Universal Design (UD) is a strategy for making products, environments, operational systems, and services welcoming and usable to the most diverse range of people possible. Its key principles are simplicity, flexibility, and efficiency. And whether we realize it or not, most of us benefit from UD on a daily basis.

Originally developed in response to the needs of the aging population and people with disabilities, UD has much broader applicability. It increases ease of access to products, places, and services for multiple, diverse populations. Using UD means that facilities, programs, and services take into account the broad range of abilities, ages, reading levels, learning styles, languages, and cultures in their diverse workforce and customer base.

As a result, ODEP has long promoted UD as an effective strategy for increasing the inclusion of people with disabilities, in both the workplace environment and the workforce system.

The following resources offer helpful information related to universal design:

Resources