Universal Design in Automobiles

Simulators are used for many different purposes, among them physical rehabilitation and the training of differently abled learner-drivers. In South Africa, however, the extent of the latter type of simulators is limited to paraplegic learner-drivers only. The reason is that locally sourcing the necessary equipment to adapt commercial simulators for the training of differently abled learner-drivers presents a problem. The concept of Universal Design stipulates that as many individuals as possible should be able to use a particular product. Consequently, a simulator for differently abled learnerdrivers should accommodate as many such persons as possible. However, applying Universal Design in the area of design researched for the present dissertation adds further complexity due to the unique nature of the physical limitations experienced by individuals. A differently abled driver puts an extreme constraint on the design of a product - and becomes a limiting user.