If you are a young, healthy, able-bodied person of average height, with no chronic conditions, no heavy luggage, and nothing holding you back – then you are probably the very “average person” that most spaces, services, and systems are still designed for today.

But that “average person” never grows old, never breaks a leg, and never pushes a pushchair. They never carry heavy luggage, never become pregnant, and never develop a chronic illness or experience limb loss. 

In accessibility and urban planning, the concept of “people with limited mobility” represents a massive demographic. At any given moment, it includes an estimated 40 to 50 percent of a country's population. This group encompasses parents with pushchairs, pregnant women, older adults, some people with disabilities, and  individuals with temporary injuries or chronic health conditions. It even covers people who are simply exhausted, weighed down, or distracted. Ultimately, Universal Design is about everyone – both those who currently need it and those who will.

Applying the principles of Universal Design must be a prerequisite for creating a barrier-free environment. This means moving away from the notion that accessibility equals “special accommodations for certain people,” and instead ensuring that systems are built with human diversity as the norm.

Today, I might simply be too tired to make a phone call. I don't want to wait on hold or explain my request to a receptionist. Instead, I want to visit a website, quickly find the information I need, and book the service directly through a messaging app.

Or perhaps I am someone who needs a CT scan, but the equipment only supports patients weighing up to 160 kilograms. Or I am a mother who cannot apply for a passport at a public service centre because there is nowhere private to breastfeed a child. 

From public transport and physical spaces to digital tools and public information, everything should be designed so that the maximum number of people can use them without needing special adaptation. 

The best way to understand how this works in practice is through the seven principles of Universal Design. These guidelines ensure that spaces, services, and products are built for everyone:

• Equitable use: A shared, step-free main entrance for everyone, rather than a hidden ramp at the back of a building.
• Flexibility in use: A smartphone-controlled device that works equally well via touch or voice commands.
• Simple and intuitive use: Products and digital interfaces that do not require complicated instructions.
• Perceptible information: Audio announcements on public transport stops that are simultaneously duplicated on digital displays. 
• Tolerance for error: A reassuring “undo” button in an app, or automatic shut-off systems for household appliances.
• Low physical effort: Lever door handles that can be easily pushed open with an elbow when your hands are full.
• Size and space for approach and use: Wide doorways and corridors that comfortably accommodate people with luggage, pushchairs, or wheelchairs.

This goes far beyond architecture or interior design. Universality must exist everywhere: in physical spaces, economic models, digital tools, and public information. It is about the entire user journey from point A to point B. Is the service easy to access? Is the information simple to find? Are there multiple ways to communicate? Is navigation inside the building entirely intuitive?

That is why Universal Design must be integrated into the foundational education of every professional. Architects, designers, healthcare workers, public officials, teachers, digital service developers and communications specialists need to view Universal Design not as an optional footnote on “inclusion,” but as the very baseline for quality services and human-centred environments. It needs to become embedded in professional culture itself.

Driving this shift forward on the ground, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine –financed by international donors– is implementing  the Universal Design School. This educational initiative is tailored specifically for professionals spearheading public spaces, services and broader community recovery.

Originally launched in 2018, the programme was successfully revived from 2024 to 2025. Across three intensive learning cycles, it has brought together about 170 professionals from all over Ukraine – and several projects developed during the course are already being put into practice in local communities.

Building on this momentum, UNDP and the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine launched the Barrier-Free Routes School in 2025. Through this initiative, local authorities design accessible paths connecting key public spaces using safe, convenient infrastructure. Representatives from 37 communities across Ukraine have already taken part in the programme’s first two cycles – in 2025 and 2026.

Because a world without barriers is never about “them.” It is about all of us – at all times of our lives.