(nccs) in almost all eu countries and more than 160 network members in national networks. eidd - design for all europe is a ngo and a 100% self-financed european organization that covers the entire area of theory and practice of design for all, from the built environment and tangible products to communication, service and system design. originally set up in 1993 as the european institute for design and disability (eidd), to enhance the quality of life through design for all, it changed its name in 2006 to bring it into line with its core business. eidd - design for all europe disseminates the application of design for all to business and administration communities previously unaware of its benefits and currently (2016) has 31 member organizations in 20 european countries. eucan - the european concept for accessibility network started in 1984 as an open network of experts and advocates from all over europe in order to promote and support the design for all approach. the coordination work of eucan and the functioning of the network are mainly voluntary work. in 1999 the luxembourg disability information and meeting centre (better known by its acronym “info-handicap”) took over the coordination of the steering group, together with the implicit responsibility for the follow-up of the european concept for accessibility (eca). the eucan publications - like eca - aim to provide practical guidance. they are neither academic nor policy documents. the "barrier-free" concept barrier-free (バリアフリー, bariafurii) building modification consists of modifying buildings or facilities so that they can be used by people who are disabled or have physical impairments. the term is used primarily in japan and non-english speaking countries (e.g. german: barrierefreiheit; finnish: esteettömyys), while in english-speaking countries, terms such as "accessibility" and "handicapped accessible" dominate in regular everyday use. an example of barrier-free design would be installing a ramp for wheelchairs alongside or in place of steps. in late 1990s any element which could make the use of the environment inconvenient was considered a barrier, for example poor public street lighting. in the case of new buildings, however, the idea of barrier free modification has largely been superseded by the concept of universal design, which seeks to design things from the outset to support easy access. freeing a building of barriers means: recognizing the features that could form barriers for some people thinking inclusively about the whole range of impairments reviewing everything - from structure to smallest detail seeking feedback from users and learning from mistakes barrier-free is also a term that applies to handicap accessibility in situations where legal codes such as the americans with disabilities act of 1990 guidelines. the ada is a law focusing on all building aspects, products and design that is based on the concept of respecting human rights. it doesn't contain design specifications directly. an example of a country that has sought to implement barrier-free accessibility in housing estates is singapore. within five years, all public housing estates in the country, all 7,800 blocks of apartments, have benefited from the program. national legislation chile - ley nº 20.422, "establece normas sobre igualdad de oportunidades e inclusión social de personas con discapacidad." u.s. - americans with disabilities act of 1990 and section 508 amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973 italy - legge n. 13/1989; d.m. n. 236/1989; legge n. 104/1992; d.p.r. n. 503/1996; d.p.r. n. 380/2001 (artt. 77–82) australia - disability discrimination act 1992 india - persons with disabilities (equal opportunities, protection of rights & full participation) act, 1995 united kingdom - disability discrimination act 1995, disability discrimination act 2005 and equality act 2010 ireland - disability act 2005 france - loi n°2005-102 du 11 février 2005 pour l'égalité des droits et des chances, la participation et la citoyenneté des personnes handicapées (act n°2005-102 of 11 february 2005 for equality of rights and of opportunities, for participation and for citizenship of people with disabilities) south korea - prohibition of discrimination against persons with disabilities, 2008 norway discrimination and accessibility act of 2009 - vietnam - national law on persons with disability, enacted 17 june 2010. canada - accessible canada act, enacted 11 july 2019. laws and policies related to accessibility or universal design ontario, canada "accessibility for ontarians with disabilities act, 2005". 15 december 2009. archived from the original on 14 april 2021. retrieved 26 july 2013. united states of america. "universal design and accessibility". section508.gov. general services administration. march 2022. archived from the original on 29 june 2022. retrieved 30 june 2022. funding agencies the rehabilitation engineering research center (rerc) on universal design in the built environment funded by what is now the national institute on disability, independent living, and rehabilitation research completed its activities on september 29, 2021. twenty rercs are currently funded. the center for inclusive design and environmental access at the university at buffalo is a current recipient. bibliography vega, eugenio (2022). crónica del siglo de la peste : pandemias, discapacidad y diseño (in spanish). getafe, madrid: experimenta. isbn 978-84-18049-73-6. oclc 1298550791. williamson, bess (2020). accessible america : a history of disability and design. new york. isbn 978-1-4798-0249-4. oclc 1126545082.