A special toilet designed by the National Institute of Design (NID) that makes life much more comfortable for differently-abled people, has won the national 
award jointly given by National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) and MphasiS.
Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology in the US, Abir Mullick, who designed the toilet while presiding over the Jamsetji Tata Design Research Chair for Universal Design at NID has been selected for the NCPEDP-MphasiS Universal Design Award 2011.
Universal design enables usage by everyone regardless of gender, age and physical fitness. While the toilets were specially designed to improve health and sanitation in slums, the designers have included features which allow the differently-abled to use them as well.
The toilets are prefabricated units that can be assembled easily. Where space is scarce, the toilets can be stacked up to create two storeys, connected by a prefabricated staircase. The commode has buttock support to help seat children, pregnant women and people with disabilities. The door handles extend lower towards the ground for the convenience of people who crawl. The rest of the interiors can be mass-customized for people with special needs.
Mullick said, “I am very happy that our work at NID has been recognized.” He is among three awardees in the working professionals’ category. The awards will be handed over at New Delhi on August 14.
Mullick added, “We are discussing with fabricators about making prototypes of the toilets. A private company is also on board with making prototypes of the fixtures. Both the central and state governments have shown interest in supporting of universal design toilets. We are also working closely with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for field trials of the prototype.”