ABSTRACT
Architecture connotes values by facilitating specific perceptions and behaviors and discouraging others. These values can discriminate, exclude, oppress and shame. This is the case with regard to the “differently-abled,” users who for reasons of developmental or physical status face barriers to the opportunities of the built environment. This is the case for the transgendered and bisexual. Designers have an obligation to accommodate the differently-abled and nonbinary gendered, just as we do to accommodate the full spectrum of neurodiversity. The author provides examples and resources to make the built environment less discriminatory and more inclusive, and shows how this can benefit all of us.
