The Community Living Alliance is a facility providing community resources for people with physical disabilities. They recently built a new location for their facility in Madison. The facility’s goal for their new location was to incorporate a universal design strategy to enhance the level of accessibility for people with a variety of impairments and disabilities.

 

Some unique product applications were used to allow ease of navigation for all people with impairments, from mobility or hearing, to vision impairments. Rather than using fabric panels that could be damaged if rubbed against, they used laminate on the panels to be sturdier, while still maintaining an aesthetic appeal. The flooring material is smooth enough to handle wheels and other forms of traffic other than foot traffic, and adjustable workstations allow for flexibility from user to user adapting to the changing heights.

 

Paying close attention to the needs of the users, Henricksen helped the Community Living Alliance to achieve a universal design that is functional, safe, beautiful and encourages independence.