Definitions
Accommodation refers to adjustments or modifications made to support individuals with specific needs, often after those needs become apparent.
Universal design, on the other hand, is the proactive creation of environments and products that are accessible to all people from the outset. What is the difference between accommodation and universal design?
They are both contextually aware of people’s needs. One is proactive while the other is reactive. Proactive example, a non-step entrance to a building.
Reactive is a temporary ramp to accommodate those who need it. I put ‘need’ in quotes because that building design can be used by everyone.
And people like working smarter, not harder, in other contexts. Historical protests of discrimination are not always at the forefront of those focusing on universal design. An example of an accommodation that has now been used universally is having subtitles on.
Photo by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash
“The new status quo of ‘subtitles on’ among the young reflects both a value shift and cultural conditioning as a result of big tech’s ever-encroaching impact on our entertainment experience.”
Subtitles have been normalised as a result of our technology-infused lifestyle, rather than being something we have actively sought out or freely adopted. (Brooks, Guardian)
Design For Community
The problem is that the world is frequently described as having a difference between the world and individual worlds. Finding that place where you belong is important, and it is often in college.
Gallaudet University is a place for many who are Deaf. In the documentary film Deaf President Now, it is said that Gallaudet University is a Mecca to which people from all walks of life come.
The university is designed to be universally accessible to the Deaf community. And being in a place where you can be authentic is important for anyone, regardless of identity.
Generational Differences
“To other people, I was instantly an innocent angel, but my parents were like, no.”
-Jerry Covell
There are standards and sometimes pressure to perform well in education to obtain a good job. Jerry Covell and Tim Ruas both have another Deaf person in their lives who has molded or told them this is how you act in a hearing world. Jerry’s father said,
“Lots of people went there because of him. The lab technicians were like a deaf person? It’s embarrassing to have a deaf person working for us. So they put him in the basement. And that’s where he looked.
He was never allowed to sit upstairs. Was he a brittle-deaf person whom people were used to back then? They just took it. I’m not.”
And Tim with his grandfather: “If we were signing in public, he didn’t like it. He would tell me to sign in an 18in box. Ok, let me try and slowly sign bigger. ‘It’s very important you fit in.’ That was like a death wish.”
Cultural Expierences
Zinser, who was appointed president of Gallaudet University, stated that Deaf people cannot function in a hearing world. This phrasing was rebutted by Zinsser, who noted that a helicopter was overhead and that rioting students were present, and that she was obviously speaking through an interpreter.
The problems she describes would not be a problem if she knew ASL, because the noise is a manifestation of the communication barrier, and the lack of change, whether the crowd was quiet or not, would be for her sake.
“Hearing people consume media for hearing people and do not seek out Deaf films intentionally unless they have had experiences, in some way, with the Deaf Community.
Yet most Deaf films suffer from inaccessibility; popular streaming platforms such as Netflix and Hulu often fail to recognize them and make them accessible to the general hearing audience.
For example, the movie SuperDeafy (2013) is hugely popular in the Deaf Community, yet the movie is incredibly hard to find. Streaming platforms Amazon Video and Vudu have the title listed, if specifically searched for, but neither place actually provides access to the film.”(Hamilton & Egbert, 2024, p. 4)
Back in the silent film era, Deaf actors. In this short period, the hopes that the Deaf could be represented in mainstream media seemed plausible for the first time in American history.
However, this golden era of inclusivity was short-lived, as all technological advances are sure to be followed by another bigger, better invention with shorter intervals between innovations.” (Hamilton & Egbert, 2024, p. 4)
Photo by Marten Bjork on Unsplash
The rise in internet algorithms serving a curated “for you” page contributes to this problem. The lack of understanding of ASL’s cultural significance and independence from English is a criticism that must be acknowledged when discussing popular representation in programs like Switched at Birth.
Mainstream representation is an entry point for anyone to see people exist outside of themselves, and evolving media can make anything seem brand-new to all generations, revealing communities people hadn’t considered existed.
The disability rights movement has focused on establishing laws for people with disabilities. The Gallaudet University protest highlights how advocacy approaches differ, with the hearing world often determining what the Deaf Community can manage.
Navigating between culture and mainstream expectations creates additional conflict. To address these challenges, people “whose words fly from their hands” are needed. And it is sometimes necessary for a different person to be reserved and speak diplomatically to those in power, but passion is also essential to ensure your world is recognized.
References
Brooks, I. (2025, September 27). Most of Gen Z watch TV with the subtitles on – and I understand why. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/27/gen-z-watch-tv-subtitles-i-understand-why
DiMarco, N., & Guggenheim, D. (Directors). (2025). Deaf President Now [Documentary]. Apple TV.
Hamilton, K. M., & Egbert, L. (2024). The misrepresentation of American sign language and Deaf culture in mainstream film media: A call for inclusive representation. Global Insight, 4, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.32855/globalinsight.2024.001