Universal design: Creating inclusive environments

Steinfeld and Maisel present universal design as a performance-based approach to creating environments that support diverse populations. The book integrates research, standards, case studies and practical criteria across mobility, perception, cognition and use. Its EDI contribution is to connect accessibility with usability, social participation and quality of experience rather than treating code compliance as the endpoint. This matters because minimum standards often address only selected barriers and may not reflect the diversity of bodies, ages and contexts encountered in everyday life. The book offers designers and decision-makers a structured evidence base for inclusive environments. It is especially valuable when paired with critical perspectives that examine whose needs and values shape the definition of universal performance.