Frequently asked questions

1. Is Universal Design the same as Design for All?
2. Does Design for All mean that designers are expected to design every product to be usable by every consumer?
3. Are there legal requirements for Design for All?

Is Universal Design the same as Design for All?

Yes. Taking the needs of a broader spectrum of people into account in the design process is receiving several names, including called "Design for All", "Barrier Free Design", "Universal design" and “Accessible design”. Universal design is the term more often used in the USA.

Does Design for All mean that designers are expected to design every product to be usable by every consumer?

Design for All does not mean that designers are expected to design every product to be usable by every consumer. This would be impracticable, if not impossible. As emphasised in EG 202 116, it is acknowledged that there will always be some people who, because of their severe impairments, need specialist equipment or assistive technology to modify the method of making input to, or receiving output from, a piece of mainstream technology. Further information on the subject can be found in ETSI TR 102 068.

Are there standards or legal requirements for Design for All?

There are currently few European standards directly addressing the issue of "Design for All" but there is an increasing move to incorporate the philosophy into standards which are reviewed by ETSI EG 202 116.

ISO and IEC issued a policy statement in June 2000 entitled "Addressing the needs of older persons and people with disabilities in standardization work". The statement principally aims to encourage the development of national and international standards that enables the use of products and services by older persons and people with disabilities. A guide was subsequently produced (ISO/IEC Guide 71) and under EC mandate 283, a European version (CEN/CENELEC Guide 6) was published which gives general guidance to standards writers on the different human abilities they need to consider when writing standards.

ANEC, the European Association for the Co-ordination of Consumer Representation in Standards, has also issued a policy statement on "Barrier-free Standardization, or Standardization and Consumers with Special Needs." The policy states: "Products and services should be designed barrier-free. A barrier-free design of consumer products and services is not (or should not be) separate from standard mass market design." It explains that this it to be achieved "through the identification of special requirements consumers with special needs have in consumer products and services" and that these requirements will be fed into the European standardization process. ANEC has subsequently started to release documents including "Consumer Requirements in relation to ICT Standardization" which provide the information about these requirements.

In the United States there is more legislation in the area of Design for All including:

• the Rehabilitation Act 1973 and amendments;
• the Telecommunications Accessibility Enhancement Act of 1988: this requires that the Federal telecommunications system be fully accessible to individuals with hearing and speech disabilities;
• the Technology-Related Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities ("Tech") Act (1988);
• the Television Decoder Circuitry Act (1990);
• the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1991: this act guarantees the civil rights of people with disabilities, but has limited specific coverage of telecommunications issues;
• the Telecommunications Act (1996): "Accessibility guidelines for telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment";
• the Telecommunications for the Disabled Act of 1982; and
• the Hearing Aid Compatibility Act 1998.

Further information can be obtained by ETSI EG 202 116.