The Need for Universal Design

So often many of us, including myself, take our basic everyday communication and understanding for granted. I am asked a question and in response I typically nod or shake my head. However, this video called "Why We Need Universal Design" caused me to stop and think, what if I was responding to someone who is blind? I would have to take a second to ensure that I give that person the same quality response as I would for any other person. I think it is truly incredible that a person like Michael Nesmith, who is deaf, can take that disadvantage and turn it into an advantage. He uses his lack of hearing to increase the world's understanding through visual aids on Amazon's homepage. The various elements on Amazon's homepage aimed at helping customers understand has never crossed my mind as a challenge because I am lucky enough to have my sight and my hearing, so I usually read the headline and continue with my shopping. Now that I have watched Michael's Ted Talk, I have gone back to Amazon's homepage to review these different elements and I have found that these headlines accompany descriptive pictures, prices and price cuts, as well as the various categories that these items can be found in. This reminds me again that I, as a future OT practitioner, must take into account all aspects of clients to ensure that they all receive the same quality care and understanding that I can provide.