A design usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of age, ability, or situation, is usually considered to be a ‘universal design’. Such a design should adhere to seven principles that characterises its universal usage. They are: equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort and size and space for approach and use.
To reward such designs, the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), in association with AccessAbility and BarrierBreak Technologies, recently announced the winners of the NCPEDP-MphasiS Universal Design Awards. These coveted awards, aimed at spreading awareness on Universal Design, are given away every year to individuals and organisations doing exemplary work on accessibility and ensuring a life of dignity for people with disabilities.
Javed Abidi, honorary director, NCPEDP, said: “In the last two editions, these awards were able to create tremendous buzz among stakeholders and received an amazing response. We are confident that with each edition, they will gain further recognition.”
The various categories for the third edition of the Universal Design Awards were Persons with Disability, Working Professionals and Companies and Organisations. Some of the winners include institutions such as Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB) and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). Software giant Microsoft has bagged the award in the Companies and Organisations category.
According to the organisers, the awards cover designs which provide accessibility in the fields of built environment, transport, information and communication technology, services and aids and appliances. The winners will be awarded on August 14.
