Curb cuts were required by law in the United States in 1990 for wheelchair users, but they’re also extremely convenient for able-bodied pedestrians with strollers, suitcases, and other wheeled luggage. John Vallejo/Getty Images
There’s something called the “curb cut effect,” which the research organization PolicyLink describes as “a vivid example of how laws and programs designed to benefit disadvantaged groups, like people with disabilities or people of color, often end up benefiting everyone.”
We live in a world that is primarily designed for people who can see, hear, walk, and speak with minimal difficulty. But it is also a world where one billion people have some kind of disability, according to the World Bank, and one in five of them (between 110 and 190 million) have a severe disability. Often, these people need special adaptations to function in the world. But the great thing is that the products and adaptations invented for people with disabilities end up being used and enjoyed by people of all abilities.
If you’re wondering what a curb cut is, one of the items on this list of eight will tell you: Some of these are things you see almost every day.