The Disability Census 2000 counted 49.7 million people with some type of disability. Of this they represented 19.3 percent of the 257.2 million people who were aged 5 and older, another way to look at it is nearly one person in five. A more specific breakdown of this would be 9.3 million (3.6 percent) with a sensory disability involving sight or hearing; 21.2 million (8.2 percent) with a condition limiting basic physical activities (walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting, or carrying); 12.4 million (4.8 percent) with a physical, mental, or emotional condition causing difficulty in learning, remembering, or concentrating. 6.8 million (2.6 percent) with a physical, mental, or emotional condition causing difficulty in dressing, bathing, or getting around inside the home; 18.2 million of those aged 16 and older with a condition that made it difficult to go outside the home (8.6 percent of the 212.0 million people this age); 21.3 million of those aged 16 to 64 with a condition that affected their ability to work at a job or business. People were defined as having a disability if one or more of the following conditions were true: They were aged 5 or older and responded “yes” to a sensory, physical, mental, or self-care disability; They were aged 16 years or older and responded “yes” to a disability affecting going outside the home; They were between the ages of 16 and 64 and responded “yes” to an employment disability.
So how does all this relate to design? Well how does it not. We design for the person, and since the disabled population is growing to be the largest minority group in the U.S, we need to start integrating their needs of the general public. The built environment should be made for just the general public, and those who have a disability can get lost in the population, being overwhelmed by our ideals as opposed to a more consistent mindset. When I say consistent mindset I mean redefining our ideals in our built environment, integrating needs for the disabled populace with the general public. There needs to be a direct change improving access to positive built environments.
There is a growing concern that good design is attainable only if you have money to afford it. I have recently been looking for a new apartment and my parameters are very few in retrospect: anything but carpet flooring (concrete, tile, wood, etc); functional space that allowed me to work and live in my apartment; easy accessibility due to my dog; large windows; clean. In high insight I guess I preferred a more modern or industrial space however little did I know what I was getting myself into. Apparently if you want tile, wood, or even concrete flooring, large windows, and a functional space , clean and freshly painted with a clean kitchen you will be paying anywhere between $1500 to $3000 for a two bedroom apartment with two bathrooms. This is outrageous; I can rent a house for that amount. This is when it hit me, good design is expensive and it shouldn’t be, why do I have to pay so much to live in a positive environment, and I don’t have a disability, imagine if I did, my list would increase substantially depending on my situation and then what would I have to add? Another thousand or two. Who can attain this? And if my idea of good design is functional space with proper use of material in a space and an integration with the built environment and the natural environment, then what is good design in general?
Good design is our non-negotiable, a built environment that incorporates the spirit of the occupants and the building, it’s using what’s required as a guideline and creating a positive environment for any future occupant. It’s a number of things, which creates a positive environment to fulfill its function. A definition for good design is ever changing, as our needs change as well accessibility to materials and technology so will the term good design.
Having defined good design and a positive built environment I feel that everyone has the right to be in a space that will benefit them without stretching their earnings to do so. Upon completion of my education I am hoping to have the opportunity to change building for the non-disabled (also refered to as general public) for the public.
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