Abstract

In “Justice and Nature,” Thomas Nagel rejects the idea that social equality requires the universal design of urban environments to accommodate people with disabilities. Universal design is a movement in architecture and other arenas to minimize the need to provide individual accommodations for people with disabilities by designing environments that are accessible to a wide range of individuals. I advance that Nagel inappropriately categorizes universal design as a matter of humanitarianism or charity. I argue that for people with disabilities to receive equal access to a city, universal design must be a central consideration in urban policy and construction. I also suggest that assistive technologies, devices that intentionally or unintentionally help people with disabilities access the same opportunities that the able-bodied have, is critical to the realization of universal design. These technologies are critical to facilitating responsible design, and relational autonomy for people with disabilities.