HCD Institute · United Arab Emirates
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 UAE law and the Dubai Universal Design Code, and raised to international standards.
2006
Federal Law recognising the rights of people of determination
5
domains audited, from built form to service design
3
certification tiers — statutory to international
7
Principles of Universal Design at the core
Why this practice
Accessibility is the law. Universal design is the ambition.
UAE Federal Law No. 29 of 2006 makes access a right, not a favour, and 'people of determination' is a national commitment, not a slogan. 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 people of determination, so lived experience validates the numbers.
Layered certification
A mark that means something: the statutory floor of UAE law, a universal-design tier verified in use, and an international-standard tier that meets Dubai's 'Accessible UNI' benchmark. 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 HCD Institute's universal-design work.
An independent practice, aligned to the codes
Universal Access UAE is the United Arab Emirates practice of The Institute of Human-Centred Design (HCD Institute), developed to operate in alignment with UAE Federal Law No. 29 of 2006, the National Policy for Empowering People of Determination, the Dubai Universal Design Code and the Abu Dhabi International Accessibility Standards. It is an independent audit and advisory service that complements government programmes such as Dubai Municipality's Wosool certification — not a substitute for statutory approval. A sister practice serves India ↗.
Universal Access · UAE
Universal design and accessibility audit & certification for the UAE's public places, services and digital systems.
Convened by
The Institute of Human-Centred Design
United Arab Emirates practice
Other regions
© 2026 Universal Access UAE — a practice of The Institute of Human-Centred Design. An independent audit and advisory service aligned with UAE Federal Law No. 29 of 2006, the National Policy for Empowering People of Determination, the Dubai Universal Design Code and the Abu Dhabi International Accessibility Standards. It complements government certification programmes such as Dubai Municipality's Wosool; it is not a substitute for statutory approval.