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Universal Design in Diabetes Care

An Idea Whose Time Has Come

From the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.

Correspondence to Ann S. Williams, PhD, RN, CDE, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106 (asw13{at}cwru.edu).

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to introduce diabetes educators to the emerging concept of universal design (UD): the design of products, environments, and services to be used by persons with a wide range of abilities, without needing adaptation or specialized design.

Method

Drawing from the use of the term universal design in a variety of types of writing, this article covers the definition of UD, the contrast of average-person design with UD, principles of UD, and implications for diabetes self-management education (DSME).

Summary

Implications for DSME are (1) diabetes consumer medical devices (such as blood glucose meters and insulin pumps) can be designed using UD principles, with a goal of successful use by the largest number of persons possible, and (2) diabetes educators can use UD principles in the design of diabetes education programs to reach the largest number of learners possible without the need for special accommodations.

Conclusions

Adoption of UD principles by designers of diabetes medical devices could benefit persons with disabilities, increase the potential market for the manufacturer, and have unexpected benefits for people of average abilities. Adoption of UD principles for DSME programs would not require a paradigm change because diabetes educators already do many activities that could contribute to UD of an education program. By replacing average-person design of DSME programs with UD, diabetes educators can promote full participation in DSME for individuals with the wide range of abilities normally present in target populations without the need for added adaptations or specialized design.

The Diabetes Educator, Vol. 35, No. 1, 45-57 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0145721708329700


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