Whatever our age or ability, we frequently discover that too many of our products and environments discriminate against us by failing to deliver the safety, comfort, convenience, ease of use, and bodily fit implied by their trendy designs.

Discrimination by Design.

While most of us face daily life with confidence, advancing age increases the number and severity of our limitations. As we develop one or more physical or sensory impairments, we turn to our artifact environment to help us maintain independence and support our activities of daily living.

But, as our functional abilities decline, many products that once provided years of enjoyment and stimulation gradually become less supportive. We are forced to cope with unyielding products and hostile environments that have become increasingly frustrating and, at times, even dangerous.

Service and comfort soon change into frustration and pain, thwarting our efforts, eroding our self respect, and robbing us of our precious independence. Too many of us are forced to endure such examples of design discrimination as:

• instructions and directions that are confusing or unreadable,
• handles we can't grasp,
• controls we can't operate,
• furniture that doesn't fit our bodies,
• doors we can't open or close,
• floors that cause us to trip or slip,
• shelving we can't reach or adjust,
• alarms that are too loud or inaudible.

Many designs can even become "hostile." Bruises, burns, sprains and broken bones are visible testimonies to the frequent misfits that occur between a product's in-store promise and its undelivered performance once in the home.

The solution is to design safe, comfortable and easily used products and environments for a transgenerational population of diverse ages and abilities. Not only does such a strategy make common sense, it also addresses our concern for diversity, equality and human rights.

Shouldn't a fire extinguisher, bathroom fixtures, microwave oven, or wireless phone be as easy to use by a an arthritic septuagenarian, a teenager with a sprained wrist, a Baby Boomer in a wheelchair, or a 20-something pregnant housewife with poor eyesight? We think so!