Access by Design (Interior Design) [Hardcover]

George A. Covington (Author), Bruce Hannah (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1996 | ISBN-10: 0442021267 | ISBN-13: 978-0442021269

Providing the first and only comprehensive review of universal design--design that provides access to everything all of the time for all people, whether you're eight years old or 80, abled or disabled, this illuminating book helps set the standards for design in the 90s. Areas covered include home and office, school, print/media, sports, travel, entertainment, computers, and more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Access by Design George A. Covington Bruce Hannah Every day 48 million Americans with disabilities face man-made barriers that turn disabilities into handicaps. These barriers are as obvious as a flight of stairs or as subtle as 8-point type, all barriers that could be eliminated through Universal Design. Access By Design explores the why and how of Universal Design and presents an inspiring collection of products, spaces, and services for virtually every area of life: home, office, school, sports, communications, travel, entertainment, computers, and recreation. Itself an example of Universal Design, the book features design of products, spaces, and services that can be used by the widest possible range of individuals, from a child of eight to an adult of eighty. Universally designed products and services are actually used everyday by people who are both abled and disabled simply because they are the easiest and safest products available. At its best, Universal Design is seamless and invisible. We shouldn’t look at a Universally Designed product and think, "This was designed for people with disabilities." Whether you’re a designer, a facilities manager, a government agent, or a manufacturer—if you want to create or purchase products that everyone can use, you’ll want to read this book. Written by the former Special Assistant for Disability to the Vice President of the United States and an award-winning industrial designer, Access By Design asks and answers some thought-provoking questions, while setting the standard for design of the future. After you read this book, you’ll never look at design the same way again. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

"Our individual disability becomes a handicap only when we encounter a barrier." — George Covington, Co-author "Why not consider designing for your lifetime, not just your primetime?" — Jane Langmiur, Architect "Universal design is good design because it is design for the user and not design for the designer." — Marc Harrison, IDSA, Professor, Rhode Island School of Design "The issue is not so much, ‘what a great idea!,’ as how did we get it wrong for so long?" — Geoff Hollington, Universal Designer, Geoff Hollington Associates "It’s a way of thinking; a new ingredient to design education and professional practice that can become a catalyst for invigorating our design sensibilities." — Bill Palmer, Architect, Hellmuth, Obata, & Kassabaum, Inc. "A designed object, product, building, or landscape earns the term Universal Design only if, in its final built state, it works properly in one form for everyone." — Kevin Owens, Director of Product Development for Play/Designs & Playworld Systems --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Van Nostrand Reinhold (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0442021267
• ISBN-13: 978-0442021269
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,212,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Access by Design, November 20, 2000

By 

S. Choi "digi guru" (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Access by Design (Paperback)

This book contains plenty of examples related to the authors standpoint on Universal Design. While most books on Universal Design are about the accessibility in the space, this books is dealing with lot about the things. On top of everything, the authors use easy, straightforward vocabulary, so the book is helpful not only for the experts but novices, too. Strongly recommend to the students who study universal design as well as design professionals who actually perform their ability to designing 'something for the world'