Universal Design is a no-brainer. If you click on some of the links provided below, you'll see why. On the left, you'll find a video covering the principles of universal design, as well as an academic center that has done a great deal of research on the topic. On the right, you'll find case studies from BMW and from the Joint Commission.
This video provides an overview of the principles of universal design using a poster from the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University.
There are a number of academic and not-for-profit centers that are working on designing age-friendly products, services and workplaces, including but not limited to the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University, the Stanford Center on Longevity at Stanford University, the MIT AgeLab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Center for Health Design. Click on the logos below to learn about these hubs of age-friendly innovation:
Americans over 65 years old will make up more than 16 percent of the country's population by 2010. Richard Roth reports on what companies like BMW are doing with the increasingly aging workforce.
The Joint Commission and NIOSH developed a document that is, in spirit, about universal design. The document provides examples of strategies to improve safety of patients and workers alike. Click on the image above to download the free document.