Author:
Williamson, Bess, author.
ImprintNew York : New York University Press, 2020.
Imprint2019
Descriptionvii, 279 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.
Note:Introduction: Disability, Design, and Rights in the Twentieth Century - Progress through Prosthetics: Limbs, Cars, Houses, and the American Dream -- Disability in the Century of the Gadget: Rehabilitation and Access in Postwar America -- Electric Moms and Quad Drivers: Do-It-Yourself Access at Home in Postwar America -- Berkeley, California: An Independent Style of Access -- Kneeling to the Disabled: Access and Backlash -- From Accessible to Universal: Design in the Late Twentieth Century -- Beyond Ramps: Cripping Design -- Conclusion: Design for All?.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references (pages 147-265) and index.
Note:"Have you ever used curb cuts to roll a stroller across an intersection, or an ergonomic kitchen tool to open a can? Have you ever hit the big blue button to activate automatic doors on a bus or in a building? If you have, then you've benefited from accessible design- design for people with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. These ubiquitous touchstones of modern life were once anything but. Disability advocates fought tirelessly to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities became a standard part of public design thinking. That fight took many forms worldwide, but in the United States it became a civil rights issue. In the aftermath of World War II, with injured veterans returning home and the polio epidemic reaching the Oval Office, the needs of people with disabilities came forcibly into the public eye as they never had before. The U.S. became the first country to enact federal accessibility laws, beginning with the Architectural Barriers Act in 1968 and continuing through the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. But early legislation and design efforts were often haphazard or poorly implemented, with decidedly mixed results. Political resistance to accommodating the needs of people with disabilities was strong; so, too, was resistance among architectural and industrial designers, for whom accessible design wasn't "real" design. Marrying accessibility and the aesthetic, Accessible America takes us through this important history, showing how American ideas of individualism and rights came to shape the material world, often with unexpected consequences. Bess Williamson provides an extraordinary look at everyday design to provide an insight into a world in which we are all active participants. Richly detailed, with stories of politics and innovation, Accessible America offers readers a history of design that is often overlooked- until we need it." --Back cover.
