The UD Project

Why I don’t recommend built-in shower seats

Sarah Pruett — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 21:26:41 +0000

You may be thinking, "But Sarah, people need seats!" Yes, they do, but let me explain why I don't prefer these built-in options.

Source

How much accessibility is enough in our homes?

Sarah Pruett — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 20:26:55 +0000

There is a lot to consider when finding the right home. We know multiple people right now who are looking to downsize or need to find a one-level option, but it is extremely difficult to find one that doesn’t need to be renovated. One of our friends who uses a wheelchair recently told me that […]

Source

Fraudulant Charges

Scott Pruett — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 21:39:12 +0000

We’ve received several messages about card transactions from “universaldesignhomedec.” These aren’t from The Universal Design Project and we’re not sure where they’re coming from. Somehow our phone number is connected to them, though. Our card statements say something different (I hesitate to share what, in case the fraudsters read this). If you have any charges […]

Source

Our Team + Our Process

Sarah Pruett — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 20:26:47 +0000

Learn about how we collaborate and why our professional team members and volunteers are a valuable part of the design/build process.

Source

3D Printed Universal Design Products

Rebecca Langbein — Fri, 21 May 2021 19:14:15 +0000

While 3D printing is beginning to merge with home building, its ability to create products that provide more versatility in design holds great potential.

Source

3D Printed Homes: A New Concept in Home Design

Rebecca Langbein — Mon, 17 May 2021 19:25:19 +0000

Lauren Dexter explores the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing, plus the impacts on the design of a home for universal accessibility.

Source

Universal Design TED Talks

Rebecca Langbein — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 18:22:12 +0000

Recently, we had a Good Fit Poor Fit listener write in hoping to learn more about Universal Design. Like many of us these days when seeking to learn something new, our listener was scanning the web for TED talks that discuss Universal Design but was having trouble finding what she was looking for. We agree […]

Source

How to calculate the price of affordable universally accessible homes

Scott Pruett — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 11:56:50 +0000

How do we figure out what makes a universally designed home affordable to build?

Source

Costs to build are rising.

Scott Pruett — Wed, 06 May 2020 17:40:44 +0000

Hannah Hoyt takes a deep dive into a number of issues related to the costs of multifamily housing in her newly-published report with Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, More for Less? An Inquiry into Design and Construction Strategies for Addressing Multifamily Housing Costs. It’s worth a read. There’s a lot to talk about, but […]

Source

The average age of a home in the US is 46 years old!

Sarah Pruett — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 19:57:59 +0000

We should be designing universally accessible homes for future generations now.

Source

Households with a member with a disability have 36% less income than those without.

Sarah Pruett — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 22:11:42 +0000

People with disabilities regularly compromise on housing based on what's financially accessible, often negatively affecting physical and mental health.

Source

Smart Home Technology

Kaitlyn Richardson — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 18:53:43 +0000

There are several "smart" devices that improve the functionality and safety of a home. They're great options for universal design.

Source

Renovations are costly…

Kaitlyn Richardson — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 20:05:17 +0000

Implementing accessibility at the start of a new design project will save you time and money.

Source

Occupational Therapy and Our Role in Housing

Kaitlyn Richardson — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 19:08:55 +0000

This article unpacks three practice settings in which an an occupational therapist could collaborate with professionals in the home building industry.

Source

The Blueprints of My Doctoral Project

Kaitlyn Richardson — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 20:57:53 +0000

Kati briefly explains the OT profession and introduces her doctoral capstone project.

Source

Different has to be experienced.

Scott Pruett — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 15:42:02 +0000

We run The Universal Design Project on software called Basecamp. The company that created Basecamp is on the verge of releasing a new email system called Hey. What’s interesting about this is that they’re declaring email “broken” and are more or less redesigning the way people interact with email. Here’s a recent tweet from their […]

Source

There’s a 60% Probability…

Scott Pruett — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 20:32:22 +0000

“In the United States of America, it has been estimated that there is a 60% probability that any new house will be occupied by a person with a functional impairment over its life span.” Smith SK, Rayer S, Smith EA. Aging and disability: implications for the housing industry and housing policy in the United States. […]

Source

Prevalence of Accessible Housing in the U.S.

Kaitlyn Richardson — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 18:16:40 +0000

The United States has an accessible housing problem: there aren't enough available options.

Source

Designing a “Good Fit” For All People

Kaitlyn Richardson — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 01:27:54 +0000

Universal design must enable people to be independent in daily tasks when human impairments are present.

Source

Results from student-led design exercises

Sarah Pruett — Fri, 14 Feb 2020 15:52:28 +0000

Check out some drawings, 3D renders, and a floor plan of a universally designed home.

Source

Takeaways from a universal design exercise

Sarah Pruett — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 18:36:45 +0000

The process of universal design needs to be collaborative, but collaboration is challenging.

Source

Kati’s Story: Multigenerational Needs for Universal Design

Kaitlyn Richardson — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 18:32:03 +0000

Kati discusses how a universally designed home would have improved her family's function after multiple health events.

Source

My journey into a non-traditional Occupational Therapy job

Sarah Pruett — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 22:08:33 +0000

There are many areas of practice in OT. Here’s my story.

Source

Bias is an enemy.

Scott Pruett — Tue, 30 May 2017 15:18:01 +0000

The first phrase of the definition of universal design is “design that’s usable by all people.” It’s easy to think, “cool, that just means everyone,” which is true, but that’s also a really complex idea. Ensuring usability across the entire spectrum of people in our society is no simple task. Here at The Universal Design Project, we focus on people […]

Source

The PEO Model of Occupational Performance and Universal Design.

Sarah Pruett — Sat, 27 May 2017 02:16:00 +0000

The Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) Model of Occupational Performance comes from the field of occupational therapy and helps identify the relationships between a person, an environment, and occupations (activities). These relationships support and enhance a person’s ability (Law et al, 1996); interestingly, that’s what universal design is all about. The relationship between each helps us understand the quality of occupational performance (i.e., function) that […]

Source

Accessible design vs. universal design (& more)

Scott Pruett — Sat, 20 May 2017 01:44:00 +0000

Despite universal design being a “thing” since the 1980s, there is still widespread confusion about it today, which we believe is largely due to people not fully understanding the depth of what it means.

Source

Universal design & its connection to disability

Scott Pruett — Sat, 20 May 2017 00:51:22 +0000

Universal design is often described as “design for all ages and abilities,” but what does that really mean? It’s gaining popularity every day, partially because of the size of the baby boomer generation, and partially because of society’s increasing interest in being inclusive to people with disabilities. What is universal design? Design that’s usable by […]

Source

Exclusive “interview” with the late Ron Mace

Sarah Pruett — Tue, 16 May 2017 15:24:00 +0000

Ron Mace is credited with coining the term “universal design.” This is a fictional interview that might be what we’d expect if he were still alive.

Source

Universal design: why it’s about time

Scott Pruett — Mon, 15 May 2017 20:52:57 +0000

A sense of urgency is felt when someone declares “it’s about time!” We feel that way about the need to make our communities more welcoming to people affected by disability. When the design of something doesn’t work for someone, that person either gets excluded or has to struggle unnecessarily. It’s time for that to change. […]

Source