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With the number of children decreasing,the number of senior citizens increasing,and advancing internationalization and diversifying values of the people of Shizuoka Prefecture, it is very important to create a society where everyone can live and work more easily and harmoniously.
The key word in achieving such a society is "Universal Design".

Universal Design

Universal design means a design for everyone.Its concept is "designing for everyone's convenience regardless of age, gender, or disability" in the process of creating communities.
The concept of "barrier free" is to remove barriers for disabled people and senior citizens through the use of special facilities and products. The concept of universal design, on the other hand, is to design buildings and products for everyone, including people with disabilities.

Universal Design

• design for all people
• design of products,buildings, communities and environments for as many people as possible
• designs of communities, products,human relationships gentle for everyone,including the elderly and the disabled based on the idea that "everyone is respected as a human being who acts according to one's own will and has a right to live."

Universal design is a simple concept and many of its aspects are already integrated into our everyday life.

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Shizuoka Universal Design

Shizuoka Prefecture has been developing communities which promote the concept of "barrier free" in order to create gentler environments for senior citizens and disabled people. In order to further the progress of universal design so that everyone can act freely and enjoy life in Shizuoka prefecture, the government intends to promote the idea of universal design in all aspects of the prefectural government.
For this purpose, Shizuoka established a Universal Design Promotion Headquarters in April, 1999. Since then, all prefectural government officials have been promoting the concepts of universal design.
It is necessary that municipalities, businesses and the people in Shizuoka prefecture as well as the prefectural government work on universal design cooperatively.

Let's start with what we can do.

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