This guide is a rich resource of ideas which development practitioners can consider when applying universal design. The aim is to support Australia's aid program so it minimises barriers and becomes more accessible.

This guide includes a definition of universal design, and how it works into the Aid Management Cycle. It covers a range of topics including health, education, transport and rural development. It also provides detail on sectors of the aid program requiring universal guidelines. More about the guide.

Design guide

Accessibility Design Guide: Universal design principles for Australia's aid program [PDF 1mb]
Accessibility Design Guide: Universal design principles for Australia's aid program [Word 4mb]

Brochure

Brochure: Accessibility Design Guide: Universal design principles for Australia's aid program [PDF 199kb]
Brochure: Accessibility Design Guide: Universal design principles for Australia's aid program [Word 133kb]

About these guidelines

'Accessibility Design Guide: Universal design principles for Australia's aid program' provides guidance on enabling people with disability to participate equally in social and economic life through the design and implementation of development initiatives.

This guide is a rich resource of ideas which development practitioners can consider when applying universal design. The aim is to support Australia's aid program so it minimises barriers and becomes more accessible to people with disability and other groups, including the elderly, pregnant women, children and people with a temporary illness or injury.

While based on good practice and successful implementation of universal design internationally, this guide is not meant to be prescriptive. It is based on the reality that the barriers people with disability face vary between developing countries and between locations in-country. It is also based on the reality that each development project is unique and faces its own challenges, locally or otherwise, that may prevent it from applying all universal design principles to the letter.

This Accessibility Design Guide supports Australia's own commitment to people with disability and supports its international obligations. It has been developed to support the many players involved in designing, appraising, implementing, monitoring or otherwise managing Australian aid activities funded through the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

This includes:

• AusAID activity managers
• contractors
• non-government organisations, including Disabled People's Organisations
• development partners, including partner governments.

It may also be of relevance to other donors and international aid organisations.

This guide is divided into two parts:

• Part A discusses the importance of including people with disability in Australia's aid program and how doing so supports Australian and international commitments. It also provides context for how disability inclusion is integral to sustainable development.
• Part B contains annexes providing practical guidance to consider across a range of sectors in which Australia's aid program is involved. It includes checklists, diagrams and examples to help practitioners integrate universal design principles into different thematic areas.