HCD Institute × IUCDS · India
Where there are only stairs, we build a way for everyone.
Universal Access audits and certifies public places, services and digital systems for accessibility and universal design — measured against India's law and raised to European standards.
21
disabilities recognised under the RPwD Act 2016
5
domains audited, from built form to service design
3
certification tiers — statutory to European
7
Principles of Universal Design at the core
Why this agency
Accessibility is the law. Universal design is the ambition.
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act makes access a right, not a favour. Yet a ramp that meets a rule can still fail the person using it. Universal Access closes that gap — auditing what is built, run and published against a single, layered standard, and certifying only what genuinely works for everyone.
Independent audit
Structured, evidence-based assessment of physical, digital and service assets — combining technical measurement with a co-audit by persons with disabilities, so lived experience validates the numbers.
Layered certification
A mark that means something: the statutory floor of Indian law, a universal-design tier verified in use, and a European-standard tier for the best in India. Time-bound, re-audited, publicly listed.
Capacity & advisory
Certification is a beginning, not a certificate on a wall. Gap reports come with prioritised remediation, and design and training support to get there — the applied arm of the Universal Design programme at IUCDS.
Convened under a shared mandate
Universal Access is a joint initiative of The Institute of Human-Centred Design (HCD Institute) and the Inter University Centre for Disability Studies (IUCDS), Mahatma Gandhi University, developed to operate in alignment with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 and the Accessible India Campaign. It is the implementation and consultancy arm of the Universal Design programme delivered at IUCDS. A sister practice serves the United Arab Emirates ↗.
Universal Access
Universal design and accessibility audit & certification for India's public places, services and digital systems.
Convened by
The Institute of Human-Centred Design
IUCDS, Mahatma Gandhi University
Governance
Aligned with the RPwD Act 2016 and the Accessible India Campaign
Also serving the UAE ↗
dic@hcd.institute
© 2026 Universal Access — a joint initiative of The Institute of Human-Centred Design and the Inter University Centre for Disability Studies, Mahatma Gandhi University. Aligned with the RPwD Act 2016 and European accessibility standards.