Universal design in housing for people with disabilities: A review

Abstract

Housing standard for disabled people is a new dimension in quality of life. To the disabled people who are housebound, the house is the central focus of their existence. Over the last ten years, more focused studies have been conducted on the relationship between housing and people with disabilities. This paper reveals the needs of universal design in housing for disabled people and policies that can be improved. The main focus is on housing design for people with disabilities that begins with an overview on housing needs concept, theory and model, and followed by the topics on housing crisis for disabled people. These reviews looked at the existing literatures on universal design in residential remodeling including the principles of universal design, housing features, design, space and accessibility. It concludes by providing housing strategy for people with disabilities including disabled rights, information and advocacy from various countries.

Keywords: disabled people, housing, policy, universal design, accessibility, space