced under the ADA are suitable for use by any organization seeking to ensure the accessibility of their products and facilities.
1331 F Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20004-1111 USA
Tel: (202) 272-0080 or toll free: (800) 872-2253
TTY: (202) 272-0082 or toll free: (800) 993-2822
Fax: (202) 272-0081
Email: info@access-board.gov (see also this detailed email and telephone directory.)
The Access Board is an independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. Created in 1973 to ensure access to federally funded facilities, the Board is now a leading source of information on accessible design. The Board develops and maintains design criteria for the built environment, transit vehicles, telecommunications equipment, and for electronic and information technology. It also provides technical assistance and training on these requirements and on accessible design and continues to enforce accessibility standards that cover federally funded facilities. A key mission of the Board is developing and maintaining accessibility guidelines and standards under several different laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA).
The Access Board produces a number of publications, including Access Currents, a bimonthly newsletter, as well as guidelines and standards for facilities, public rights-of-way, transportation and communication.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
1819 L Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 293-8020
Fax: (202) 293-9287
Email: info@ansi.org
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) provides information on accessibility standards related to architecture, emergency preparedness, and other topics.
Center for Applied Special Technology
40 Harvard Mills Square, Suite 3
Wakefield, MA 01880-3233 USA
Tel: (781) 245-2212
Email: cast@cast.org
CAST is a nonprofit research and development organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals, especially those with disabilities, through Universal Design for Learning. Founded in 1984 as the Center for Applied Special Technology, CAST has earned international recognition for its innovative contributions to educational products, classroom practices, and policies. Its staff includes specialists in education research and policy, neuropsychology, clinical/school psychology, technology, engineering, curriculum development, K-12 professional development, and more.
Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDeA)
378 Hayes Hall, School of Architecture and Planning
3435 Main Street
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14214-3087 USA
Tel: (716) 829-3485, ext. 329
Fax: (716) 829-3861
TTY: (716) 829-3758
Email: idea@ap.buffalo.edu
The IDeA Center practices human centered design through research, development, service, dissemination and educational activities. The primary goal of the Center is to produce knowledge and tools that will increase social participation of groups like people with disabilities and the older generation, who have been marginalized by traditional design practices. The Center’s research activities include systematic reviews, human factors research, usability studies in the field and laboratory, survey research, focus groups and ethnographic studies. The Center’s development activities include architectural design, product development, information technology resources and organizational development activities. The Center produces many dissemination products in both traditional and digital forms and engages in public, university and continuing education initiatives.
The IDeA Center has divided its content into two separate websites: the IDeA Center and Universal Design E-World (UD E-World) . The IDeA Center site provides a brief overview of the Center’s activities, while UD E-World serves as a participatory environment with web based tools to support the "community of practice" in universal design. Ongoing research, development projects, and publications can be found on UD E-World.
College of Design
North Carolina State University
Campus Box 8613
Raleigh, NC 27695-8613 USA
Info Line: (800) 647-6777
Tel/TTY: (919) 515-3082
Fax: (919) 515-8951
Email: cud@ncsu.edu
The Center for Universal Design (CUD) is a national information, technical assistance, and research center that evaluates, develops, and promotes accessible and universal design in housing, commercial and public facilities, outdoor environments, and products. The CUD website includes links to publications and resources on universal design principles, accessible housing, home modifications and residential remodeling, and more.
Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE)
70 South Lambeth Road
Vauxhall
London SW8 1RL UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: (44) 020 7840-0125
Fax: (44) 020 7840-5811
Email: info@cae.org.uk
Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE) provides access consultancy and access auditing services, and training in access and inclusive design. CAE publishes a comprehensive range of user-friendly design guides for access professionals, as well as Access by Design, a quarterly journal featuring design sheets, building studies, updates on legislation and case law, reports on current research and book reviews.
EIDD - Design for All Europe is a European network, founded in Dublin, Ireland in 1993 as the European Institute for Design and Disability. The original aim of the network, to use design to achieve the inclusion of people with disabilities in society in European countries, has since been reinforced with inclusion of a more mainstream approach, enhancing the quality of life through Design for All. The name change in 2006 reflects this development. EIDD - Design for All Europe is the joint European platform for social planners, architects, designers and others who believe in the potentials of their professions to play a vital role in the necessary transformation of our societies into more cohesive, innovative and sustainable ones. Visit Links for contact information for each of EIDD – Design for All Europe’s member organizations in 22 European countries.
Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTAC)
National Network of ADA Centers
DBTAC Coordination, Outreach and Research Center
Virginia Commonwealth University
Theatre Row Building, Suite 3068
730 East Broad Street
P.O. Box 980330
Richmond, VA 23298
Tel: (804) 827-0917 (V/TTY)
The ADA National Network is comprised of 10 regional ADA Centers that provide up-to-date information, referrals, resources, and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to businesses, employers, government entities, and individuals with disabilities, as well as media and news reporters. For more information, contact your ADA Center or dial (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY).
1425 K Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005 USA
Tel: (202) 347-3066 or toll-free: (800) 659-6428
TDD: (202) 347-7385
Fax: (202) 737-7914
Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, Easter Seals Project ACTION (Accessible Community Transportation in Our Nation) promotes cooperation between the transportation industry and the disability community to increase mobility for people with disabilities under the ADA and beyond. Project ACTION offers numerous resources, as well as training and technical assistance, in an effort to make the ADA work for everyone, everyday.
In addition to providing a wide range of resources related to accessible transportation, Easter Seals Project ACTION operates the Easter Seals Project ACTION 800 line, a national toll-free information line. Information and resources are available Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (EST) at (800) 659-6428 (voice). Additional contact choices, including TTY and email, are available through the "contact us" page. The Easter Seals Project ACTION staff can answer questions about ADA rights and responsibilities, direct callers to additional resources, and help members of the disability and transportation communities address diverse accessibility issues.
Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD)
200 Portland Street, Suite 1
Boston, MA 02114 USA
Tel: (617) 695-1225 (voice/TTY)
Fax: (617) 482-8099
Email: info@HumanCenteredDesign.org
The Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD), founded in Boston in 1978 as Adaptive Environments, is an international non-governmental educational organization (NGO) committed to advancing the role of design in expanding opportunity and enhancing experience for people of all ages and abilities through excellence in design. IHCD’s work balances expertise in legally required accessibility with promotion of best practices in human-centered or universal design. See Resources for links to IHCD publications and publications on a broad range of topics related universal design.
National Institute for Urban School Improvement
Contact: Elizabeth Kozleski, Project Director
The Equity Alliance
Arizona State University
Interdisciplinary B353
PO Box 870211
Tempe, AZ 85287-0211
Tel: (480) 965-0391
Fax: (480) 727-7012
Email: Elizabeth.Kozleski@asu.edu
The National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI), a project of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, was established in 1997 to facilitate the unification of current general and special education reform efforts as these are implemented in the nation's urban school districts. NIUSI’s mission is to develop powerful networks of urban districts and schools that embrace and implement a data-based, continuous improvement approach for inclusive practices.
In partnership with NIUSI, the Equity Alliance developed Inclusive Education for Equity, a professional learning module through which participants can learn about, reflect upon, and discuss information about progress and setbacks made towards achieving educational systems, schools, and classrooms that are truly inclusive. Through the exploration of data on educational access, participation, and outcomes, and the development of strategies to apply in their own educational contexts, participants develop understanding of inclusive curriculum, co-teaching, professional learning, and school/family connections.
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) works with organizations around the world to develop strategies, guidelines, and resources to help make the Web accessible to people with disabilities. WAI develops its work through the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)’s consensus-based process involving different stakeholders in Web accessibility. These include industry, disability organizations, government, accessibility research organizations, and more. WAI, in partnership with organizations around the world, pursues accessibility of the Web through five primary activities:
- Ensuring that core technologies of the Web support accessibility
- Developing guidelines for Web content, user agents, and authoring tools
- Facilitating development of evaluation and repair tools for accessibility
- Conducting education and outreach
- Coordinating with research and development that can affect future accessibility of the Web
Learn about other resources on our Website Accessibility Resources tipsheet.
Publications
Inclusive Design: Designing and Developing Accessible Environments
by Rob Imrie and Peter Hall
Paperback - 208 pages (September 2001)
E & F N Spon; ISBN: 0-419-25620-2
Inclusive Design: Designing and Developing Accessible Environments is a documentation of the attitudes, values and practices of property professionals, including developers, surveyors and architects, in responding to the building needs of disabled people. It looks at the way in which pressure for accessible building design is influencing the policies and practices of property companies and professionals, with a primary focus on commercial developments in the United Kingdom. The book also provides comments on, and references to, other countries, particularly the United States, Sweden and New Zealand.
Accessibility for the Disabled: A Design Manual for a Barrier Free Environment
This is a publication of the Urban Management Department of the Lebanese Company for the Development and Reconstruction of Beirut Central District in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and with the approval of the Ministry of Social Affairs and the National Committee for the Disabled. The manual addresses urban and architectural design considerations for Beirut, and it may be useful for similar cities and countries.
A Parent Guide to Universal Design for Learning
By Candace Cortiella, Director - The Advocacy Institute
Published: March 25 2009
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a concept that, if embraced by the field of education, can dramatically change the school experiences and success of students with LD by making broad changes to how information is presented to all students and the ways in which all students are able to show what they know. The application of UDL principles in the development of curriculum and assessments can broaden the horizons for students with LD and shift the focus from a “student deficit” approach to a “student success” approach. Understanding UDL and how it can benefit students with LD is the focus of this Parent Advocacy Brief from the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
For more publications, search for Universal Design at Google Books or other online search engines.
Websites
The Independent Living Institute has an extensive list of links to accessibility and universal design resources.
The Inclusive Education Initiative (IEI) is a two year initiative awarded to the Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute (IHDI), a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Kentucky and part of a nationwide network of University Centers for Excellence. IEI provides information on universal design for people with developmental disabilities in inclusive educational settings.
Inclusive Teaching Links from Longwood University connected to Project LINC, a federally-funded project to improve faculty teaching of foreign language learners with disabilities.
National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) at Boston public broadcaster WGBH is a research and development facility dedicated to addressing barriers to media and emerging technologies for people with disabilities in their homes, schools, workplaces, and communities.
Universal Design Education Online supports educators and students in their study of universal design.
Although efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, MIUSA/NCDE cannot be held liable for inaccuracy, misinterpretation or complaints arising from these listings. Mention of an organization, company, service or resource should not be construed as an endorsement by MIUSA/NCDE. Please advise NCDE of any inaccuracies you may find.
