How, If You Design for the Most Marginalized, Everyone Wins
A way out of zero-sum thinking
A human resources leader at a global organization expressed frustration at how slow their inclusion strategy moved. They planned to focus on women for a year, then switch focus to minorities in the next year, and then address LGBTQ inclusion in the third year. It seemed impossible to make any progress with this strategy. However, she didn’t know another way to approach the work.
The debate about transgender people’s access to restrooms has polarized communities across the nation, with the current bathroom design pitting communities against each other. Is there a better way forward?
For anyone overwhelmed by designing for user needs that appear to be in direct conflict, universal design allows us to incorporate requirements that seem to be in direct conflict.
What is universal design?
Universal design is “The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. (1) While universal design began in the disability rights movement, its principles have spread beyond the built environment to inform website design, education, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work.
* Transgender people want to use the bathroom without being challenged, and women fear getting cornered in a room with no exit by a stranger. Universal design can address both needs. *
How can universal design help us meet the needs of all groups?
Universal design focuses on the most marginalized users to design an environment that benefits all users. Quite often, design choices intended to help one group benefit everyone else. This phenomenon is called the curb-cut effect. Curb-cuts, those sidewalk ramps designed for wheelchair users, also benefit people using walkers, strollers, bikes, carts, or wheeled luggage.
The curb-cut effect also shows up in DEI work. For example, in an organization where Black women experienced significant barriers to inclusion, data showed that their managers were less supportive of them than other groups. The organization subsequently invested in inclusion training and management to change managers’ behaviors. As a result, this not only improved the experience of black women employees but also improved the culture and opportunities for all other demographic groups across the organization. Inclusive management directly impacts employee engagement, with real implications for the entire organization’s performance and profitability.
In the bathroom example, universal design asks how bathrooms can be welcoming spaces for everyone. Transgender people want to use the bathroom without being challenged, and women fear getting cornered in a room with no exit by a stranger. Universal design can address both needs.
All-gender restrooms create accessibility to transgender, intersex, and gender-expansive people who cannot or do not wish to pass as either male or female. Stalls whose doors extend to the ground and that do not have gaps provide privacy to transgender people and women alike. By creating rows of stalls in airy hallways with exits on either side, universal design addresses women’s fears about being cornered in the bathroom.
True to the curb-cut effect, parents with children of the opposite gender and individuals whose caregivers do not share their gender also benefit from this design.
One of us (Amy Bradac) is a mother whose son is uncomfortable using public restrooms or changing rooms alone. At six years old, some feel he should not be allowed in women’s spaces with her assistance. She often finds herself in a position where she has to choose between making other people uncomfortable or having him opt out of using public restrooms altogether. The gender-neutral universal design eliminates this dilemma without making her son feel his presence is an issue.
What is the workflow for universal design?
Universal design is a process rather than a static approach, and it asks us to design according to this cycle:
- What are the current best practices for our application?
- Who is the most impacted by or marginalized by the current system?
- How can we best support users who need additional accommodations?
- How will we evaluate our design?
Intentionally including users who might otherwise be considered “exceptions” in the design process is essential. That’s because when we are in a dominant group due to our gender, race, abilities, management status, or one of our many other social identities, we don’t see the barriers to inclusion that marginalized people experience. Designers research best practices by involving users through surveys, focus groups, listening sessions, community outreach, or advocacy groups. Casting a wide net in the research phase helps people like the human resources leader include multiple stakeholders from the outset.
The next step is identifying the most marginalized users. We can identify them while researching best practices. We can disaggregate employee engagement scores, salaries, promotion rates, disciplinary actions, and turnover data. We should compare the demographics of entry-level employees and executives. And we can look for groups who are in conflict with each other because the current system has created a zero-sum game, like the bathroom example.
Once we identify and understand barriers to inclusion and who the most marginalized user(s) are, we can begin the design process.
What are the principles of universal design?
The following chart lists the seven principles of universal design and lists examples of them in the built environment (2) and workplace culture.
Even with a robust planning and design process, successfully designing for the needs of all users will have challenges. To achieve optimal results, the designer must keep a creative mindset and be constantly vigilant for improvements. Within organizations, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) play an important advisory role and can help fuel continuous improvement. Designers should create opt-out versus opt-in processes to gather feedback and accommodation requests, and this data should inform future design iterations.
As important as leveraging universal design principles in the built environment, systems, and processes is, it cannot create full inclusion alone.
The corporate environment and culture must embrace not only the design but the spirit behind it. If the culture is toxic, marginalized individuals will feel oppressed and not take advantage of inclusive accommodations.
One of us (Kai Stowers) is a transgender individual who previously worked in an organization that tolerated transphobic jokes and commentary. As a result, he did not take advantage of transition-related health care included in his benefits. Instead, he exited the organization and began his gender transition process while employed at his next organization.
Parting Thoughts
An empowered, supported and motivated workforce is a company’s greatest asset. By intentionally building accessible and welcoming built environments and workplaces cultures for the most marginalized users, we paradoxically improve the experience of all users. Integrating universal design principles as a tactic in their inclusion work allows organizations to create cultures where all individuals can thrive and perform at their best.
Authors
Kai Stowers, Coach and Consultant in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Kai Stowers is a consultant, Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and has a master’s degree in Organizational Psychology and Change Leadership from Columbia University. He partners with organizations to help leaders build high-performing, engaged, and inclusive teams. Learn more at kaistowers.com.
Like what you read? Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/kaistowers ☕
Amy Bradac, AIA, LEED AP, Founder + CEO, Bradac and Co
Amy is the Founder + CEO of Bradac Co, a full-service real estate construction management firm. Amy has 20+ years of experience as an architect and contractor, which gives her the unique experience of having viewed the industry from every angle, making her adept at facilitating communication and moving projects forward on time and on budget.
References
- Mace, Ron. (1985). Housing for the Lifespan of All People: Universal Design. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://mn.gov/mnddc/parallels2/pdf/80s/88/88-HFL-UDS.pdf
- Burgstahler, S. (2021). Universal design: Process, principles, and applications. Universal Design: Process, Principles, and Applications | DO-IT. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.washington.edu/doit/universal-design-process-principles-and-applications
