Can Universal Design Truly Exist?

As a frequent traveler, I’ve made temporary homes in quite a few hotels. Each time I book a stay in a new hotel, it feels like a gamble as to whether the room will actually be suitably accessible for me when I arrive. No matter how much I stress to the booking agent that I need a fully wheelchair accessible room with a shower bench and a roll-in shower, I can never actually rest assured that I’ll be able to function in the room I’m given until I see it for myself. Even then, I’ve often found myself in room situations that just don’t work.

As I write this, I’m on a plane flying home from a family trip to Florida, for which my mom, who also uses a wheelchair, had requested a much-needed accessible room. When I checked out the bathroom situation, though, it was clear that accessibility meant something very different to the hotel staff than it does to my family. The room was considered accessible because it had a doorbell for use by people with hearing disabilities, as well as handrails in multiple places around the bathroom. For my mother and me, the room was barely big enough for our wheelchairs to navigate, and there was a huge ledge to get in the tub, but I suppose it would have been okay if I just didn’t shower for a week.

The issue illustrated by this particular hotel encounter goes far deeper than just a complaint about a shower. Arguably, the problem is a lack of adherence to accessibility standards as set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However, the more I travel, the more I’ve come to realize that the real problem is rooted in the fact that there is no such thing as universal accessibility.

Many access experts tout the concept of universal design as the ideal solution to provide access for everyone, regardless of ability. I’ve long supported the value of universal design, and I absolutely believe that if accessibility standards were universally enforced, much of the disability community would have an easier time going places and doing things. That being said, how can access ever truly be universal when every person has unique needs and abilities?

My mom and I, though similar in lots of ways, exemplify this conundrum of differing ability levels. She is able to stand, but I am not. With handrails, she was able to get in the hotel shower. I had to wait until another room with a roll-in shower opened up the next afternoon. In this case, the problem was twofold: not enough accessible rooms were available in the first place, and the idea of “ADA accessible” is so loosely interpreted in most places that it’s laughable. This could be somewhat alleviated if places like hotels just made all rooms meet basic access requirements, but even so, accessibility means something different for everyone. I’m short and can’t reach high things, but other people may have disabilities that make it tough for them to bend low to the ground. I’m sure reconciling these two differing abilities in one space is possible, but it would definitely pose a big challenge.

So, if universal accessibility can never truly be universal, what can be done? I don’t have all the answers here, but I hope to begin a larger conversation about how the most access needs can be met simultaneously. What changes are necessary? Of course, change starts with incorporating basic access, and this means business owners need to understand that the ADA isn’t just a suggestion. But more than that, the real key to access will come from a developing a greater public awareness of the fact that no two disabilities are alike, and no two people are alike. No one’s needs can be put in a box.

Emily Ladau is a writer and disability rights activist whose passion is to harness the powers of language and social media as tools for people to become informed and engaged social justice advocates. She is the owner of Social Justice Media Services, which provides communications, outreach, and social media management services for disability-related organizations. Emily also maintains a blog, Words I Wheel By, as a platform to address discrimination and to encourage people to understand the experience of having a disability in more positive, accepting, and supportive ways. You’re welcome to connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.