Curb cut effect

The curb cut effect is the phenomenon of disability-friendly features being used and appreciated by a larger group than the people they were designed for. The phenomenon is named for curb cuts – miniature ramps comprising parts of sidewalk – which were first made for wheelchair access in particular places, but were also welcomed by people pushing strollers, carts or luggage. Curb cuts are now ubiquitous and no longer widely recognized as a disability-accessibility feature.^[1][2] Another example is hearing people using television closed captioning.^[3]

A curb cut

The curb cut effect is a subset of universal design, which is the purposeful design of an environment so that it is accessible to all people regardless of ability or disability.^[4] The curb cut effect differs slightly from universal design as the curb cut phenomenon is often unintentional rather than purposeful, but results in a similar outcome.

Examples

Below are some examples of the curb cut effect.^[5]

• Closed captioning used by hearing people.^[3]
• Game accessibility features in video games used by players with no disabilities.^[6]
• Text-to-speech applications used by people without visual impairment or mutism, whether as an alternative to a human voiceover or for artistic purposes (see Vocaloid).
• Audible pedestrian crossing signals

Implications

The curb cut effect has become a prominent phenomenon as society more widely implements accessible and inclusive environments. Implications of the curb cut effect include an increased awareness around universal design within the general population. The fact that many features originally designed to reduce barriers to people with disabilities have been utilized and enjoyed by people outside of the initial target population has encouraged universal design. Curb cut effects increase economic benefits from including many accessibility accommodations in a business setting.^[7][8] However, this results in subordinating disability accessibility to general benefits, leading to the rejection of individualized design for disabled populations.^[9][1]

See also

• Universal design
• Inclusive design
• Angela Glover Blackwell