Socially adaptable housing: new housing model for families living with disability

Abstract

This paper reports on a unique approach to inclusive practice that responds to several critical issues highlighted in the first Universal Design (UD) Conference in Yokohama as well as in more recent literature on universal design. The approach, as explained in the paper, involves a not-for-profit community organization, university researchers, and a design action group comprising practitioners from across the design disciplines, together with other specialist consultants, developing in a voluntary capacity an independent housing model for people with disabilities and their families or caretakers. With a focus on relationships and “a system that places human beings at the centre in all respects”, this paper presents the approach and the emerging theoretical framework which addresses three issues that Afacan and Erbug (2009) propose hinder the integration of universal design with design practice, namely: theory-practice inconsistency involving the lack of flow-on of universal design awareness into design practice; a way of thinking that exhibits very little empathy with and understanding of the requirements of diverse users; and poorly implemented and coordinated collaboration and communication involving designers and other professionals (pp. 731-732).