The curb cut effect: How universal design makes things better for everyone
It was a beautiful day in Santa Barbara, California, and I was walking down to work listening to an episode of my favorite podcast 99% Invisible (I highly recommend). This episode talked about curb cuts–the ramps graded down on sidewalks to meet with the street. Here is yet another example of design that goes unnoticed by many. Little did I know that there was an extensive history behind this seemingly simple design that makes walking through the streets more accessible for those with disabilities and even those without.
In fact, the impact of this kind of design is so significant that the term curb cut effect was coined. The curb cut effect states that when you design for disabilities, you make things better for everyone in the process. For example, curb cuts on sidewalks made it easier for people pushing strollers, the elderly with walkers, or those rolling a bag behind them. Implementing this design across the country was no easy task.
A quick history lesson: curb cuts
It all started with the curb cut movement in the revolutionary 60s in Berkeley, California. Ed Roberts, an activist and graduate student at University of California, Berkeley, was the leader of this revolution. When Roberts was young, he became sick with polio which left him paralyzed from the neck down. The only part of his body he could move were two fingers on his left hand. Though it was difficult, he was determined to go to school and make a difference. He went to class with the help of an attendant pushing his wheelchair and had a classmate make carbon copies of their notes. Roberts’s story was an anomaly for the time, and he soon began making headlines. Shortly after Roberts started at Berkeley, quite a few other disabled students arrived as well. Together, they began a dialogue regarding the civil rights of disabled peoples, such as the right to be included in public life with something as simple as ease of travel through the streets.
There are rumors that Roberts and friends went out at night and tore up the corners of sidewalks to install their own ramps demanding action from the city. Though these stories may have been exaggerated, they reflect the revolutionary spirit of the times. Soon, the world’s first curb cut program was implemented in the city of Berkeley. On September 28, 1971, it became city policy to make streets and sidewalks accessible for the disabled in major commercial areas.
In the 70s, other changes to the built environment, such as wheelchair lifts on buses, accessible bathrooms, and low countertops, came into play. Demonstrations and protests were held across the country demanding these changes be implemented in all facilities. These years of protest culminated with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act which “prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life — to enjoy employment opportunities, to purchase goods and services, and to participate in State and local government programs and services.”
What still needs work: the built environment
It is important to recognize how far we’ve come from the 60s, but it’s equally important to see what still needs work in terms of making design in the built environment universally accessible. We have not reached total inclusion yet. Let’s look at Uber, for example.
For many of us, Uber’s ride-share service is quick and easy to use. But what if you’re in a wheelchair? In 2016, Uber launched UberWAV, a service that provides wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAV). Since its implementation there have been tons of lawsuits regarding sub-par service, inconsistent access to wheelchair-friendly cars, and longer wait times for UberWAV. In New York, there’s approximately 200 wheelchair-friendly vehicles out of the more than 58,000 cars in the city. The UberWAV service clearly still needs work to ensure equal and universal access. Additionally, UberWAV is not offered in all cities where Uber operates. According to Uber’s website, UberWAV is currently only available in Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.
The New York City Subway poses additional problems for wheelchair users. Elevator accessibility across stations is poor with 80% of the stations being inaccessible to disabled people. Further, preventative maintenance is rarely–definitely not in a timely fashion–performed on the elevators of New York’s aged subway system. As a part of MTA’s 2020–2024 capital plan, 70 new stations will become ADA-accessible. This is a step in the right direction.
What still needs work: the virtual space
Typically, universal design is discussed in relation to physical space, but now it has been applied to virtual space as well. The information technology industry uses the term electronic curb cuts. Much of what we interact with today is our devices: phones, tablets, computers, etc. However, Americans with disabilities are 3 times as likely than those without a disability to not go online. Additionally, across ages, those with disabilities often don’t even own a laptop, smartphone, or tablet.
Many of these technologies provide some accessibility settings such as enlarged font for those with poor vision, text-to-speech and voice-to-text features, subtitles and captioning, and LED flash for alerts. Further, standards such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) exist for web pages and applications. Generally, these standards refer to how text, images, and sounds are presented and structured for web content. For example, “All non-text content that is presented to the user has a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose.” Often, these accessibility features are not prioritized in the development of web content and other applications. Accessibility should not be an afterthought, rather considered from the creation of the technology by calling on universal and inclusive design processes to guide the development from the start.
Help one, help all
While there are many areas that need improvement, it doesn’t hurt to point out good examples of universal design and how they have helped everyone. A classic example is Oxo Good Grips.
The creation of Oxo Good Grips started with the goal of creating a vegetable peeler that was easy and comfortable to use for someone with arthritis. In developing the product, the grip was tested with people of various ages, hand sizes, hand strength and dexterity. The consideration of a functional and attractive product for all peoples led to OXO Good Grips being a widely-recognized design and brand.
A perhaps lesser-known universal design success is the House of Disable People’s Organization in Taastrup, Denmark. Designed by architect firms Cubo Arkitekter and FORCE4 Architects, this office building promotes equal access, and further encourages users to be self-reliant, through several design features. Many of these considerations are small low-tech features such as floor numbering along the railings or moving the elevator closer to the stairs in order to avoid disrupting conversation if two individuals need different modes of transport. (I recommend reading the linked article to learn more about the design.)
Lastly, in tech, assistive technologies (AT) are a great example of electronic curb cuts that often exhibit the curb cut effect. Let’s take Closed Captioning for a brief example. Closed Captioning was originally created so that the deaf and hard-of-hearing could watch television. But today, people watching football games in loud bars or watching the news while at the gym benefit from captioning; and, we have the deaf community to thank for that. Though there are plenty of examples like Closed Captioning where everyone benefits from AT, there is still a lack of consideration for accessibility in the technology world today.
Fortunately, some companies such as Apple have been committed to accessibility for all for a while now making their built-in features widely advertised, and the company has received several awards for their inclusive designs. The company quite clearly prides themselves on these accomplishments and promotes their achievement that “every product and service in the Apple ecosystem is designed with accessibility built in.” Apple’s accessibility features are also great examples of the curb cut effect. If you are able-bodied, you have probably benefitted from features such as Siri, Dictation, FaceTime, Safari Reader, and more, which are considered accessibility features.
Accessibility is not a barrier
To conclude, accessibility should not be considered a barrier. Designing with all people in mind doesn’t hold you back but rather forces you to make the experience better for everyone. These universal design successes should encourage companies to make their products and services universally accessible, and should encourage cities to make the built environment universally accessible.
Though this is not a focus of this particular article, there must also be a push for greater education and awareness of incorporating accessibility throughout the design process in both the physical and virtual realms. Let’s get the conversation concerning equitable access going sooner. Practicing empathy (shocker!) will be key to championing accessible experiences for all to enjoy.
