BARRIERS AND POSSIBILITIES TO TEACHING UNIVERSAL DESIGN IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN NORWAY

Abstract

Implementation of universal design (UD) e.g. within the design of high-rise dwellings, school buildings, public offices available to the public, and public transportation, is currently required by law in Norway. In the planning and design of the Built Environment, traditionally the architects, civil engineers, urban planners, and landscape architects play an important role. The knowledge they possess influences strongly how the built environment is designed, built, maintained and used. In order to achieve good usability and accessibility, it is also required by law to involve representatives for the disabled persons’ organizations into the local planning processes. However, other important professions do not have the same tradition of being involved in the planning processes of the built environment. In particular, this applies to the health professions, which can contribute with their knowledge background about of how to improve peoples’ ability to perform tasks in their daily living and working environments. Their views often come too late into planning processes, and changes will therefore either not be possible or will be too expensive to implement. Universal design is an interdisciplinary theme, which should be current knowledge for many different professions. Here we have looked at how universal design is taught in different professional education programs in Norway, and investigated some university professors' attitude towards teaching their students about UD.