I need 3 Facts from this plz hury i only got 4 mins Due in large part to the remarkable engineering achievements of the 20th century, people are living longer. An average American born in the year 1900 could expect to live about 47 years. One born in the year 2000 could expect 77 years. It is now not uncommon for people to live active lives well into their 90s.

Advances in medicine since 1900 have also allowed more people to survive severe injuries. In fact, the number of WWI veterans who survived injuries that would have killed them just a few decades earlier initiated a global effort to produce better prosthetics that would help them to return to the workforce.

As the number of elderly and disabled people in society increased, it became more obvious that the way buildings and products were designed could create barriers. These prevented some people from getting an education, getting a job, or even being able run simple errands.

The Disability Civil Rights movement began in the late 1960s and eventually led to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This law prohibits discrimination against the disabled and requires the removal of physical barriers that impede access.

While the social movement to improve access for the disabled was going on, something else was happening.

Starting in WWII, the US Veterans Administration and other federal organizations began funding research on rehabilitative engineering. This is the process of using engineering to develop technology specifically designed address problems faced by disabled persons. The resulting “assistive technologies” help people with impaired physical, sensory, or cognitive abilities.

Starting in the 1980s, businesses began to recognize a growing market for these assistive technologies. They also discovered that many of the technologies appealed to consumers who were not technically disabled. In addition, advances in assistive technology led to breakthroughs in other areas.

All of this led to a practice known as universal design. This is the design of products, environments, and services usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without adaptation.

Universal design is about finding solutions that usable by people with different abilities. Instead of looking for a solution that matches the needs of an “average” user, designers look for a solution that works for the widest possible range of users.

Consider a door handle. A knob is just fine for an average person on an average day. But it may be difficult for an elderly person with arthritis or a child with small hands to grasp and turn. It’s also a problem for a healthy teenager carrying several bags at once. A lever handle, however, could work for everyone mentioned.