by Lena Groeger

It's likely that as long as humans and their institutions hold prejudices and bias, their designs will reflect them. But some progress is possible. Two decades ago architect Ronald Mace imagined a new standard, in which anything humans make — a new piece of technology, a public park, a household product — is usable by everyone. He called this idea "universal design." Today it's an enforceable legal standard in Norway. One way to help us get there? Make sure the design process itself is also accessible to all.