Universal Design as Guiding, Striving and Unifying: A Qualitative Study about how Universal Design is Understood, Practised and Realised in Contemporary Sweden

Erdtman, Emil; Rassmus-Gröhn, Kirsten; Hedvall, Per-Olof

doi:10.16993/sjdr.770

Cited by 7 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Another finding contrary to [10] was that none of the discourses equated UD with accessibility. The discourses 'It is not just about ramps' and 'Equality' distanced themselves from accessibility by pointing out differences, while the discourse 'Giving a voice' was not afraid to use the concept of accessibility and understood it in a much broader sense, encompassing both social and mental aspects.…”

Section: Another Take On Udmentioning

confidence: 76%

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‘Frontrunners” Understanding of Universal Design in Architecture

Grangaard

Lygum

2022

Studies in Health Technology and Informatics

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In Denmark, the building sector is in a state of transition towards Universal Design (UD). Thus, UD has not yet completely found its way into the practice of architects and their clients. Legislation about accessibility has dominated. This paper studies understandings of UD through a discourse analysis based on a survey among professionals with experience and interest in UD and professionals who were expected to keep their fingers on the pulse of the profession’s development. The findings illustrate the existence of five discourses: 1) Social sustainability, 2) Re-instatement of humans as a focal point, 3) It is not just about ramps, 4) Equality, and 5) Giving a voice. Across the discourses there exists a genuine attempt to legitimise and mainstream UD into the architectural practice, focusing on multisensory and architectural quality in the design of spaces for human diversity in all scales.

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Section: Another Take On Udmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…In relation to the design process, they find that UD can support the initial state of the design process because it functions as 'a tool for ethical guidance'. Yet the situation is different in the rest of the process because UD seems to be too abstract and not suitable for practical solutions and evaluations [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Frontrunners” Understanding of Universal Design in Architecture

Grangaard

Lygum

2022

Studies in Health Technology and Informatics

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“…The study has outlined a pattern of critical aspects and choices that contribute to the exclusion of users in the built environment; and what conditions would support UD implementation throughout the process. The findings show a great need for in-depth efforts in the entire planning and building process in terms of improved working methods and procedures and greater knowledge and awareness (Kirkeby, 2015;Heylighen, Van Der Linden and Van Steenwinkel, 2017;Erdtman, Rassmus-Gröhn and Hedvall, 2021). The latter applies not least if the States' commitments to respect the obligations of the CRPD and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals become possible (United Nations 2006, 2014, 2017.…”

Section: Concluding Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visions of a City for All

Müller

Ericsson

Hedvall³

2022

jps

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Despite laws, policies, and visions to create cities and societies for all, barriers still exclude persons with disabilities from using buildings and public places. Our study aimed to identify choices made during the urban development process, which include or exclude users in the built environment; how and when these arise during the process; and what is needed to implement Universal Design (UD) as a strategy and tool to secure all users equal opportunities in the built environment.The study involved employees and private actors in city development processes. The participants were asked to identify impediments and support of UD in completed building projects to shed light on choices made during the process and on conditions needed to implement UD along the process. Four workshops were followed by qualitative interviews with key players. The analysis was based on qualitative data from workshops and interviews.Aspects impeding and supporting UD and conflicting visions and goals were identified in all phases, and the need for tools to implement UD. Findings show that accessibility for all users is dealt with (too) late in the process, often causing special solutions. Urban trends like densification and high exploitation can cause exclusion of some users, and an unbalanced view on sustainable development prioritising ecological aspects put high demands on users’ abilities. Findings also show how UD appeared more clearly in remodelling projects than in the new constructions. A strong vision from the start to build for all users clearly supported UD throughout the process. Other factors such as pre-studies which include human diversity, allocation of resources and experts’ early opinions also showed to be clear drivers for UD.Overall, the findings show a demand for solutions to maintain early visions and goals throughout the processes. We conclude by providing seven recommendations for addressing these challenges. Read the full article in accessible html-format here.

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“…In Sweden, UD entails an idealistic and sometimes utopian tendency (Erdtman et al, 2021), while accessibility is associated with legal requirements and measurements (Iwarsson and St ahl, 2003). The participants were familiar with and accustomed to the branch of (validated) experts, guidelines and indicators for accessibility.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, 2021). In these policies, UD is regarded as a “guiding principle” for designing new products, services and environments and also for the general planning of an inclusive society (Erdtman et al. , 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Let us move beyond word battles and separatism: strategies and concerns regarding universal design in Sweden

Erdtman

Rassmus-Gröhn

Hedvall

2022

EDI

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PurposeUniversal design (UD) is defined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and adopted in Sweden as a guiding principle for the design of new products, facilities, services, etc. This study aims to contribute to knowledge about UD in practice – how it is conceived, experienced and discussed in Sweden, especially regarding education, working life and housing.Design/methodology/approachA group interview and a workshop (immersion into personas and scenarios) with 14 practitioners of inclusion and accessibility from academia, civil society, business and the public sector were analyzed with qualitative content analysis.FindingsThe participating practitioners related UD to a cluster of terms for inclusion and wanted to communicate the reason for UD rather than battling about words. Flexibility was considered openness to the diversity of human conditions and situations combined with individualization capacity including assistance. Short-term demands for access and compliance to minimum standards must be balanced with long-term learning processes. Evaluation, relation-building and dialogs must update and contextualize UD, for example, in relation to categorization.Originality/valueThis study yields an in-depth picture of how the practice of UD is conceived, experienced and discussed among Swedish practitioners of inclusion and accessibility. It elucidates dissonances between experiences and ideals, standardized and flexible design, and the interests of users and institutions. It enhances knowledge of the dilemmas in inclusive and diversity-based practices, as well as the implementation and promotion of UD.

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Universal Design as Guiding, Striving and Unifying: A Qualitative Study about how Universal Design is Understood, Practised and Realised in Contemporary Sweden

Cited by 7 publications

References 11 publications

‘Frontrunners” Understanding of Universal Design in Architecture

‘Frontrunners” Understanding of Universal Design in Architecture

Visions of a City for All

Let us move beyond word battles and separatism: strategies and concerns regarding universal design in Sweden

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