Design recommendations to increase inclusivity and accessibility

Contemporary architects and design professionals strive to create welcoming environments that function effectively and meet the needs of all people inhabiting the space.

Two recent publications provide design-specific guidance to increase inclusivity and accessibility. 

PAS 6463:2022 Design for the mind – Neurodiversity and the built environment – Guide (British Standards Institute, 2022) defines neurodiversity as the natural variation in how human brains function across the entire population.  Information detected by the sensory organs is processed in the brain in ways that are unique and dynamic for everyone.  The sensory impact of the built environment has a critical role in universal accessibility. 

The Publicly Available Specification (PAS) provides built environment guidance to help accommodate neurological diversity, mitigating the potential for sensory overload, anxiety or distress.   Key areas covered by the PAS include:

• lighting
• acoustics
• décor
• flooring
• layout
• wayfinding
• familiarity
• clarity
• safety
• thermal comfort
• odour
• preview of an environment
• other sensory design considerations

National Guidance: For best practice in inclusive education for autistic students (Adams et al., 2026) is Australia’s first National Guidance focused specifically on inclusive education for autistic students in mainstream settings.  Autism is one of the diagnoses that come under the umbrella term of neurodivergence. Having a neurodivergent profile means a person works, learns and processes information differently from the societal ‘norm’. 

The publication notes that inclusive physical environments are not specialised accommodations for the few, rather they are foundational conditions that improve access, attention, participation, communication, wellbeing and learning outcomes for all students.  All learning stems from sensory input. The guidance around the physical environment in Section 5 assists the designing and/or adapting of school environments. These adjustments reduce sensory stress, and maximise student comfort, sense of safety, and learning engagement. Together this leads to better outcomes for autistic students. 

These robust guides offer practical recommendations for design of spaces that are flexible and inclusive.  While some information is specific to autism, many recommendations apply to design for neurodiversity more broadly.  By proactively adopting these inclusive design strategies, meaningful benefits can be realised for all individuals using the space.

References

Adams, D., Goodall, E., Carrington, S., Simpson, K., Cayas, A., White, L., Cook, E. J., Saggers, B., Mavropoulou, S., Champion, C., Ambrose, K., Clark, B., Waring, T., & Jessop, R. (2026). National Guidance for best practice in inclusive education for autistic students. Autism CRC. https://www.autismcrc.com.au/best-practice/inclusive-education

British Standards Institute. (2022). PAS 6463:2022 Design for the mind – Neurodiversity and the built environment – Guide. https://www.bsigroup.com

Written By

• Dr Sonja Vanderaa
• Rebecca Davis
• Dr Ceridwen Owen
• Lewina Schrale