Universal Design and Accessibility

Going through day to day life as an able-bodied person can easily be seen as less challenging than it might be for, let's say, a person with Cerebral Palsy. Daily activities that we might see as easy, a person with Cerebral Palsy might see as a challenge. For example, walking up the stairs, loading the dishwasher, walking through doorways, opening doors, or simply plugging in the vacuum, can easily be overlooked if you are an able bodied person. But for people who have a disability, these things may come as a challenge. This is where Universal Design and better accessibility come into play. Universal Design uses materials from the environment for the betterment of the majority population. Some examples of current Universal Design materials include automatic doors at grocery stores, automatic faucets and soap dispensers, and shower handles, which are all beneficial to the public, whether a person is able-bodied or has a disability. On the other hand, some accessibility examples include elevators, ramps for entering and exiting buildings/homes, and certain design mechanisms custom built within a person's home. Accessibility is different from Universal Design because accessibility focuses on a smaller population and isn't found in every home or business.
I find that accessibility and Universal Design are especially important because it essential to target the maximum amount of people possible in order to make all locations accessible for every person, no matter their needs.