Exceptional Universal Design: Designing for People With Exceptionalities

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to find and realize solutions to the lack of inclusion of People with exceptionalities. To create interaction between streetscapes, parks, naturalistic landscapes, and people with exceptionalities. People with exceptionalities include people with a range of disabilities such as blindness, autism, and cerebral palsy. ADA compliance has gone a long way in giving opportunity of access to people with exceptionalities. These collective groups of people may have access to streetscapes, and parks, but the interactions in these spaces are slim to none. People with exceptionalities deserve the opportunity to interact with the surroundings as all other people do. The research of this Thesis study is based on not only case studies, scholarly articles and journals, but also interviewing people with exceptionalities and their acquaintances. This methodology allows the personal perspectives of the people that will use these spaces. The resulting research is defined in the adaptive design of different streetscapes, parks, and naturalistic landscapes. These findings prove as precedent of more inclusive and interactive landscape designs to come.