Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDeA Center)

The IDeA Center is dedicated to making environments and products more usable, safer and healthier in response to the needs of an increasingly diverse population. The IDeA Center’s activities are based on the philosophy of Inclusive Design, often called “Universal Design” or “Design for All.” It is a way of thinking that can be applied in any design activity, business practice, program or service involving interaction of people with the physical, social or virtual worlds.

The IDeA Center practices human centered design through research, development, service, dissemination and educational activities. The primary goal of the Center is to produce knowledge and tools that will increase social participation of groups like people with disabilities and the older generation, who have been marginalized by traditional design practices. Our research activities include systematic reviews, human factors research, usability studies in the field and laboratory, survey research, focus groups and ethnographic studies. Our development activities include architectural design, product development, information technology resources and organizational development activities. The Center produces many dissemination products in both traditional and digital forms and engages in public, university and continuing education initiatives.