Universal, or accessible, design is a growing trend in the home building and remodeling industries as the baby-boomer population continues to age and people with disabilities wish to live as independently as possible in their homes, while not sacrificing style for functionality.
Universal Design (UD) is an approach to design that increases the potential for developing a better quality of life for a wide range of individuals. It is a design process that enables and empowers a diverse population by improving human performance, health and wellness, and social participation (Steinfeld and Maisel, 2012). It creates products, systems, and environments to be as usable as possible by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability or situation.
