Why Is Universal Design Important for People?

Universal Design is a house design that allows people who have disabilities to come in to the houses or buildings.   It helps people in wheel chair or have broken legs or other serious injuries to enter easily.   Most people around the world experience accidents.   Houses and buildings should be built with wider doors, modified rooms, and easy to use electrical outlets and controls.

Access for all disabilities can be made possible by designing wider doors that open and close easily. The door should be 36 inches wide which should fit a wheelchair.   When the door is open at the right angle it should be 34 inches long. The doors should also have locks that are easy to use, such as locks without key or with the remote control.   The door handles should be lever-style to make the handicap open easily.   On doors there should be peep holes to make the handicap easy to see but it should be the right height for people using a wheelchair.   Another important feature for the disabled is to have enough space for inside or outside the door.   (Wilder Research Center)

Every room in the house should be useable by disabled people. The bathroom is the room most often used by everyone at home, so it should be safe and convenient.   The bathroom should have enough floor space.   The floor space should have 30 inches by 48 inches plus enough space for the fixtures.   In the bathroom the toilet seat height must be 17 to 19 inches for old and young people.   The bathroom should have handheld shower head that could adjust with the controls that are easy to use.   Grab bars are important for safety, and they should be put in the right place.   In bedrooms the light switch should be placed between 36 inches to 40 inches from the floor.   The kitchen door handle must be lever-style to make people enter easily, the kitchen counters should be round, but the counter should not be sharp. (Vital Aging Network)  

It is important to have electrical outlets and controls that are easy to...