Centre for Universal Design Australia

The Centre for Universal Design Australia (CUDA) is platform for sharing knowledge and information about universal design. CUDA brings together practical tools, research, case studies and resources in one place to support inclusion and accessibility. Whether you are interested in design, the built environment, education, communications, engagement or something else entirely we hope you will find information and resources here to help you build a world more accessible and inclusive of everyone.

CUDA's history

CUDA has been at the forefront of universal design in Australia since 2015, contributing to a growing global movement focused on making the world more accessible and inclusive. For the past decade, CUDA has consistently advocated that universal design is not a one-off project or checklist, but a way of thinking about design that can be applied anywhere and everywhere — not just to the built environment. After operating as a stand-alone centre since its early days, in 2025 CUDA moved to the University of Melbourne to continue its valuable work.

View the former Centre for Universal Design website and its resources here.

CUDA and the Melbourne Disability Institute

Now housed within the Melbourne Disability Institute (MDI) at the University of Melbourne, CUDA has begun a new chapter in its proud history. MDI is continuing CUDA’s respected and valued work by providing trusted information and resources on universal design to academia, government, business, and the broader community.

What’s next

CUDA is being re-energised as the premier platform for sharing universal design knowledge, resources, and expertise. A new website is currently being developed to better support this vision. While the website is being developed you can still access all CUDA’s previous information and resources. In the meantime, we invite you to stay connected through the CUDA newsletter, which will continue to share updates, resources, research, and insights on universal design.

View the former Centre for Universal Design website and its resources here

Subscribe to receive the CUDA newsletter

Find out more about Universal Design

Universal design means designing things so they work for everyone, right from the start. Thinking about the needs of everyone when designing everyday spaces, products or information is one way we can help build a fairer, more accessible and inclusive world.
Universal design may have begun with a focus on disability and the physical environment. But it has quickly grown into a movement looking at ways we can include everyone in the community.
Universal design is sometimes known by different names such as design for all or human centred design or user-centred design.
Whatever the name all these approaches share the same goal: inclusion. They also share the same approach – making sure the end users of space or products are involved in design right from the beginning.
Find out more about universal design here.
The thinking behind universal design can be traced back to movements in the 1960s which focused on removing barriers in the physical environment for people with disability.
But everyone soon realised that design focused on accessibility had benefits for lots of people in the community. That’s when the term “universal” was born.
Today universal design is widely used across design, education, communication and policy to support inclusion for all people.
Read more about the history of universal design.
The universal design principles are seven guidelines developed in the mid-1990s by a group of architects, product designers and engineers. This group was led by Ron Mace, who is sometimes called the “father of universal design”.
The principles were first created to guide building design. But lots of people now use them as a helpful starting point for thinking about inclusion more broadly.
The seven principles are:
- equitable use
- flexibility in use
- simple and intuitive use
- clear information
- tolerance for error
- low physical effort
- appropriate size and space
Today, universal design is understood as an inclusive way of thinking. With the right approach, the principles can apply to buildings, open spaces, services, products, apps, websites, documents and much much more.
The Melbourne Disability Institute (MDI) is a regular contributor to public policy development in areas that impact people with disability and their families.
CUDA will make an important contribution to this work. Updates and resources will be available here shortly.

CUDA News

The Centre for Universal Design Australia (CUDA) newsletter shares the latest news, insights, and research on inclusive design. Delivered monthly, it highlights projects, events, resources, and opportunities to connect with the inclusive design community.

A new report from Professor Alysia Blackham at Melbourne Law School explores a simple but powerful idea: what if workplaces took a universal approach to equality, recognising that all workers have different needs.

The Australian Government, in partnership with state and territory governments, is progressing important reforms to modernise the National Construction Code (NCC). Our response sets out practical recommendations to ensure accessibility is embedded at its core.

As Australia transitions to the Support at Home program, more care is being delivered in people's homes than ever before. This shift raises an important question for universal design: what happens when the home becomes a place of care and work?

Email: cuda-mdi@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 9035 6416

Centre for Universal Design Australia