Household Goods in UD

Universal design is to support people, including those with disability, to live with self-respect and attain self-realization—in other words, to live a normal life—through the use of tools. People lose their spirits when their dignity is impaired. Using appropriate tools is an effective means to preserving that dignity.

  By giving examples of my designs, I will talk here about the designs of tools that can be used for preserving people’s dignity. Through 40 years of practicing UD, I am convinced that people with disability can raise their quality of life (QOL) by using appropriately designed tools. People also have a desire to perform activities of daily living independently without the support of others. Here, I would like to show how, in the activities of daily living of toileting and eating, the use of appropriate tools can bring out people’s abilities and help them to increase what they can perform and how it can reduce the burden on caregivers.

  As for specific topics, I will present (1) tools assisting in independent urination, (2) tools assisting in independent bowel movement and alleviating lower back pain, (3) toileting tools designed to increase a person’s comfort and reduce the burden on caregivers, (4) robots supporting in independent eating, and (5) stainless cutlery that are easy on people’s mouths and hands, from the perspective of adaptability of tools, evidence of design, design features, and how the tools are actually used.