Marc Harrison, (July 1, 1936- September 22, 1998) was an industrial designer, educator, and a pioneer of the philosophy of “Universal Design”, creating products that are easier to use for all people; disabled or not. He advocated for people with disabilities and the elderly, creating products that were held to a high standard, changing the level that all inventors must achieve.
Over his 40 year teaching career at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Harrison left a legacy of teaching, creating, and improving products using universal design that everyone can use.
Marc Harrison died on September 22, 1998 of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
As the result of a brain injury from a sledding accident when he was 11 years old, Harrison relearned basic functions of reading, walking and talking; thus gaining inspiration for his career in Industrial Design. The experience created a desire to make the world more accessible for all people, with or without disabilities.
Harrison grew up in the Bronx and attended Pratt Institute for Industrial Design, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1958. Following Pratt, he earned his Masters of Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1959. From there he went on to teach Industrial Design and Photography at RISD until his death in 1998. The design principle during his early career was that products should be made for those of average shape, size, and ability. The intention was that these products would work for many people; but the elderly and disabled found many products with this design philosophy to be difficult to use. Harrison turned this principle on its head by establishing that products should be designed for people of all shapes, sizes and abilities. This was the concept that came to be known as Universal Design. Harrison incorporated this design philosophy into projects both at RISD and with his private consulting firm.
Since Universal Design was first defined as "The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design", it has been applied to many fields, including education, technology and the built environment.