An estimated 1.3 billion people live with a significant disability, according to the World Health Organization. That’s 16 percent of the global population. They include people with vision, hearing and mobility challenges. How can communities be more accessible and inclusive?

Chris Downey was at the top of his game as an architect when he lost his sight. But the disability didn’t end his career. In fact, he has become a global leader in designing buildings for the blind.

Downey is one of the few blind architects in the world. He’s worked on a wide range of buildings with a focus on accessibility – the new transit center in San Francisco, and renovations for housing for the blind in New York City are just a couple of his projects.

“The power we have over the lives of the people who use the buildings we design or the environments we design, such that the way we design it, we can either welcome people or exclude people,” Downey said.

Accessible Technology

Tech companies have started to change how they design their products so they’re more accessible to more people.   

Paul Amadeus Lane is an accessibility consultant who says these changes aren’t just benefiting the disabled community – they’re improving the entire tech industry. 

Lane is a Quadriplegic who uses a wheelchair. He draws on his personal experiences to give public talks and consult with game developers and consumer tech companies. 

“One thing that I’ve noticed about this whole industry and this whole system and adaptive technology game is this: It helps us, my community, to use those things. But something interesting happens. Everybody else starts to use it, too. How many people now use Alexa to turn on their environment?” Lane said.

DeafSpace revolutionized building for hard of hearing

Most buildings in the world are constructed for and by people who can hear. This can present special challenges for the deaf and hard of hearing. 

Two decades ago, a team at Gallaudet — a university for deaf students in Washington, D.C. — developed what would become known as the DeafSpace architectural principles.  

We meet some of the leaders behind this influential design philosophy.