ABSTRACT
This chapter explores real-life examples of the application of Universal Design as an engine for constant improvement. The International Association for Universal Design (IAUD) has a membership including leading companies in the fields of automobile and electrical appliance manufacture, along with housing and construction. Panasonic is one of these companies which devote notable efforts to Universal Design. Panasonic analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of each design, and eventually came up with a tilted-drum washing machine that would make it easier for people of any height, from children to the elderly as well as people in wheelchairs, to load and unload clothes. TOTO is another leading Japanese company, in this case devoted to innovations in bathroom equipment. Ferrocarrils de la Generalist de Catalunya (FGC), a state-owned company operated by the Government of Catalunya, to run the railway lines which had recently been transferred to the Generalitat from the private sector.
