What is Inclusive Design?

You may have seen terms like disabled access used in our industry, such as when people mention disabled access doors or disabled access ramps. At Proudlock we tend to refer to the term inclusive design instead. This means when a building is accessible to disabled people and all others at the same time through a single provision.

• Inclusive design produces an inclusive environment. It is as simple as that.
• It provides for the needs and desires of everyone.
• It treats only the smallest possible number of people differently.
• It means working towards a single solution by accommodating fully those whose needs cannot be met in the same way.
• It involves physical, visual, auditory and intellectual accessibility.
• It is not an abstract concept but is the result of applying a tangible set of principles.

The best inclusive design is the one that is most satisfactory in meeting the principles of inclusive design and this is known as ‘universal design’. The most inclusive design is universal design.