Access Built CEO Alex Norman shares the tenants of universal design, his journey to achieve inclusive living.
Alex Norman is the founder and CEO of Access Built, a leading agency helping organizations reimagine environments to be more inclusive. As the author of Boundless: Real Stories and Practical Strategies for Inclusive Living, Alex blends powerful life stories with actionable design strategies. A former global advertising and innovation leader, Alex now helps organizations uncover and remove the “friction points” in the built world. His work, rooted in personal experience and collaboration with design leaders, challenges audiences to see accessibility not as compliance but as a catalyst for innovation, inclusion, and human potential.
For more about Alex’s work, visit: accessbuilt.com
For more about host Bea Moise, visit: beatricemoise.com
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BEA MOISE (BM):
Hello and welcome to Exploring Different Brains. I am Bea Moise, and I will be your host today. And I’m so excited. I’m very excited to welcome Alex Norman as my guest, Alex is a lot of things, a lot of great things, a lot of important things, but most importantly, an advocate, which is something that we love here at Different Brains. But he is also an author, CEO and the co founder of Access Built. Alex welcome.
ALEX NORMAN (AN):
Hello. How are you Bea? Hi everybody. I’m very happy to be here.
BM:
Very, very happy to have you. So Alex, we’re going to make this as painless as possible. So why don’t you give us a little intro into yourself? Tell us who you are.
AN:
So thank you for the intro. As you mentioned. Alex Norman, you know the founder and CEO of Access Built. I’m also the co author of “Boundless: real stories and practical strategies for inclusive living”. My work revolves around removing friction in our environments. It’s those small barriers that often go unnoticed that hold people back, and by removing those frictions and barriers, we can start creating spaces and environments where everyone belongs.
BM:
I love that because I love that your mission is where everyone belongs, not just certain people, not just some but all I love, love, love that. So obviously, this is more to you than just a work. This is more than a job. It sounds like a mission. So can you give us a little bit more about the mission and the work of Access Built?
AN:
Yeah, it’s actually quite simple. You know, we help companies reimagine environments so that they’re more inclusive. We use a friction point methodology, which I spend time designing and creating, that helps to identify and remove barriers in buildings and in cities, which help companies, governments and communities move beyond compliance and work towards innovation. Because, you know, we believe that that when you make spaces and environments better for people of all conditions, you make spaces and environments better for everyone. And ultimately, you know that’s, that’s really the goal. And you know, our human right, if you will, to belong.
BM:
I love that. I love that again. I love the space of belonging. I just, I really do, I think that’s a great mission to have. So what led you to this? Like, how did you get here? Like, how, what’s the process? Like, how did, how did you end up being here?
AN:
Yeah, well, it’s, actually, it’s, it’s a very, sort of interesting journey. I’ve always spent my career in advertising, consumer research and understanding human behavior and intent, and doing a lot of research, both qualitative and quantitative, and around the country and around in some cases, around the world, different in different in different countries and cities, and that that created A sense of curiosity for me to understand the human condition more, and also as a leader in human centered design thinking, I’ve also spent a lot of time applying empathy in the human behavior into designing products and services. But when it hit home for me was when my dad was living with Alzheimer’s. The time started to contract the heart condition as well as kidney failure. And so I was living in New York, and my dad and my mother were living in Miami, and his condition, his physical health, was failing. And so I decided to leave advertising and services and spend time with with my parents and helping him out. And is as I was on the ground and in the home, we were dealing with a lot of challenges, and it was realizing that as his condition and his health was declining, the the environment in which he was living, our home was becoming more dangerous and less safe. And when I was reaching out to individuals in the community, like design professionals, architects, contractors, to find a ways that we can make the home more adaptable to his his multifaceted condition, they would come in and then they would offer grab bars and ramps and lower sinks in the bathroom. And I said that was that was missing the point, because of this cognitive as well, as well as physical decline. So I decided to start to do some research and understand, Okay, well, what are some of the ways in which we can design and think about. A space that is personal, that address disability at first, but then it’s really about the condition, because it’s not just disability. It’s about things that are also adaptable and work well for my dad, as well as my mother, who who didn’t have those conditions in, you know, in one house. So that’s where it started, and then we I created a company. Brought a couple of friends who who also had parents who were aging and were aging in place, who wanted to stay at home, and we decided to build a business. And at first we didn’t know really where we’re going, but being in in Florida and southern Florida and Miami in particular, there were a lot of folks, friends of my parents, who were aging, who had the same same challenges. And so we started doing home redesign and and then it grew into my curiosity understanding, okay, there, there’s many conditions that overlap with with, with seniors who are aging at the same time, people who have always been living with disabilities and conditions, and how do we think about more holistically, about how you approach remodeling a home and thinking about space in a way that’s more accommodating? So that’s kind of how it started. And we realized, as I was we didn’t we didn’t know what we didn’t know. And so as we got out in the market, we realized there were more people that were that were dealing with the same issues, just like us, and so we decided we found friends, we found partners, we found collaborators along the way that helped us grow.
BM:
I love that because you literally just talked about turning your pain into purpose, right? Like that is just such a I mean, that’s literally how advocacy gets started. Anyway, it’s usually, you look around and you think, what’s missing, what’s missing from my life, what’s missing from this world, what’s missing from this situation. And typically, it’s because it’s something that you need, it’s something that you want, it’s something that you know you you don’t have there’s I heard somewhere you write the book that you want to read, right? Like, and I really, really, really love that saying, because as someone who’s authored three books, I’m like, Yeah, I’m literally writing what I need, like, basically whatever I’m missing in my life, I’m like, someone got to be missing this too, but it really is for you. So you turn your pain into purpose, and you turn your, you know, your dad’s very personal, very, very personal situation, into there’s more to this, and not just the aspect of the person in need, but the caregiver. I love that as well, because that’s something that is often ignored, that’s right, right? Because we’re also focused on the individual that is in need, and we don’t realize that there’s also someone else who is in need, but less need or a different need, right? Because they need it too.
AN:
Yeah, it’s funny that you mentioned that, because I think that me, I was on a panel not that long ago, actually, in fact, a year ago, during Disability Employment Awareness Month, which is coming up in October, and I was on the panel with a woman who’s a lawyer, and she has on the on the she has neurodivergent condition. And she said, You know, I know what it’s like to be to have autism, but I don’t know what it’s like to care for someone and and so it’s, you know, that’s a whole other segment that needs to have a voice and understanding. Because, of course, if you, if you’re caring for someone with a condition and don’t understand the condition, it, you know, it doesn’t necessarily create a solution, right? It’s not, it’s not, it’s not getting towards prosperity in a lot of ways. So that’s so, I think you’re right. It’s a it’s having a nice balance. And one of the things that, one of the reasons why I wrote the book “Boundless”, was, was, was because of that dynamic. I partnered with Garrett Madison, who has palsy, and you know that it was I was initially struggling, and you know this, it’s part of the forward of the book, and how I felt a little bit of an imposter syndrome is I didn’t have a condition, but I was sort of sitting outside of it. And so how can I engage conditions in a way that’s personal, that shows my story and my observations with someone who was living with with these conditions and dealing with these issues on a day to day basis, and telling stories through that lens was, was really, was really fascinating, and then ultimately giving the reader a way to to act and to do something and change the environment. This was, was kind of the power of the book.
BM:
I love that. And we are definitely going to get into your book because I want to know more. Like I definitely, I want to know more, but I also want to know so what is, you know. Universal Design like that. That is you. That is your thing. Like, what does that mean? You know, we can obviously kind of take apart from it what we think it means. But like, what is that like? What is universal design?
AN:
Yeah, well, so universal design is a very simple concept. It basically says that when you design something that’s a building, a product or a tool, you’re designing it for the widest range of people without any special adaptation. And so it’s not about designing for disability, it’s designing for diversity of the of the macro level, right? So, for example, a sidewalk, a curb cut and a sidewalk wasn’t necessarily designed for a parent with a stroller, but actually helps them. Closed captioning, for example, wasn’t designed for a person watching a sports game at a noisy sports bar, but it helps them. And ultimately, is what I love about, about about Universal Design in practice, is that it’s, you know, sort of creates equity by default, and when, when you design once again, in some cases, for the for the margins, right? Ultimately, you can design for the middle.
BM:
I love that. And an example you just use the closed captions for sports, not sports for me, but closed captions in general as someone who you know, I’m a fast processor, so my brain goes faster than it should. It just but that’s also ADHD. I have ADHDers, but as someone with ADHDers, you know, hyperactivity, fast processing, I find that closed caption makes me tune in more like it gives me the ability to tap into what’s going on, because my brain is literally doing two things. It’s reading, so I get my reading out of the way, and it’s also helping me to pay attention. So you’re right, like, I’m sure the person you know closed caption was not created for auditory processing. ADHDers, right? Like, it wasn’t created for that, but it ends up being such a huge, huge benefit to other individuals who don’t even know that they needed this, like they’re not even aware. Like, oh, wow, I could really benefit from this. So that is fascinating.
AN:
Yeah, you know, it’s what’s interesting. When I learned not that long ago was what I realized long ago was the fact that we, we see faster than we can hear, right? The average human, I mean, I beat up from New Jersey, so I talk fast. We don’t talk very fast. We, we, you know, we, you know, we have a certain period of time where we can actually complete a sentence, right? Yeah, and thus, as a listener, whether or not you have ADHDers just distracted, you’re not necessarily. You may tune out while I’m telling the story, but if you see it written, you can read it, and you can move on. And so your brain can, can, can then do all kinds of great things like, think about your laundry, your whatever you want, and so. So being able to have both options is really a great way to just learn. And I think a lot of you know language companies like Duolingo and other babble really applied that to to improving how people learn new languages and certain things by giving a juxtaposition of voice and and and text.
BM:
I love that. I love that. So let’s get into your book. Because I want to get into it. I want to read it. I want to review it. I want to leave 50 different, you know, comments on it, which you’re not allowed to you can only leave one comment, but that’s okay. Maybe I’ll figure out a way to hack the system. But for those of you out there listening, listen, let’s pick up this book. It’s called ‘Boundless: real stories and practical strategies for inclusive living”. So you list seven principles of design. Now, I don’t want you to tell me all the seven, because people need to get this book. So, feel free to say all seven, but we obviously want to give them a reason to pick up the book. But you know, can you, can you share some of those with us? Can you give us two or three, or, you know, or seven?
AN:
Yeah. I will sort of walk through some of my the, sort of the highlights. I mean, the first, there’s a few that really stand out for me that are really, really powerful. I mean, they’re all, they’re all extraordinary powerful and and, just so, you know, the way the book is written is each chapter is a principle, and it starts with a story about what, what I’ve seen or experienced, and or Garrett has seen experienced that applies in the world, and whether or not that’s in the US or and I traveled. I was in Europe, and I was in Asia and Japan, specifically, what what I experienced that applies to that principle, and my observations around that. And then I go into describing each principles, but, but the first principle is really interesting. It’s called equitable use. And that’s just, it’s really basic, obviously, understanding that that space should work for everybody. You know, that’s a really important point. And things like, and the good example of that in the in the in the world, is automatic doors. Right? It’s like, Okay, go. It opens and everyone enters.
BM:
It’s accessible to all.
AN:
Everyone appreciates an automatic door regardless of who you are. The second is flexibility in use, which is also really fascinating. And what that really means is that the products and services can adapt for different use cases. And a great example of equitable flexible use is a scissor that is both usable by right and left hands. It’s like simple, it’s a simple design. It’s elegant that just works for different use cases and different people with different with different conditions, if you will. The other, the third that I that really is fascinating to me is called simple, intuitive use. And that’s things like making products easy to understand. And a good example of that is, is touch screens at ATMs, right? And so if you know that, you know when you touch, the ATM experience has actually become so easy, and it’s so simple, right? It’s intuitive. You can, you don’t need to ask someone necessarily how to use an ATM machine. It’s pretty it’s pretty self explanatory, and that’s, and that’s really, it’s just, it’s that was a design evolution, right? It wasn’t something that, medically, you know, sort of came to life when, when, when the first ATM was invented, right? So that’s, that’s, those are the three that are, that are really most common, most practical. I think the the fourth principle actually is the fifth principle. Fourth example, one of my, my favorites is, is tolerance for error, and in the end, tolerance forever is really, is really about minimizing harm when mistakes happen, right? It’s, it’s things like a yellow the yellow strip at the edge of a stairway that’s going down, or the edge of a subway platform. Basically, it’s saying that we all make mistakes. I mean, humanity is not infallible. We do. We do make errors. We are distracted sometimes. So you can design for people on the margins, which are people that may have mobility issues, or maybe, just maybe, to have a corrugated, textured strip that illustrates that okay, we’re going, we’re going towards the end of something, or someone who just is not paying attention, whose phone walking towards The edge of a stairwell and then feels that change in texture, and then looks up and recognizes, okay, that something’s about to go down. So it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s designing for, for, you know, for infallibility. And I, what I, what I, what I love about this is that what I use, a quote that I use in the book. It’s basically, design isn’t about perfection. It’s about it’s about absorbing imperfection and and recognizing that we need to that big things can happen and you prevent. How do you prevent the harm from from coming to individuals who face that. So, those are so those. So that’s kind of the the principles. And ultimately, what I love about, about universal design in general, once again, is the fact that it is, it’s a it’s an idea that that that that that all products can work for everyone, and this individual by Bill names, Bill stamp, who was a designer. He, he designed the Aeron chair, and which, which everyone knows about. He’s an earlier, an early pioneer of universal design. And I think I have a quote from him that I’ve been the in the book that I use is that he says that the essence of Universal Design lies in its ability to create beauty and mediate extremes without destroying differences. Is really, really fascinating. And how he approaches and thinks about design and how we should all kind of think about spaces in our environments and and hopefully, you know, do something about.
BM:
Yeah, I love that. I love, I mean, I love everything you just said, but something that you really, really said, that really resonate with me well, is basically not punishing someone for being different, right, or for them or not having what looks like a consequence for just existing, right, like they exist, and now there’s a consequence due to that. And a few years ago, I was in Miami, and something, I noticed we were on the crosswalk, and I thought this was a really wonderful blend of design, because, you know, the crosswalk, it has the two way thing, and then it has a little man walking, and then it has this, do not walk. So visually, it’s very apparent what you need to do. But again, ADHDers, sometimes I don’t pay attention. You know, you kind of push the button and you’re waiting for the crosswalk and to give you the signal. And it kept saying, Do not walk. Do not walk. And I thought I was like, Okay, I guess I’m not walking. I don’t know if this would work in New York, though, but I was just saying, like, because I was just recently in Manhattan, and I’m like, this would work here. But I did love that Miami strategy. Of, it was in South Beach, open. Was it Miami Beach? But anyway, but it was basically saying, Do not walk. And it was like, walk, walk, walk. So it was either. So there was a visual component of, you know, hey, look, don’t do this. Like, stop it. And then there was this auditory input as well, if you’re distracted, if you’re not paying attention. So I do where you won’t feel like it’s a big consequence if you’re not paying attention, and it’s not intentional, right? Like, sometimes we just have different learners, have different ways of absorbing information. So we’re not just referencing, you know, physical, able body person or but also the invisible body, like the invisible disabilities that exist, especially with the neurodivergent crew and group and subset of people. So what part of you know your design elements that can also be helpful for neurodivergent individuals such as myself, with ADHDers and dyslexia. So it’s kind of one of those things where I’m an author who has dyslexia. So thank goodness for spell checker. I mean, really, let’s give this person a round of applause. Um, so you know, like, so what part of your design element that can also be helpful to not just someone like myself, but, you know, our neurodivergent individuals?
AN:
Yeah, so and so you make a good point. And I know that you, you know, you’ve done some work yourself around technology and neuro divergence, and I think, you know, in the digital realm, there’s a lot of different nuances and associated with it. And I focus more on the physical environment, space. And you know, what’s really fascinating as a baseline is it’s people generally don’t think about neurodivergence as a solvable condition in the built environment, right? And so usually the built environment focuses on physical conditions, ramps, bars and those kinds of things, elevators, etc, not necessarily the sensory challenge on, you know, the various spectrum you know, kind of deal with. And so some of the things that we’ve started to take a look at are things like sound attenuations. We just recently partnered with acoustic design firm that really focuses on Spatial Sound and acoustic mapping and spaces and things that I’ve just recently learned and realized that glass doors, you know, that the is the design of of that they’ve been around for a couple of decades Now, where you have open conference rooms or glass conference rooms and doors have you are really challenging for people with sensory conditions and how sound travels and bounces. You could be in the middle of a room and everyone’s in conferences, but you feel like you’re in a hall that is just overwhelming with people talking in various different areas. So these are some things that we started to really explore. And it’s really simple. It just, you know, in some cases it’s simple solutions, right? Adding some sound dampening. It’s others, it’s challenging the conventions of just standard design of like open office spaces, these kinds of. Things. So that’s part one. I think the other pieces is lighting and thinking about, you know, either adding more natural light or addressing some fluorescence in these kinds of things that can, that can create challenges and sort of sensory overload, and not just once again, not not just for people who are neurodivergent, but for everybody. I think we all, we have these hidden issues in fact, that don’t necessarily. We don’t, we don’t realize them until they’re fixed. Right? This better in a space that’s designed, that’s designed better, right? We also see things like colors and shapes that are that are important, so some bit more soothing shapes, rounded corners, edges, and softer colors and palettes that also make relaxed people and in general, it’s like, once again, these are things that are, you know, those on the spectrum, or maybe just have sensitivities that we all share, but at a different degree, that when you solve for, since, again, those that have perhaps on the margins, you can actually solve for for the majority. And then, and then lastly, sort of space variety, you know, when we see being able to have large, maybe open spaces, but also private areas and in sort of quiet rooms, etc. And so ultimately, one of the things that you know, I realized it’s about options, and it’s about creating choice, and so that people can can navigate and reside in or live in spaces and and choose based on their situations at that time, choose ways of being able to make that space work for them. And thus designing space, you need to accommodate all these various use cases and give those options back to the to the inhabitant.
BM:
You literally gave examples of so many different neurodivergent traits and tendencies with you know, lighting is a big one for me. Sensory issues tend to be, you know, I’m not a fan of bright things, which is weird, because I have a very bright personality, and I’m very like loud, but I prefer darkness, and I prefer it to be like, I love a very moody, dark day. I think I should move to Washington State. I’m living in the wrong place. But, you know, that’s a pretty big one. So you touch on, you know, the sensory sensitivity with light, you’ve also touched on sound, which is another big one for neurodivergent population who have sensory overload when it comes to, you know, being it’s hard to take in too much input, so sometimes they kind of need the environment to be muted, not just visually, but auditory wise. They kind of need it to calm down. And another one, and also with that, you touched upon individuals who have color blindness, right? Because sometimes not all of us can see colors. Some of us, you know, I am wearing a yellow shirt to you and I to other someone else, I’m wearing a shirt right? Like, that’s just what it looks like. And I think especially with the light and the sound and the color we touch. On the other end of disability that is unknown, which are, you know, individuals who suffer from migraines, where those three things can make work environment incredibly painful to endure because it’s too loud, it’s too bright and, you know, it’s it’s too much, and this person is not able to function in this space because, again, they’re suffering from a medical condition that we wouldn’t typically think of as an issue, and also with the space that you’re in. So I you literally covered so many different neurodivergent people in this one conversation, just by explaining what you’re doing, what’s going on, how it impacts different individuals. So you know, from spectrum to ADHDers to migraine sufferers to color blindness, you know, like you are definitely thinking of all.
AN:
Thank you for that. I think that, you know, we’re still learning, obviously, you know, one of the things that that came up for me, and it’s another principle, by the way, so I don’t, I don’t want to give all the principles away of the universal design, because it’s in the book, also online too, so you can obviously search for it on the internet, but, but Perceptible Information is one of the other principle, and that’s about, yes, providing signage, signage and illustrations, that there’s that there’s things that are available for people with various conditions. But most importantly, it’s about people that have those conditions to speak up a little bit. You know, I think, you know, sometimes when you have an invisible disability or invisible condition, it’s very easy to to either hide it, and there’s some bias associated with one’s ability to sort of broadcast and communicate that I have a challenge. So there’s, there’s a there’s a little bit of that there too. But it’s is a responsibility of the individual to let people know if they have a challenge, and it’s not the space and their environment is not alone in the responsibility to create prosperity for everybody. It’s also the individual that needs to raise their hand and say, I need some help. And so, you know, in some cases, you know that. You know we need to, we need to work kind of together, you know, in order to improve our reality,
BM:
Alex, what a pleasure speaking with you today. But so many good stuff that you do, you have to come back. We have to have a part two. So where can we find you? We’re going to do a part two. But, you know, how can people get a hold of you and your work? Where are you? How can we find you?
AN:
Thanks for asking me. First of all, thanks for inviting me back. You can find me on the website, accessbuilt.com where you can also book some time with me for free consultation, free a free chat. I’m also available on Amazon, as you mentioned, boundless. Please pick up a copy if you can. In addition, I’m on LinkedIn, so love to be able to get invitations and, you know, meet for coffee. I’m always open to talking about some of these ideas, sharing some insights, also meeting other leaders and advocates in this space, so we can expand the work that we’re doing together. I think as a as a community of advocacy, we can do more and affect more change. So very much. Looking forward to connecting with everybody, online or off in the near future.
BM:
Yay, Alex, it’s been great. Different Brains, family. Stay tuned. We’re going to do a part two, so we will see you guys soon for part two.
