"Unusual Business"
European Commission, European Day of Disabled People
Roundtable 'Design for All' Brussels, 3 December 2001
by Professor Hubert Froyen

The concept of 'Design for All' is quite new in the field of architecture. For millennia master builders and architects where solely inspired by the image of the gods and of the perfect man to design and to build the man-made-environment.

Only decades ago and under the heading of 'Design for Special Needs', marginal attention was paid to wheelchair users and to the blind as occasional users of buildings and open spaces. This specific design for specific buildings had no greater impact on the design business than any other introduction of new building types, new materials or new equipment.

'Design for All' however, in all its consequences, presupposes nothing less than the adoption of a new paradigm in the field of architecture and of design in general. Western society as a whole is gradually shifting its perspective toward individuals with disabilities by adopting a 'new model' of design and of service and opportunities. Under this model the environment of the individual with a disability is seen as a potential 'disabler' and not the person him- or herself.

As a disabled person I'm terribly excited about this biopsychosocial model, now gradually adopted by the World Health Organisation and other social, professional and academic institutions. If the medical sector is incapable of further improving my condition (intrinsic), at least social and physical barriers can be removed (extrinsic) and the quality of my life can be enhanced. My heart is full of joy and hope.

As an architect and as an academic however, I'm more careful and more critical, not at all about the basic concept of 'Design for All', but about the optimal educational and professional strategies to follow.

Some aspects to take into account:

-A first and most fundamental 'sine qua non' for 'Design for All' is the intensive user participation of (disabled) people in the design process.

-Architects and designers in general have to accept this fundamental 'symmetry of knowledge' (H.Rittel,UC.Berkeley,1978) to be shared with (disabled) users and they have to structure the design process accordingly.

-For design students the ever expanding universe of fantasy and the growing technical possibilities to create virtual realities should be counterbalanced with powerful and elegant real world narratives and with design projects in respectful and in joyful collaboration with real users.

-After the initial creative process of 'Design for All', the construction process and more important even the lifelong process of adaptation and improvement of the built environment should be carefully monitored, 'to the benefit of all'.

To conclude: 'Design and monitoring by All' should be the top priority.

Prof. Hubert Froyen, M.Arch. PHL Department of Architecture, University Campus, Bldg.E B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.