Universal Design and accessibility as an act or a state: a comparison of policies in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark

186 countries have ratified The Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) since 2006. Sweden ratified the CRPD in 2008, Denmark in 2009, and Norway in 2013. In the context of the United Nations, the concept of Universal Design (UD) introduced in the CRPD is new. Previously, accessibility was the dominant concept. By ratifying the CRPD, these three countries have agreed to initiate or advocate for research and development aimed at utilising UD when designing goods, services, equipment, and facilities. Additionally, they have committed to encouraging the integration of UD in the formulation of standards and guidelines. As a starting point for a future debate about the research part, this paper studies the uptake of UD in national policy in the three countries. The findings show that the approach in each country differs. Norway quickly developed their own version of UD (that has been critisised by scholars), thus choosing a top-down approach. By contrast, Denmark has been reluctant and is still using the concept of accessibility, waiting for the different sectors to adopt the concept of UD in their own way – as a kind of bottom-up strategy. While Sweden, has chosen another approach between these two strategies focusing on UD as a guiding principle, accessibility, and a third concept: usability. Finally, the paper discusses these approaches in relation to the built environment, using a framework that distinguishes between and act (like a process) and a state (as a result). All three counties are characterised by a dual focus on both act and state in line with the literature; however, the state dominates. The paper argues that we must acknowledge this duality but focus more on the process-related aspect to further develop UD as a human right concept.