Design for All: The Best Path Forward

Design for All — The Best Path Forward is a user friendly guide intended for planning and design professionals, building code officials, educators, and individuals interested in providing designs that work well for all people.

The book represents a culmination of thinking about safety and accessibility issues that has evolved over the author’s fifty-plus-year career as an architect, researcher, and university professor.

Whether you are a design professional evaluating accessibility for a multi-million dollar project, a small business owner remodeling a store or office, or a citizen advocating increased accessibility, Design for All is a resource companion to existing codes, standards and technical materials. It was written to help everyone who desires to accommodate the needs of all people to the maximum extent possible in designing, constructing, and maintaining safe and accessible buildings and sites. Standards and recommendations are presented in a format that is easy to understand, quick to grasp, and accurate.

Design for All provides basic information about building and site accessibility. The author and contributors have made every effort to accurately represent the most current requirements of (the ADA Standards) and to provide references to them for your convenience. However, the information in Design for All is not a legal interpretation of any government statute or requirement and the most current governmental ADA publications should be consulted and used in conjunction with Design for All to ensure accurate interpretation of the ADA Standards.

For additional information and technical assistance, contact the Access Board, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and other government agencies. See References. Also consult state and local building and life safety codes, ordinances, and laws that affect the design, construction, and alterations of buildings and sites.

Individual pages of Design for All may be photocopied for private use. No part of this document may be reproduced for sale or other commercial purposes without written permission.