Expanding the understanding of universal design beyond technical solutions and physical environment – 8 policy intervention areas

Abstract

Mobility is essential for enabling people to work outside their homes and participate in a wide range of social activities. Moreover, the freedom of mobility—often taken for granted—is a crucial aspect of citizens' quality of life. Despite this, substantial portions of the population experience barriers that constrain their mobility. This paper demonstrates that adopting a holistic approach to universal design is more effective in reducing social exclusion for people with disabilities and making the public transport system accessible to as many people as possible. This is achieved by broadening the scope of user groups' needs and moving beyond universal design approaches that primarily focus on technical interventions and the physical environment. Based on a literature review of studies on universal design in transport systems, we identify a comprehensive set of barriers experienced by a wide range of user groups and the necessary interventions to mitigate these barriers. User groups include people with cognitive, intellectual, and psychosocial impairments, as well as those with respiratory conditions (asthma, allergies, COPD), gastrointestinal issues, pain, and seizure disorders, in addition to the classical impairments that research and policy have traditionally focused on (visual, hearing, mobility). Furthermore, we address the needs of user groups such as children, the elderly, and people with strollers. Our findings illustrate that policy measures must address organizational, individual, and social environments, in addition to the physical environment, to create a universally designed transport system for all.