POPSCI.COM / WINTER 2020 71THE NEEDS OF THE FEW1990s, text became increasingly ubiq-
uitous as DVDs and, later, streaming
services embedded the ability to
switch the words on at will. A 2006
survey found that only around 20 per-
cent of the people using subtitles had
auditory impairments. Today, most
people who switch on captions are
watching sports in loud bars, making
sure the kids stay asleep, learning new
languages, or just trying to parse the
thick Irish accents on Derry Girls.
TELECOMMUTING
Balancing
work and lifeIn 1979, in an effort to reduce traf-
fic on the office mainframe, IBM
installed computer terminals in the
homes of five employees, helping
to usher in the era of remote work.
The development of increasingly
small and inexpensive personal
computers made the end of the of-
fice seem attainable. By 1983, some
2,000 IBMers were logging on from
home; in 2009, 40 percent of the
firm’s 386,000 employees worked
remotely. The extra flexibility can
make it easier to pick children up or
take elderly rela tives to doctor ap-
pointments. For those with injuries
and physical disabilities, having
a home office can remove many
hurdles to a simple commute and
productive workday. COVID-19
has shown just how many can get
the job done in their sweatpants:
In the spring of 2020, at least one-
third of all employed Americans
were WFH, with some companies
eyeing long-term arrangements to
reduce office overhead and lower
disease transmission risk.BIKE
LANES
Sharing
the streetThe US has 4 million miles of
roads, but as of 2018 had only 550
protected bike lanes, which physi-cally separate traffic streams using
barriers such as plastic buffers or
secondary curbs. Activists argue
every street should work this way.
When pedalers are shielded fromcars, they’re 28 percent less likely to
get hurt during a trip. Several local
surveys, including one of San Fran-
cisco Bay Area commuters, indicate
that drivers like it better, too: They
feel safer when bikers have their
own space, and pedestrians find
they have fewer wheels to contend
with on the sidewalk when cyclists
aren’t forced off the road. Accord-
ing to a 2019 study in the Journal of
Transport & Health, protected lanes
may even help lower the overall
rate of traffic accidents—perhaps,
the researchers posited, because
the narrowed space makes motor-
ists cruise more carefully.ALL-GENDER
RESTROOMS
Welcoming
everyoneArchitects and business own-
ers initially promoted family-style
restrooms— which typically fea-
ture a single toilet instead of many
stalls—for people requiring more
space, including those with physi-
cal disabilities or kids in tow. By the
early 2010s, it became clear these
commodes could also benefit the
1.4 million or more transgender in-
dividuals in America. In a 2016
survey by the National Center for
Transgender Equality, the majority
of respondents reported avoiding
public restrooms for fear of being
denied access, verbally harassed,
or physically assaulted; many re-
counted painful instances where
other patrons perceived them as be-
ing in the wrong space. As all- gender
toilets have begun to proliferate
in certain spaces like college cam-
puses, it’s become clear that they
can afford everyone more privacy.Sound-dampening materials
such as mossy plants can help
reduce annoying ambient noise—
and look darn good doing it.
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