The mark
Three tiers of certification.
A single mark, awarded at the level an asset genuinely reaches — from meeting the law, to designing for everyone, to matching the best in Europe. Each tier is verified, time-bound and re-audited; none is permanent, because accessibility is a state you maintain, not a plaque you keep.
Tier I
Compliant
Meets the statutory floor of Indian law across every relevant domain.
Valid 3 years · annual self-declaration
Tier II
Universal
Compliant, and demonstrably usable by everyone — verified in use.
Valid 3 years · mid-term surveillance audit
Tier III · Gold
Design for All
Matches or exceeds European and international standards, with accessibility embedded as organisational process.
Valid 3 years · annual surveillance + re-audit
The public Access Registry
Every certified asset is listed publicly with its tier, domains covered, validity and audit date — so a person can know, before they travel, whether a place will work for them.
The mark of assurance
Certified assets may display the Universal Access mark and tier at their entrance and on their digital properties, linked to their registry record for verification.
Surveillance & renewal
Certification is monitored through its validity period and lapses if standards slip. A complaint of inaccessibility can trigger a review at any time.
Who should certify
Government offices, hospitals and health centres, schools, colleges and universities, courts, transport terminals, banks and consumer-service outlets, tourism and hospitality venues, places of worship, public parks and beaches, cultural and sports venues, and any public-facing website, app or kiosk. For new construction, an audit at design stage is far cheaper than remediation after occupancy — and, under s.44, may be required to occupy at all.
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.