Title: Design for dignity
Description: The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 mandated the elimination of barriers that prevent the full integration of people with disabilities into the larger U.S. society. This sweeping new law prompted a flood of books and pamphlets designed to help designers and architects satisfy the strict letter of the law - usually either "cookbooks" packed with specifications, or dry checklists filled with compliance details. A gifted architectural historian and photographer, William Lebovich sees the issue of accessibility in a vibrant new light. His latest work, Design for Dignity, reflects a sensibility that views ADA's provisions not simply as code requirements but as aesthetic and intellectual challenges that designers and architects will come to welcome.^

Indeed, through the many case studies that form the heart of this inspired new book, Lebovich demonstrates that when maximum accessibility is regarded as an important design issue, and not as some nettlesome duty, it often leads to the creation of the most architecturally impressive aspects of a building or landscape. Design for Dignity covers a wide range of buildings, including homes, schools, medical facilities, museums, offices, government buildings, and such public accommodations as theaters, churches, sports arenas, waterfronts, hotels, and airports. The book's individual details and overall design philosophy reflect Lebovich's ongoing consultation with people with disabilities - making it the first book to address accessibility from the viewpoint of the people most affected.^

Unlike other books that offer only drawings of code-based solutions, Design for Dignity provides a bounty of superb photographs, which capture the living work of such prominent architects, interior designers, and landscape architects as Sasaki Associates, Graham Gund, Leo Daly, Arthur May, I.M. Pei, and Harry Weese. Whether focusing on Chinn Aquatics and Fitness Center, Waterfront Park, or Baltimore Washington International Airport, the book illustrates how designers can make buildings and outdoor spaces more accessible to people with developmental, cognitive, mobility, and visual disabilities. In emphasizing the design virtues of the Paralyzed Veterans of America Headquarters, Judith A. Resnick Elementary School, and the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission building.^

It also demonstrates how people can be mainstreamed into schools and offices through barrier-free architecture, the flexible design of adjustable, modular furniture, and the use of assistive technologies. Many of these case studies also show how accommodating people with disabilities in the U.S. can also be financially rewarding as well - debunking the myth that ADA only imposes financial hardships on those charged with meeting its standards. This book can be used by architects, designers, and various professionals - including educators, hospital personnel, and hotel managers - who are looking for specific design solutions. Fittingly, the entire book is also "accessible" enough to a wide range of readers who are seeking to gain a general understanding of how to create a more humane environment for the nation's more than forty-three million people with disabilities. -- Publisher description
Subjects: Barrier-free design
Places: United States