an Tang, the chairman of the Foundation of Universal Design Education. Tang vigorously promotes the concept of universal design so that disabled people like him and anyone with special needs can lead easier, more fulfilling lives.
Dan Tang
Foundation of Universal Design Education
I respect bike lanes, and when I come across a cyclist, I say hello. With more bike lanes, those in wheelchairs have another road we can travel. This perfectly demonstrates the concept of universal design.
For the past eight years, Dan Tang has promoted the Universal Design Award competition to spur innovation and greater convenience.
Dan Tang
Foundation of Universal Design Education
Universal design implies ease of use, with the first consideration being fairness. The second is a variety of methods can be used, and the third is that the item is easy to understand. The fourth is that when you are using it, it teaches you a simpler way, and the fifth is if you use it improperly, it won’t result in an accident and can be easily restored to its original condition. The final consideration includes required storage space and the item’s dimensions.
Twenty-five years ago, Tang took to the streets to push for a disabled friendly environment. He surveyed all potential barriers and sought to promote policies which could overcome them.
Dan Tang
Foundation of Universal Design Education
In 2006, when I began speaking about universal design, I was in a wheelchair. Everyone thought I was speaking about something specific to wheelchair users. I wanted to strengthen my message by saying I was helping cyclists, pregnant women and the elderly. Still, it was very difficult to convince them.
One way Tang began to try and persuade people was by hosting the Universal Design Award.
Dan Tang
Foundation of Universal Design Education
I began with education. By working with industrial design and product design departments, I pushed the concepts that we were using for the universal design competition. I hoped that big prize money would allow students to understand that their design shouldn’t just look cool or be visually stunning but should actually meet the requirements of users and help solve their problems.
Chien Yi-ru簡伊汝, a student at National Taiwan Normal University’s Department of Industrial Education, participated in the competition. She undertook exhaustive research, later discovering that scooter barricades used in local parks also inadvertently prevented entrance by wheelchairs and baby strollers. She designed a new type of barricade which she submitted to the competition.
The Universal Design Award hopes to change design concepts among students. After impacting academia, it can change government policies and finally attract the attention of the construction industry
Kao Wen-ting
Taipei Dep’t of Urban Development
An important part of universal design is eliminating differences in flooring height. From the door and throughout the entire interior, the height should be uniform, including all the way to the balcony.
Door thresholds in the home should also be smooth, making it easy for anyone to move between the kitchen, bathroom and other parts of the interior.
Kao Wen-ting
Taipei Dep’t of Urban Development
In the bathroom, making the flooring a uniform height presented a problem of how to deal with water drainage. As you can see, there are two specially designed water drains, one by the shower area and one between the bathroom and the bedroom
Universal design is now common when it comes to designing interiors. It’s also applicable to furniture and cabinets.
Kao Wen-ting
Taipei Dep’t of Urban Development
The hardest place to design is kitchen space because items up top are hard to reach. We therefore designed these moveable racks which make it easier to grab items.
Taipei currently has 83 public housing rental units that were built using the concept of universal design.
Dan Tang
Foundation of Universal Design Education
For example this door used to be very heavy to the push. Now I can use just one finger and lightly push it open. Making items lightweight is one concept of universal design.
Many people spend their savings to buy a house which is typically used for decades, covering all phases of life, ranging from child rearing to pregnancy and old age. The home must accommodate everything from strollers to wheelchairs. All of these considerations should be taken into account when building a new residence.
Dan Tang
Foundation of Universal Design Education
A button like this should be placed in an area that makes it easily accessible to everyone. Even more special is the expanded area. Rather than just using one finger, I can press it with my arm. This small change uses universal design to make people’s lives more convenient.
From changing the way designers think to creating barrier-free environments for Taiwan’s aging society, universal design is quickly becoming a reality and making life more convenient.
資料來源：
http://englishnews.ftv.com.tw/read.aspx?sno=3E7D21B277AFD78AEC8590B896067960
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