Lesson 1 Overview:
UNIVERSAL DESIGN RULES: Definitions, Principles & COOL Examples


TITLE PAGE ROW: Universal Design logos/icons from various sources. The CREDITS for the Arows@ of items (usually the same ones) that start and finish each lesson are on the set that signals the end of that lesson (where they don't interrupt the flow into the lesson).

LEARNING OBJECTIVES / MISSION: After completing Mission 1, YoYos (Young Youth) will be able to:

  1. Apply the key definitions of Universal Design to everyday life, recognizing that its other meanings may depend on who's speaking.

  2. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the Universal Design Principles by rating products and places (environmental features) for their universal usability.

WORD BANK: (presented in order of appearance and bolded in the lesson) Accessibility, functional limits, human factors, ergonomics, 'handicapped,' inclusive, adaptation, lifespan, intuitive, redundant cues, wayfinding, Census disability definitions/counts/categories, and...
Write down others you don't understand while reading, then ask during the discussion. All of these terms are likely to appear again in later lessons.

UD PRE-QUIZ: Ten true/false items from the UD Myths section that follows. Have students print the screen OR job responses on a scrap of paper to check their answers in the myths section. (Hence, Guides don't need an answer sheet.)

CONTENT HEADINGS:
Universal Design MYTHS: What UD IS NOT
What Universal Design IS: UD Definitions
Universal Design Principles with Examples (GS-1 has UD Guidelines, LS-1 does NOT)
PrincipAL Conclusions About the UD PrincipLES
A Pledge to use Person-First Language (and ditch the use of Ahandicapped@)
Advanced Option: (Government) Disability Definitions that Carry CLOUT!
Learning Activity Choices

IMAGES: 14 UDP examples from Images of UD Excellence CDROM (2 per principle)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

  1. Instead of marketing institutional-looking structures as accessible, designers should develop universal buildings and products that are usable by all people and look no different than other designs of the same type (Mace).
  2. The H-word stigmatizes the people it labels, thus is neither acceptable nor politically correct in the new Millennium. The correct usage is, Aa person/people with [a] disability/ies@ (Anonymous).
  3. The long-term objective of UD or lifespan design is to create homes and workplaces that need no 'special' concessions
  4. The spread of Universal Design is challenged by deeply entrenched attitudes and behaviors of people...UD is NOT about THEM, it's about US! (Source unknown).

LINKS:

Center for Universal Design: UD history, definition, and Principles http://www.ncsu.design.edu/cud/

New British Standard Guide to managing inclusive design (2005 announcement) http://www.bsi-global.com/Quality_management/InclusiveDesign.xalter?print_only=1

Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access, Short Form UD Principles http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea

U. S. Decennial Census data http://www.census2000.gov

Disability: Federal Survey Definitions, Measurements, and Estimates (2004 report) http://research.aarp.org/il/dd98_disability.html

LESSON 1 LEARNING ACTIVITY CHOICES:
UD Principles picture/bulletin boards

  1. UD SHORT FORM: Matching Icons to the Principles. As noted in the lesson, if all seven are matched correctly, the youth will have a one-page UD Cribsheet to use in identifying good UD examples wherever they go. The answers: Equitable =; Flexible: coil; Intuitive: puzzle pieces; Perceptible: eyeball; Safe: lifebuoy/circle; Easy: feather; Accommodating: 2 people figures.

  2. U.S. CENSUS DISABILITY POPULATION DATA: Surf yourself into the Census Bureau's website to find the number and percentage of residents of your city or state who are Adisabled,@ based on the most recent CENSUS DEFINITION of disability AND decennial Census (2000 or 2010) count.

    Does the U. S. Census Bureau subdivide the total number of people with disabilities? If so, into what categories? Brainstorm with a partner to identify two disability groups that the most recent Census data did NOT single out.
    (Hint: Those data usually are available from local school districts and state departments of social services.)

  3. EVALUATING UD IN THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:

  4. GOVERNMENT-SUPPORTED DIFFUSION? Discuss why the U. S. government supports educational efforts like this website to spread the Universal Design concept to the mainstream population and NOT just to the handicapped.

    (P. S. Diffusion is a scholarly word for Aspreading.@ We designed the UD Learnsite to diffuse the UD concept to the mainstream population.)