Single people and people in group housing find a shortage of appropriate housing in subdivisions designed for two parents, two children and two cars. Our design standards focus mainly on certain types of households and certain types of individuals. Social equity calls for broader design standards and more accessible environments. Disability is the gap between the individual and the environment. As planners learning about social equity and concerned with the environment, we have a lot to learn from people with disabilities and the Disability Movement.
Disability affects one in five.
With an aging population, we project increasing percentages of impairments. Planners have the opportunity, and the challenge, of seeking design solutions that reduce environmentally-created inequities and barriers. The ADA, civil rights legislation, was achieved with political power. They filed lawsuits when airlines would not board people or wheelchairs. There were pickets of Federal buildings, and the White House, for access to programs and buildings.