The National Endowment for the Arts is committed to maintaining a leadership role in

the area of universal design.

Universal design is a design process that goes beyond

minimum codes and standards to make spaces comfortably usable by people from

childhood into

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their oldest years.

It is not, as many mistakenly view it, the practice of

meeting minimum access requirements.

The Arts Endowment recognizes design?s ever

present role in everyday life and is committed to encouraging and disseminating the

best in universal design for the benefit of the American public.

The NEA, with its

national perspective and commitment to artistic excellence, is in a unique position to

exercise a leadership role in this area.



The Arts Endowment seeks to enter into a Cooperative Agreement with an organization

that will carry out a project to increase understanding, acceptance, and practice of

universal design within the design profession, by design educators, and by the

American public.

Proposed projects should focus on extending the appeal of universal

design from the disability community into the mainstream of American design and

American society.

The project should educate designers and others including

developers, city planners, and consumers on this important issue.



The Arts Endowment?s support of this Cooperative Agreement can start no sooner than

September 1, 200 9. The period of support may extend for up to two years.