Ageing and universal design

Abstract

The paper examines the legal framework concerning the social
need to adapt environments for old people with specific requirements (the law of ccuniversal accessibility, equal opportunities and non-discrimination against disabled peopleu, and the Spanish Royal decree on ccthe procedure for the recognition, declaration and qualification of the degree of disabilityu). The advantages of the Universal Design approach are emphasized
and contrasted with the limitations of other approaches that develop specific devices for disabled people. The paper also discusses the most significant age-related changes, that is, in relation to vision, audition, motor control and cognition and makes suggestions for applying basic universal design principies in order to compensate for the limitations of the elderly.