When famed architect Michael Graves contracted a mysterious virus in 2003, a new chapter in his life began. Paralyzed from the chest down, the pioneer of Postmodernism would be permanently required to use a wheelchair. He would use this new circumstance to design trend-setting hospitals, rehab centers, and other typologies.
Architecture’s lack of diversity shows in environments created by people who never need step-free access or to take a bus.
Currently, the various cousins and alter-egos of universal design remain in the realm of selected advocates. For many architects and designers, this is considered a “speciality” area of design, pursued by few and mastered by fewer.
For those with specific sensory experiences — from deafness and blindness to autism — the design of spaces can help or hinder. Increasingly, architects and clients are working together to create environments that are more inclusive than ever before