Water and Sanitation : Universal Design Elements

While universal design varies from one place to another, here are some elements to consider:

Water facilities

• Water sources should ideally be located near to households where people with disabilities live. This may mean providing piped water next to the house, or installing a storage jar nearby. A wide, level path may also need to be provided, leading to the facilities, so that someone using a wheelchair or walking with support can have access.
• Access to a tap or pump handle is particularly important. A long pump handle, a ramp or sitting block may need to be provided, to ensure access.
• A means of transporting water, such as jerry cans, should be adapted in such a way as to be convenient for the user.

Sanitation facilities

• Toilets should be constructed with appropriate access facilities. Examples include ramps to reach raised toilets, ways to allow people with disabilities to open, close and lock doors and non-slip floor surfaces.
• Installing raised toilet seats and handrails can provide support to people with disabilities and elders who are unable to use a squat latrine.

Including universal design in agriculture projects is necessary because agricultural projects often include family groups as opposed to only healthy young men. When including women, children, elderly people, and anyone with a disability, the project must be designed in such a way as to permit all of them to participate and make a contribution to the success of the agricultural endeavor. For instance, in all agriculture projects there is a natural division of labor in family groups. The father, grandfather or brothers may do work which specifically requires strength. Women may assume those parts that require dexterity. Children, elderly people, and people with disabilities may assume those parts of the task relevant to their specific abilities or limitations.

Because this division of labor occurs naturally in agriculture, project planners should incorporate universal design concepts that complement it. This is particularly true in a multi-crop farming environment, where tasks are particularly diverse. Considerations in the design of agricultural buildings and the effective use of agricultural tools and equipment are particularly relevant. In the late 1980s, UNDP and ILO were experimenting with the use of light weight agricultural tools made of bamboo and hard plastic so that they can be used by women, children, or elderly people.