Picture 1. A "Together bench". Picture 2. A separate entrance through a school yard. Both from Vejle, Denmark.
I love discussing the power of/in design with students.
What is one word for Universal Design?
Design can be a force for dignity and diversity. But it can also hinder and oppress people. Consider, for instance, how the bench in Picture 1 above gently brings people together, compared to the way the environment in Picture 2 keeps people apart.
Every act of design matters, and understanding the consequences of one’s design choices is key. Those are the kind of discussions we have in class.
At the end of a Universal Design course a couple of years ago, I asked our design students to choose a word that best described Universal Design. They had to choose just one word.
My students’ surprising answer: Togetherness!
One of the students immediately answered: "Togetherness!", and their peers nodded in agreement. I was surprised by their swift reply and choice of this particular word, especially since I had never used that term when teaching.
Something in that shared silence told me they weren’t just talking about design—they were describing a feeling.
This episode has stayed with me as a fond memory. My students were right. "Togetherness" is a great word to describe Universal Design as a process and as a characteristic of the resulting artefacts.
Since then, I have seen togetherness emerge in shared benches, co-created classrooms, and even policy language. Nowadays, I frequently highlight togetherness as a design quality achieved by Universal Design(ing).
That student’s word still guides how I design, teach, and research.
What is your one word for Universal Design?
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