Design For Everybody

In 1989, the Center for Universal Design formed in response to a need for revolution in architecture to make public places and houses more accessible to all. One of the pioneers of this change in architectural design was Diane Pilgrim. Pilgrim, a Fine Arts graduate of NYU who worked for many years as a museum curator, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1978. Due to previous conceived notions and her confinement to a wheelchair as a result of her condition, Pilgrim concluded that design as a whole was limited "visually and intellectually." According to Pilgrim,

"Anything human-made is design. Our mission is to make people aware that
design has a major impact on our lives every second of the day. People are
out there making decisions that affect our lives in wholly profound
ways."

In 1996, Pilgrim and others were able to convince the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in Washington, D.C. to add ramps and lifts to the multi-level historic building, making the museum more readily accessible to the elderly, disabled and accomodating to baby strollers.

With this accomplishment, Pilgrim and the Universal Design Center followed by making other areas accessible friendly, as well as updating home design guidelines. Their mission and philosophy included:

- Redesigning products and structures to make them easier to use


- Showing that anything created by humans should be both "eminently functional and aesthetically pleasing"


- Removing the stigma of accessibility including the common assumption that places designed for accessibility are ugly and awkward


-Universal designed products can be used by all people

Among all these things, univeral design seeks to prove that regardless of what the scale is, from a pair of household scissors to a landscape plan for a city, it ultimately benefits the world by promoting equality through unique artistic endeavours that don't seek to alienate groups of people.


Posted By: Rob Goodman

Sources:

Pilgrim, Diane. (October, 1997). Making the Planet a Better Place. ARTnews. pg. 192.

Sumitomo Group Public Affairs Committee. (2009). Working to Build a Society Informed by Universal Design. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from http://www.sumitomo.gr.jp/english/discoveries/special/103_01.html.