Role of Design Education in Development of National Universal Design

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to conduct a systematic study of the current state of universal design in Ukraine and to determine the role of design educational centres in its formation. The research methodology is based on the comparative method, which allowed revealing and analysing certain stages of the formation of national universal design and determine the role of design education in these processes. Scientific novelty. For the first time, a comparative analysis of practical developments in the field of universal design was conducted by representatives of the national design educational space and colleagues from one of the European Union countries, namely Poland. As one of the factors that may affect the process of accelerating the implementation of the strategic principles of universal design in Ukraine, the inclusion caused by the war was considered. Conclusions. Understanding the challenges faced by modern domestic design in general and the formation of universal design in the face of recent challenges gives reason for optimism, since, as shown in the study, design education centres in the country often refer to the topic of universal design in their projects. Accordingly, in the context of modern challenges, the process of establishing universal design as an important component of social processes is based on a solid foundation. Although at a certain stage the issues of student projects related to inclusion do not always comply with the principles of universal design, this does not diminish the relevance and social significance of such works. It is important that the development of universal design creates motivational factors for both practicing designers and future designers, and then such work will have the potential to create added value and jobs in the production sector. In addition, the inclusion caused by the war gives impetus to educational design centres to be more actively involved in solving the problems of rebuilding the country in all aspects of society. The experience of our European colleagues and familiarity with their developments in the field of universal design can be useful here.

Key words: design, universal design, inclusion, design-education.