After Luis Quintana, the founder of Todo Accesible, was severely paralyzed in a car accident in 2005, he went through an arduous rehabilitation, only to make a devastating discovery: His country, Mexico, wasn’t quite ready for him.

“I started wanting to go back to what was my life, trying to get a job and everything,” he says. “Then I started noticing all the different barriers that existed in Mexico that prevented people with a disability from getting around.”

Quintana, who has a degree in business administration, ended up losing his previous job when his multinational employer couldn’t accommodate his wheelchair. The experience could have been a shattering one, but instead Quintana found another path: He began to work toward dismantling the barriers for people living with disabilities in Mexico.

“I’m a business administrator by choice, and an architect by fortune,” he jokes now.

In 2011, Quintana assembled a team of experts, many of them people living with disabilities, and formed Todo Accesible (“accessible for everyone” in English). The Mexico City-based organization includes architects and designers who assess physical spaces and advocates who provide sensitivity training workshops with the overarching goal of creating a culture of inclusivity in Mexico.

“We apply something called universal design,” Quintana says. “That means our projects not only benefit people that live with a disability, but also everyone else, including families with strollers, senior citizens with walkers, people of short stature and others.”

Because Quintana views inclusiveness as an integral part of sustainability, Todo Accesible has a partnership with the global commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield. Quintana, working with the company’s sustainability services director, Africa Rubio, has developed a label in Mexico called “Distintivo A,” which distinguishes accessible building projects from nonaccessible ones.

Both companies have been working closely with the U.S. Green Building Council to develop LEED pilot credits for different aspects of accessibility, including the newest Inclusive Design pilot credits, for which achievement of the “Distintivo A” label can serve as an alternative compliance path.

There are fewer accessible buildings in Mexico than there are in the United States, and in fact, their construction has only started to take off in Mexico within the past four years, Quintana says.

Part of that has to do with the culture in Mexico and a lack of education about people living with disabilities. Quintana says that it was only as he began experiencing the world as a person with a disability himself that he began to realize that the accessibility challenges in Mexico go far beyond whether or not there is a ramp at a building entrance.

In 2015, the Mexican government stated that over 7 million people with a permanent disability live in Mexico City, but only a handful of the city’s 195 metro stations are fully equipped to accommodate those with disabilities, Quintana says.

Conditions such as these prevent people living with disabilities from participating in any meaningful sense in the social and cultural life of Mexico, he says. Largely unnoticed by the able-bodied population, people with disabilities are an afterthought in many construction projects.

“In the past, many project developers would take the attitude of looking for how accessibility would benefit them—you know, why am I going to do this if I never see people with disabilities out in the street?” Quintana says. “So Mexico was behind, and it had to do with cultural background. People were not building inclusively because they weren’t seeing the population it served.”

Rubio agreed that Mexico has not evolved its accessibility codes, nor developed its accessible spaces, as much as some other countries. “Definitely, we’re behind,” she says. “Just starting with the accessibility regulations, we’re behind. There’s a lot of gray area. I think the cultural barrier to accessibility is stronger here.”

Thus, Todo Accesible’s services run the gamut from building assessments and wayfinding to sensitivity training workshops to educate people about those living with disabilities, as well as digital accessibility options through a tab on their website and apps.

“We’re trying to create inclusive spaces, yes,” Rubio says. “But we’re also trying to do things like encourage companies to hire people with disabilities in any position—not just, for example, in call centers or as receptionists. We’re trying to educate all employees, even the directors, that people with disabilities can be just as good at their jobs, or even better than other employees.”

Left: Africa Rubio is Cushman & Wakefield’s sustainability services director. Right: Todo Accesible has a partnership with Cushman & Wakefield and has developed a label in Mexico called Distintivo A, which distinguishes accessible building projects from nonaccessible ones.

Cushman Wakefield — Left: Africa Rubio is Cushman & Wakefield’s sustainability services director. Right: Todo Accesible has a partnership with Cushman & Wakefield and has developed a label in Mexico called Distintivo A, which distinguishes accessible building projects from nonaccessible ones.

A thoroughfare between Calle del Roble and Avenida Richardo Margain.

Rubio sees Mexico’s relative slowness to adopt accessible design as an opportunity. Developers in countries with more stringent accessibility codes, such as the United States and Canada, may believe their buildings are equitable by simply complying with regulations, she says.

“They think that with the regulations, they’re all set, but it’s not really enough,” Rubio says. “Here in Mexico, we’re more conscious that we need the creative solutions that come out of these assessments and a holistic approach for true accessibility.”

She gives the example of visiting a hotel on a business trip with Quintana, where there were several accessible rooms, but they all happened to be occupied by people without a disability. The whole theory behind universal design is creating spaces that work for the entire population by seamlessly integrating accessible features. That way, people with disabilities aren’t relegated to certain spaces or entrances, she says.

“So, it’s not enough that the hotel complies with the regulations, and they have five, or however many, accessible rooms,” Rubio says. “It should be designed so all the rooms and all the spaces can be used by any person, even if they have a disability.”

A thoroughfare between Calle del Roble and Avenida Richardo Margain had sidewalks cut to create a flat surface for a wheelchair.

In another example, the developer of a residential project called Sílica II in Monterrey approached Todo Accesible with a proposal to set aside 10 stories in one 20-story tower for accessible apartments. “We told him the whole building needs to be accessible, because otherwise, if I invest in an apartment there, maybe I wouldn’t be able to invite my friend in a wheelchair over,” Rubio says. “Or if I become older or I have a disability in the future, I can’t use the apartment any more.”

Rubio convinced the developer to design the two towers in Sílica II to be accessible for everyone, incorporating features such as wider doors, accessible counter heights, signage in Braille, talking elevators, and visual and audible alarm systems. But there were other challenges: The developer didn’t want any grab bars in the bathrooms.

“We had to find creative solutions,” Quintana says. “We designed every apartment with more than the local accessibility codes stipulated, so if I’m visiting Africa, I can get around her apartment completely, and I can even help her wash the dishes. And if I buy an apartment there, the only thing I have to do to make it completely accessible is add a grab bar in the bathroom.”

Rubio notes inclusive design can be integrated harmoniously into a building and doesn’t have to stick out. “Sometimes our clients say, ‘It’s going to look a little bit like a hospital, with all those grab bars and signage on the floor’—but we show them pictures of our projects, and you don’t even notice the strategies that we implement.”

Sílica II includes a relief area for service animals, along with an accessible swimming pool with a crane to assist swimmers. Even outdoor common areas are thoughtfully designed, with different-sized water fountains, niches for wheelchairs and comfortable benches with sciatic support and no arm rests, to make them easily accessible to those in wheelchairs.

Quintana says that cost is rarely an obstacle when it comes to building accessible spaces. “When we talk about projects with the clients, they’re always eager to bring accessibility in,” he said. “They see it’s not going to make any difference regarding cost, because if it’s a new building, accessibility doesn’t involve any extra costs. And in Mexico, if you’re going to remodel a building, everything that has to do with accessibility is 100% tax-deductible.”

Todo Accesible has its offices in the Cushman & Wakefield building in Mexico City, which achieved the “Distintivo A” recognition, though it didn’t include accessibility features until relatively late in the design process.

“They said, ‘We want you to make this accessible, but you can’t move a lot of things,’” Quintana says. “So we did many new strategies here that you can’t even see.”

Sliding glass doors can be opened by pushing buttons that are low enough for anyone to reach. Carpets with piles of different heights and in different colors provide cues for the visually impaired. The microwaves all have Braille, and the cafeteria has one large table for dining that is accessible by anyone. “There’s no, ‘Luis, you go to this corner, because that’s where the table is accessible,’” Quintana says. “I can eat anywhere.”

While there are five projects in Mexico that will receive the “Distintivo A” designation this year, there are only three projects so far that have set their sights on obtaining the newer LEED pilot credit, Quintana says.

One of these is Via Magna in Mexico City, which is close to achieving the “Distintivo A” label and the LEED pilot credit for Core and Shell for office buildings, Quintana says. Features of the building include a universal entrance with ramp for everyone, accessible bathrooms with visual alarms, color contrast on stairs, double-height handrails, talking elevators and floor plan maps with Braille.

One feature is especially meaningful for Quintana, who was once left behind in a building during an earthquake when everyone else evacuated. Via Magna will have areas for a wheelchair to be set up in the emergency staircase.

“It was a long time ago, and we laugh about it now,” Quintana says. “The building owners were emphasizing the accessibility of their building, which was based on the codes, but the people themselves weren’t ready to help people with disabilities, so it didn’t really matter.”

Buildings aren’t the only spaces that Todo Accesible helps create or modify using the strategies of universal design. One successful project was the intersection of two thoroughfares, the Calle del Roble and the Avenida Ricardo Margain, in Monterrey. Todo Accesible’s team proposed cuts for the sidewalks so that they could run flat alongside the streets, which are hilly. “Someone in a wheelchair or a walker with wheels [now] has an easy, level way—even though the cars are going up and down,” Rubio says.

Todo Accesible also suggested the use of aromatic plantings, specifically rosemary, to alert people who are visually impaired that they’re approaching an intersection. Combined with other accessible elements, such as visual, tactile and audible signaling, everyone can cross the street safely and independently. In a twist, designers noticed that the plantings also alert sighted pedestrians distracted by their cell phones, who look up for the source of the powerful odor, Rubio says.

“We try with all these strategies to catch all the senses of the people, whether they’re more aural or visual,” she said.

The intersection has auditory signals that chirp at different rates to cue pedestrians about changes in traffic patterns. Bus stops along the thoroughfares have benches for sciatic support and extended roofs to protect those in wheelchairs from the elements. The bus stops are raised for easy access to buses. Light poles have two fixtures, one higher for the street and one lower for the path, so pathways are brightly lighted.

Besides streets and intersections, Todo Accesible has also tackled designing other spaces to be universally accessible, Rubio says. “The challenging thing about this job that makes us so passionate is that, actually, everything has to be accessible, not only workplaces and commercial places, but every place you use, even the one you don’t have in mind,” she says.

Innovations have included a children’s swing, designed by Todo Accesible to maneuver an entire wheelchair with its young occupant securely in place, now installed in a Mexico children’s facility. Todo Accesible is currently working on designing a theme park, similar to Disney World but smaller, so that kids with different illnesses and disabilities can visit, swim, play and enjoy themselves with their families. If a project can be planned, designed and built, it must be accessible, Quintana says.

Todo Accesible also used universal design principles to make a professional diving boat, the SunRider in La Paz, fully accessible to divers of all abilities.

“We have a crane to go in and out of the water, and we have a larger bathroom for access,” Quintana says. “When the boat pulls up to the dock, I can go right onto it without having to have someone carry me, and there’s a place where the wheelchairs are secured, so they’re not moving all over the boat.”

Now, Quintana is working on designing a wetsuit for people with disabilities that is easier to don—and easier to doff to take a bathroom break. True to the principles of universal design, the wetsuit may end up being a hit with anyone who dives. “It’s wonderful to work in this area, because there’s always something new you can be doing,” Quintana says.

Going from accessibility to inclusive design

A new pilot credit for residential inclusive design, along with one for commercial design from 2019, arose in part from the experiences of Kristen McCosh as the disability commissioner and ADA Title II coordinator for the City of Boston.

Patricia Mendez is the current director of architectural access for the City of Boston.

When McCosh, whose background is in public health and advocacy, was first appointed to her position a decade ago, she quickly learned that disability access was often relegated to a footnote in many project proposals.

“I would read these 200- or 300-page documents that had details from the type of flowers being planted to the type of marketing being done,” she says. “But I wouldn’t find any information on accessibility, other than maybe an asterisk saying, ‘Will meet all ADA and MAAB regulations.’”

MAAB is the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board, the agency that oversees the state building code and has stricter accessibility standards than the federal government in some areas. McCosh found so few details about accessibility in the documents she received that she convinced the city to hire an architect to assist her in 2011. They soon realized that discussions about accessibility didn’t start until the design process was well advanced, making inclusive design almost an afterthought.

“I wanted to see specifics in these plans to judge whether they were equitable or not for people with disabilities,” McCosh says. “I was like, ‘Let’s take a step back and see if I could get involved earlier in the process.’”

McCosh’s team devised the idea of a checklist for accessible design to be filled out at the beginning of the development process. When reviewing that checklist with the development team, McCosh and Patricia Mendez, her current director of architectural access, have the opportunity to ask for accessibility features that go beyond government requirements.

“We do the checklist early, so that people have the opportunity to design in these features, and it’s not so burdensome financially or design-wise,” McCosh says. “The checklist doesn’t create any new mandates, but it gives us a chance to ask for things that would create more ideal access.”

In the past, it was commonplace for developers to apply for a variance for some accessibility requirements, McCosh says. Now, McCosh and her team negotiate with developers to try to avoid variances. “The developer might say, ‘There’s no space for an elevator,’” McCosh says. “We’ll say, ‘Instead, could you do a platform lift or an incline lift?’ We’ll work with them so their very last option is a variance.”

Kristen McCosh is the disability commissioner and ADA Title II coordinator for the City of Boston.

Mendez, an architect by trade with no professional experience in inclusive design prior to her current job, says her eyes have been opened by her experiences. She remembers the time a young girl in a wheelchair was stuck in her apartment, unable to attend school, when the high-rise building’s only elevator broke.

“Some elevator repairs take weeks or even months because some elevator parts may have to be ordered,” said Mendez. “Our state law requires that the landlord provide accommodation for tenants with disabilities who rely on elevators for their life activities (in this case, attending high school).” McCosh’s team was called and was able to help with coordination. McCosh informed the tenant of her rights to request relocation while the elevator was being repaired, so she would not miss school.

“From that experience, the next time I was at the table with a development team, it was really natural for me to advocate for a redundant elevator,” Mendez said.

The new pilot credit for residential inclusive design was proposed by Mendez and McCosh, who worked with the U.S. Green Building Council to develop the credit. The pilot credit is an alternative compliance path that will be awarded to developers who complete the Boston Planning & Development Agency Article 80 process and follow through on finding ways to create accessibility features that go beyond minimum requirements.

The goal is thoughtful spaces designed to be used by virtually everyone, regardless of their level of ability or disability.

“The redundant elevator is a perfect example of something the LEED credit would do,” McCosh says. “Now, when we have little children who need to go to school, they don’t have to worry if the elevator breaks down.”

Creating a culture of accessibility for all