Universal Design: Nature & Urban Gardens

Stepping back from a focused view on universal design, I see that there are other ways to achieve an environment that disappears the effects of many conditions that would otherwise be considered disabling. What is it and how is it possible?

A new and beautifully illustrated book, Restorative Commons: Creating Health and Well-Being Through Urban Landscapes, not only values that calming experience we all feel after time spent in nature, it looks at how to bring nature back into our urban settings. As Oliver Sacks says in the introduction, this non-pharmaceutical therapy works because it seems to satisfy a deep and necessary biological craving for nature.

This book consists of eighteen articles, informal dialogues, with an emphasis on the urban settings in and around New York City. Topics covered include human health and well-being, civic stewardship, design, lessons learned and ongoing questions. Best of all, for a limited time, the USDA Forest Service is making this free both as a hard copy and as a pdf. Don’t miss this engaging and inspiring book!

Use these links to get your copy:

Restorative Commons: Creating Health and Well-Being Through Urban Landscapes

USDA Forestry Service publication details
USDA Forestry Service book chapter details
Book in pdf form (save a tree)
A one-page pdf flyer



Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
April 17, 2009
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Universal Design: “Time” To Do It Right

I was struck by an article by Dr. Dr Sunil Bhatia in that way when a subject just doesn’t leave you alone – it kept popping up in my thoughts. Dr. Bhatia created and runs the Design For All Institute of India and publishes a monthly newsletter. He recently wrote about the invention of the measurement of time and its impact on human life; click here for the pdf article.

Long ago there were no means to measure time beyond the sun, moon and seasons. One can imagine that to be present in the moment might have been easier. Today, being present seems impossible; our gadgets ply us with constant interruptions. We are always managing what was, and planning what will be. Hardly ever are we simply present. We jump so much between past, present and future that it actually appears as if there really is such a thing as time – as if there is anything other than this very moment.

How did this shift occur? How did we move from a timeless human existence to one measured by time? We tracked the planetary motions, discovered the pendulum, built big clocks and finally made tiny ones that are portable. Time became noticeable and measurable for everyone. Once measurable, there would soon be either too much or too little. This shift in awareness made time seem as real as the earth we stand on.

With this measurement of time came awareness in our notions about yesterday and tomorrow, last month and next month. Notions about too long or too short appeared because we have a precise measurement device – gone was the pure sensation of experience: “That rollercoaster ride was too short,” rather than, “it was so exhilarating.” What disappears in a world ruled by time is our freedom to be present. Instead, our actions must adapt into a framework of time. If we do so well, we are considered efficient, a much valued attribute in today’s world. But in doing so, we traded away a simple key to happiness. No longer do we do that which is simply better for us. No longer do we take the time we need to do something right. We squash ourselves into time, we budget time and we are slaves to time.

Do you disagree? On your next activity, take the time you need to be present as you work and to work in a means that produces happiness for yourself and those who will experience the results of your efforts. Time says get it done rather than do it right. As a paradigm, the era of time consciousness has revealed its consequences. Much that is awry in our world is so as a result of the clock. As we move into an era of universal design, it will bear similar fruits if we are unwilling to get it right rather than on time. It is time to put aside the clocks and to focus who we are when we do what we do and the impact our caring will have. Such a consciousness will result in greater compassion and thoughtfulness. The rushing about will gone and in its place will be richer and more rewarding lives. This is a result of placing our values on experience, not how long it took.


Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
April 13, 2009
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Universal Design: A Reading List

I recently received a call from someone seeking building specifications for universal design. She wanted to know heights, distances, widths, brightness, etc. I humbly told her that I’m not the spec guy. Those are codes and in the USA, codes are local, very local. Not only do you want to meet your local laws, you want to insure that every area of compliance has been covered. This often includes local ordinances specific to community developments, neighborhoods and even block associations and historic districting.

I did tell her that universal design was an approach, a philosophy, an attitude and even an open dialogue in it’s supporting and designing the ways we build our products and environments. I pointed out that although she was building to suit the needs of a family member in a wheelchair, that she had to also design for herself. It wasn’t either/or, it was both/and. She understood quickly.

Below are a few articles about universal design. My wish is that they inform and inspire.

1) A Brief History of Universal Design, by James L. Mueller & Ronald L. Mace,1998. History, accessibility, legislation and the demographics of universal design by two of its creators.

2) A Brief History of Disability Rights Legislation in the United States, by Poly Welch & Chris Palms, 1995. It seems so simple when looking back, but the history of disability rights tells of a powerful fight that produces so many of the civil rights that followed.

3) Livable Communities: An Evaluation Guide (pdf), by Mary Kihl, Dean Brennan, Jacqueline List, Neha Gabhawala, Parul Mittal, May 2005. Thinking about relocating or making your present community more livable? Looks at transportation, walking, shopping, housing, health services, recreation and culture.

4) World in the Balance, Voices of Concern, by Paul Hewitt, 2004. Is world population exploding or imploding; understand the perspective on how different country’s populations are aging.

5) Lighting for Universal Design (pdf), by Patricia Rizzo, 2007. Understand your eyes, color temperature, lighting efficiency and circadian cycles. Then learn how to integrate lighting for desirable results.


To those who generously gave their time to a survey designed to make the Universal Design Resource website better, big thanks! Your answers were thoughtful and provided much guidance. For those who didn’t take the survey, have a look at both it and the website. I will be up through the remainder of April.

Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
April 3, 2009
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Universal Design: The 8th Principle, Part II

In last week’s post, Universal Design: The 8th Principle, Part I, I departed from the more frequent discussions about how we physically “fit” in our environments and looked at the emotional landscape we have as a result of being perceived and judged as fitting in or not. Here is Part II:

Judgments form the foundation of our daily decision making, and are informed and adjusted by the present situation. Driving a car is a useful example: you learn the skills needed to drive, yet every road is different and requires immediate judgments for the situation at hand. Judgments are also received without question by us from our parents and the cultures we live in. One example is height.

Our judgments of height subtly tell us that tall is better, tall is more powerful, and tall is more authoritative. Shorter political candidates struggle with this perception and constantly seek adaptations to equalize the influence of height over voter perception. Herein lies the essence of an eighth principle, can we build in a way that reduces or eliminates those judgments? Can our environments and products allow us to appear more equal to others, reducing or eliminating biased perceptions, than the way we presently design them?

In December, 2008 President elect Barak Obama announced members chosen to be on his green team. I watched the press conference and saw something unusual as a result of a rare camera angle. When it was Nancy Sutley’s turn at the podium, the camera shot switched from the rear of the room to the side of the stage. Ms. Sutley is quite short. I watched as President Elect Obama moved forward and using his foot, nudged a stepping stool into position for her. The gesture was personal; they shared a glance that was endearing and which acknowledged the caring forethought. Seen from the camera at the back of the room, one saw nothing other than one person turning over the podium to another.

With these extra inches to stand on, she presented her speech in no way marginalized by her shorter physical stature. Without these extra inches, she would barely peer over the podium, or, would have stood to its side, an action that would have unfairly singled her out from the other speakers and induced judgments base solely on physical stature.

By recognizing that it is in our nature to be judgmental and that environment influences the judgments we make at every moment, I assert that in addition to the seven principles that equalize the mechanics of a physical environment, we can add a principle that calls attention to the emotional ones.

Here would be principle eight:

8. Principle Eight: Perception of Equality –
The design minimizes the possibility of an
individual being perceived as unequal.



Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
March 29, 2009
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Universal Design: The 8th Principle, Part I

An eighth principle would be a welcome and needed entry to the brilliant seven as created in 1997 by the North Carolina State University’s Center for Universal Design. Rather than only define the environment of a user, this eighth principle would address perception; those shared by the observer and the observed. How do we see others and how do they see us? Can we build in a way that levels the perceptual playing field in which all players are seen as equal?

I was recently asked if the New York City subways should be cleaner. As a life long resident of New York, I balked at this absurd notion. I adore our grittiness. This is my rough, nasty and harsh city and nobody is supposed to clean it up. A grimy subway was normal and it was a stable measure of our urban humanity. If you showed up dirtier than the subway, you were really a mess. If you took a few minutes to clean up, you were already better than most. And if you dressed sharp, you were king – something to be looked at and admired. That’s me; I like to look good. The subway made me look good with little effort. Clean it up and my habits and standards would appear to be lower. Pretty silly, eh? But don’t we all play such silly games? You have a look; it’s your look. You like and maintain that look. You measure how you look against how others look; you make judgments of yourself and of others. You wear sweaters or jackets; buttoned shirts or t-shirts. They are reflections of your identity and they are the image you wish to project; cloths make the man.

But suppose one morning you woke up, slumbered over to your closet and discovered not a stitch of familiar cloths. In your closet were cloths that were the wrong color, the wrong material, the wrong look and fit. Now what? You can’t go out naked so you dress with what’s there. You head out into a world completely unsure of yourself. Everything is wrong. You don’t fit in. Friends all wonder what happened to you. People react differently, better or worse. How you see yourself and how others see you has been altered simply by cloths different from those you would normally wear.

This example of dress is a metaphor for the design of our homes, cities and products and how we “fit” in them. If we feel comfortable, the experience is positive, if not, the experience is negative – it all goes wrong and we feel as if we are not seen, heard or understood. The judgments we naturally make are awry; we feel judged by ourselves and by others.

The eighth principle would acknowledge the importance of equal perception. A universally designed environment would be like familiar cloths and would support positive perceptions by others and of ourselves. We would appear and feel equal as we face daily challenges. There would be no moments when an environment or product puts us in a place where we are perceived as different.

Come back next week for part II of the 8th Principle.



Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
March 20, 2009
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Universal Design: $10 or $1000, Choose.

Last week I wrote about visitability. Today I’m surfing the ‘net and discover in the Justice for All blog that the Inclusive Home Design Act (IHDA) has been reintroduced in the House by U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky. On a metaphysical note: start thinking and speaking the world you wish to have, and it will show up.

This legislative history of visitability begins with Eleanor Smith who formed the advocacy organization, Concrete Change; she has been unwavering in her commitment to initiate this paradigm shift in design through making new homes visitable to all. The result would be an inclusive society. Seemingly an obvious evolution in residential home design, there has been little voluntary progress in the past decade. For this reason, Eleanor Smith believes that we must legislate the minimum standards that would make a home visitable. She’s right.

The primary resistance appears to the burden of cost. The reality is that the added cost in new home construction is minimal, 1-2%. Put another way, to purchase and install a wider door adds $10.00 to the cost of the doorway. Should you need to widen a door as a remodeling project, the cost will be around $1,000.00. The financial logic is simple. Choose.

But that’s not what the kicking and screaming is about. The resistance is a consciousness widely practiced in this country that believes it, everything, is someone else’s responsibility. A simple story illustrates my point.

I am driving on a road that has a rocky cliff on one side and a river on the other. Traffic is moving slow as drivers maneuver around a 50 pound bolder that has fallen on the road. Soon it is my turn to negotiate with oncoming traffic. Instead I stop and ask my son to hop out and move the bolder to the side; this takes about 20 seconds. As drivers pass me, they give me a thumbs-up. What was happening, I assert, was that every driver felt that it was someone else’s responsibility to move with this bolder, yet they knew what the right action was – they just didn’t make the connection until they saw it happening. It seemed more normal to live with the troublesome reality than to take 20 seconds to resolve it.

What I am hoping is that as a nation we are ending this mindset. The other drivers who gave the thumbs-up knew what was the right thing to do; seeing my actions reminded them of this fundamentally American way. We do care, we are responsible and we do know what needs to be done. We have been lulled into a deep sleep and are awakening.

People who experience limitations in mobility are being treated just like this boulder in the road by a nation who knows what’s right but just hasn’t been very proactive lately. I truly believe this is changing and that the unfortunate times we are living in are our wake-up call. President Obama has appointed Kareem Dale to fill the a newly created position as special assistant to the president for disability policy. Eleanor Smith continues to push for visitability legislation. And by U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky is reintroducing the Inclusive Home Design Act.




Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
March 13, 2009
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Universal Design: Visitability

Visitability is on my mind this week. My parents last visited me in my 1906 brownstone five years ago for a Christmas dinner; it is no longer possible for them to visit. My home is not visitable; only a crazy amount of cash would make it so. For a resident with limited mobility, my home would be a prison.

So what were builders in an affluent neighborhood thinking back in 1906? The answer is simple; life expectancy was under 50! A whole range health conditions typical in a much older population didn’t exist. That past reality clearly doesn’t match our present one where we can expect to live an additional 30 years. It’s time to build differently, not because we have to but because we want to.

Visitability is the first step in shifting our building paradigm. It suggests a few changes in home design such that our homes can be visited by a person with limitations in mobility, be they temporary, progressive or permanent. Simply stated, visitability means: get in and be able to use a bathroom. The experience for a guest is normalcy and belongingness. The other experiences of embarrassment, frustration, isolation, anxiety, dependency and depression, cease.

VISITABILITY REQUIREMENTS
Wheelchair access is the guideline because when you satisfy it, you’ve also satisfied the needs of those with walkers, crutches, strollers or those who have difficulty with steps.

1. Accessible path and zero-step entrance to an accessible floor that has a bathroom.
2. Wide entrance door; 36 inch width is suggested, but no less than 32.
3. Interior passages and doors should be no less than a full 32 inches when open; this includes the door to the bathroom.
   

WHAT VISITABILITY ISN’T
Visitability is often confused with handicap access; fears of high costs and ugly aesthetics trigger a response of resistance. Visitability is for single-family residences; American Disability Act regulates retail, restaurants, work places, etc. It’s for everyone, not a few special people. Finally, it’s just the features listed, no more. Although it would be great if the bathroom was fully accessible, the guideline just addresses door width.

As of 2005, an estimated 95% of single-family new housing was still being constructed with steps at all entries and/or narrow bathroom doors. The number of ordinances passed supporting visitability is still counted with fingers and toes. It’s time to shift our consciousness from procrastination to planning. 80% of you reading this will spend a part of your life in a wheelchair. Look around. For yourself, friends and family, visitability is a bold and outrageous expression of love.

For more on visitability, visit: Concrete Change
For a study by AARP: Increasing Home Access: Designing for Visitability


Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
March 5, 2009
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Universal Design: CAPS - Certified Aging In Place

Hooray! I am a CAPS graduate. What’s so different? Through manuals, instruction, discussion and testing, I added to my knowledge (even me, Mr. know-it-all). And, I am very excited.

CAPS is an acronym for Certified Aging In Place Specialist. It is a three-day training and certification course offered by NAHB, National Association of Home Builders. One day is devoted to general business management for builders; the other two days provide aging-in-place training in both marketing and communication strategies and design-and-build solutions.

The courses are great and I doubt that anyone walked away not having expanded their knowledge and added to their skills. The manuals are tight; they successfully condense an enormous amount of information into a well-conceived order that is easy to follow and to reference. I’ve seen week-long seminars fail to accomplish what these manuals do in 100 pages. The instructors skillfully navigate you through the material providing an overview powerful enough to help you get the details when you need them. Participant discussions add to the richness of the material bringing specialized and current knowledge.

However, NAHB is shooting a bit off-center with the certification requirements. Somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the material taught over the three days had nothing to do with aging-in-place; there was lots of basic business management and marketing. Why? It doesn’t serve the participant who gives up three days in the field for a specific training they are counting on to give their business a competitive edge.

I regretted the missed opportunity of a full three days on topic, the opportunity to be more thorough as we worked through the course materials, and the opportunity of discussion with participants who possessed much practical experience in a variety of related fields. I also was disappointed not to gain any insights on how to partner with local government on aging-in-place incentives.

I humbly suggest that NAHB removes the day-long business management requirement from their CAPS training; it’s useful, but not relevant. On the remaining two days, focus even more directly on only that which is specific to aging-in-place removing any non-specific material. Assume that participants have competence in the general management and marketing of their businesses, not that they don’t.

Great course and timely material; most construction will be remodeling as baby boomers adapt their homes to maintain the active lifestyle that has marked their generation.

My appreciation to the Builders League of South Jersey for such a fantastic job hosting the course and making us feel so welcome and cared for.


Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
February 26, 2009
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Universal Design: The Three Little Boomers

Once upon a time there were three little boomers and the time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes. Before they left, their mother told them, "Whatever you do, do it the best that you can because that's the way to get along in the world."

The first little boomer built his house out of straw because it was the easiest and cheapest thing to do.

The second little boomer built his house out of sticks. This was a more expensive and beautiful house but lacked any amenities for later in life.

The third little boomer built his house out of bricks. This was a house for all the years of one’s life; it would never fail to keep its inhabitants happy and secure.

One night, big bad father time, who dearly loved to eat boomers, came along and saw the first little boomer in his house of straw. He said "Let me in, Let me in, little boomer or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the little boomer.

But of course big bad father time did blow the house in and so burdened the little boomer with no place to live.

Then big bad father time came to the beautiful house of sticks.

"Let me in, let me in little boomer or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the little boomer. But big bad father time blew that house in too, and meanly forced little boomer into assisted living in a far away city where costs were lower.

Big bad father time then came to the house of bricks.

"Let me in, let me in," cried the big bad father time. "Or I'll huff and I'll puff till I blow your house in!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the oldest boomer. Well, big bad father time huffed and puffed but he could not blow down that brick house. But big bad father time was a sly old man and he climbed up on the roof to look for another way to get at the older boomer.

The older boomer saw big bad father time climb up on the roof and prepared; he lit a roaring fire in the fireplace and on it placed a large kettle of water.

Big bad father time found the chimney and crawled down. KER-SPLASH! Into the kettle of boiling water he fell! That was the end of big bad father time.

The next day the older boomer invited his mother over. She said "You see it is just as I told you. The way to get along in the world is to do things as well as you can." Fortunately for that older boomer, he had learned that lesson. And he just lived happily ever after!


Konrad Kaletsch
February 18, 2009
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Universal Design: The Wooden Plate

Long ago there lived a happy family in the foothills of the Pyrenees. They raised livestock in the hills, mostly sheep and pig, and went into town once a week to trade their meats for supplies. The grandfather, too old for work, stayed in the home and helped care for his little grandson. The father toiled long days in the fields while the mother maintained order in the home. As the years passed the grandfather became increasingly difficult; at dinner he often pushed his plate off the table and grumbled about circumstances.

Grandfather’s behavior became increasingly disruptive at mealtime, causing frequent messes and much broken crockery. The father, tired after his long days sought easy ways to improve the situation and restore peace to the evening meal. The solution was to move grandfather to a different table far away from the family and to serve him dinner on a wooden plate. In a way, peace was restored. The young boy, observing the new family order, spent the next days with carving knife and a piece of wood. The father took notice of the boy’s project and watched with pride seeing his son so focused and determined. The father asked the son what it was that he was making. The son said, “This will be a wooden plate for you Papa when you are old.”

The father understood and brought grandfather back to the family table. Although mealtime wasn’t always smooth, it was understood that caring for Grandfather was more than pushing him away when he became inconvenient.


Konrad Kaletsch
February 13, 2009
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Universal Design: Gorilla Marketing

We are GUILTY when we pretend that our current designs don’t foster a class of OUTLIERS. We pretend that THREE CUPS OF TEA will make it go away. But let me tell you THE SECRET: the DREAMS OF MY FATHER and the dreams of all our fathers wasn’t WHY WE SUCK, it was about us as the AMERICAN LION, it was about THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, it was THE LOVE DARE! Would we have a society that cared for all, would we design in a way that says, WHAT’S AGE GOT TO DO WITH IT? Would we design in a way that didn’t marginalize?

For universal design to be BROKEN OPEN, we don’t need another lecture or even THE LAST LECTURE; what we need is a TEAM OF RIVALS who’s ambitions and commitments are to look after us all, even old MARLEY & ME. However, if instead what we hear is, HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU, we fall back to not caring for each other and seeking out some thrill like a HIGH VOLTAGE TATTOO to take us away from our experience of isolation, boredom and suffering. If young and vain, our attention focuses on distractions like our FLAT BELLY DIET. In the end, you just don’t know WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING. Sadness replaces hope and even SUZE ORMAN’S ACTION PLAN fails to elicit passion; even DEWEY the cat, ceases to matter.

Welcome to the blog Universal Design 2010 and the website Universal Design Resource. Please forgive my clever ploy to interrupt your search for a non-fiction New York Times best-seller. But now that you are here, do you know what universal design is? It’s an approach to designing in a way that doesn’t marginalize someone with a physical limitation - could be eyeglasses, pregnancy, arthritis, a recent hip operation or living with wheels.

Are you able-bodied? Will you always be able-bodied? Do you know people who struggle with basic life activities? Read, or bookmark and come back. The information here makes a huge difference either for you now, for you one day, or for someone you know. Learn a little, share what you discover and see a world that’s a little brighter because some guy used an opportunistic marketing strategy to put something new under your nose.

Konrad Kaletsch
February 5, 2009
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Universal Design: Tax Incentives

If you live with a physical limitation, you have added expenses that are rather obvious: maybe a specialized car, home, appliances, electronics, etc. You pretty much know that if you are relocating, the home you choose will require expensive modifications just so you can move in - we’re not even talking about decorating!

If you are able-bodied, do you have such added expenses? The obvious answer is no. You relocate, move in and start decorating - no remodeling the bathroom just to take a shower. The less obvious answer is, yes. How much disability adds to your expenses varies depending on what you include. Your taxes have about $300 billion to support those who would work but can’t because work isn’t accessible! If those people were in the workforce, they would be contributing about $200 billion in tax revenue. Where do you feel this invisible but real financial pinch? It’s in your payroll taxes - the ones your employer deals with, the one that’s a disincentive for new business and innovation.

What does reversing the tax pinch look like? Rather than having the expense show up as a disincentive, lets have it show up as an incentive:

• Building universal design homes gets tax credits based on specific features (a universal design bathroom gets $500 credit; an elevator gets $1000; and so on). Presently Virginia's Department of Housing and Community Development offers a $500 tax credit.
• If remodeling your home because you have to accommodate a new disability and would otherwise have to leave your home, make it a medically tax deductable.
• Provide intelligently designed increases in disability tax credits. If you’re the one forced to pay for home modifications, sweeten the deal because when you are done, you’ll have added to the real estate market a soon to be much needed commodity, universal design housing.
• Building departments typically burden the process of granting permits; in addition to tax incentives, a universal design application could get priority status. Building departments could find other means to encourage universal design housing such as fewer restrictions; for example, allowing smaller lot sizes.
• Do you have a school tax? Create a tax incentive by lowering the school tax if a home is built or modified to meet universal design standards. Typically the occupants will be empty nesters thereby adding to any lost tax revenue.

Compared to government mandates, tax incentives keep us, the individuals who are the soul of this great country in the driver’s seat. We make the choice, and, that what universal design is about, having choice.

Konrad Kaletsch
January 31, 2009
http://www.universaldesignresource.com/

Universal Design: Emily Post for Buildings

Laura Claridge has just published a biography on Emily Post. To the delight of fans, Emily Post was quite the woman living in quite the time. To her detractors, Emily Post is still no more than an arbiter of manners including the extended pinky finger while quietly sipping tea.

It was in 1922 that Emily Post wrote her famous guide to social etiquette. Some people now perceive it as an obsolete set of behavioral rules for people in high society. However, this interpretation misses its theme: the promotion of core values like consideration, thoughtfulness, and kindness. It is also misses the personal benefits of good manners, which include confidence, self-respect, and an instinctual feeling that one is doing the right thing. Following an outward set of behavioral rules enables us to fulfill our inward human need of belonging and being a member of a society. What has changed since Post first published her guidebook is the prescribed behavior. What hasn’t changed are the fundamental core values behind the manners.

Whereas etiquette provides guidelines for person-to-person, universal design provides guidelines for the environments we occupy and the tools we use; it is environment-to-person (or to product). No longer will building just be about shelter, function or good looks. Universal design brings etiquette to how your home is crafted. A home or community that applies these guidelines is one that is inviting and welcoming to all; it is a well-mannered house. It is a house that fulfills that need of human belonging. No longer is one shut out because an “ignorant” building unfairly impedes entry due to a limitation in physical ability.

Konrad Kaletsch
January 22, 2009
http://www.universaldesignresource.com/

Universal Design: Malia & Sasha Obama

Malia and Sasha Obama are in the White House (almost) and one of the places they will be making friends is in the kitchen. There will be no shortage of staff ready to serve up a hot coco and a fresh baked cookie. And, much to their delight, there won’t be any shopping, prepping, cooking or cleaning. That certainly would be a dream for me!

Kids in the kitchen benefit from universal design as much as those managing physical limitations due to age and disability. Attention turns to what is necessary so that they can function in the kitchen as successfully as adults. These days kids are more autonomous and many not only satisfy their hunger in the kitchen, they fulfill a share of the family chores.

One first considers safety. For an older adult, diminishing strength alters the landscape of what is possible; for a child it is the increase in strength, height and ambition. Cooking as novices brings risks of burns. Controls on the front of a stove reduce reaching over or around hot pots. Visual indicators tell a child if a burner is on or still hot.

Another consideration is the flow of traffic - both theirs and yours. They need a snack while you are cooking; if snacks are near the stove, a collision is inevitable. Put things in easy to reach locations according to task or need. In this case, keep kids away from busy work-stations especially the stove and oven. If you have a breakfast nook, make that the kid’s area. Not only is the table height better suited to their stature, they will have a nice place in the kitchen to do their thing and be out of your way. This might include helping you with food prep, snacking, homework, or messy arts and crafts.

Finally, consider having a footstool. Clever designs are on wheels allowing easy maneuverability with the push of a toe but which become a stationary once stood on. These give the kids the extra height to work safely, help you reach higher storage areas, and provide a footrest while working in a standing position.

For more kitchen tips, go to Universal Design Resource. While there, please take a few minutes to complete the survey.

Konrad Kaletsch
January 16, 2009
http://www.universaldesignresource.com/

Universal Design: The Future

Survey: Making UDR Better

Read 100 books on future trends and two themes emerge: China once again becomes the dominant power (weren’t they always except for the last few centuries); and, Web 2.0 will change everything. So, wouldn’t you buy stock in a social networking company based in China?

Our bias in life favors the rear view mirror and makes it much larger than the windshield we use to peer at the road ahead. Looking back, with all its nostalgic overtones, certainly feels more predictable and assuring. But the reality is that the windshield is much bigger than the mirror, as it should be, if we are to make strategic and successful choices for our future. Universal Design Resource, seated in the driver’s seat, peers eagerly at the road ahead. On the passenger seat lies an open map. On it, a red line indicates the planned route. But, a few mysteries along the way mean stopping and asking strangers for help (I hope you appreciate the old-school travel metaphor).

As Universal Design Resource embarks on a major revision, some things are mapped and others are stops where we ask for directions. Presently, we have a survey posted and are asking you to help a stranger. Your few minutes will be a great contribution to Universal Design Resource reaching a destination that serves you better in the near future. Please follow this link to an anonymous 10 question survey (as a bonus, you’ll discover a great company, SurveyMonkey).

Survey: Making UDR Better

Thanks in advance for your generosity and neighborlyness.


Konrad Kaletsch
January 8, 2009
http://www.universaldesignresource.com/