| "Accessibility", as it pertains to the design of buildings, is | | | | homes are primarily designed for young families and |
| a term that most of us are somewhat familiar with. | | | | become rapidly obsolete when they can no longer |
| The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (the | | | | provide the convenience and safety that older citizens |
| "ADA") mandates that most buildings used by the | | | | need. It's an unfortunate result of a "disposable home" |
| public be designed for ease of use by persons with | | | | mentality - but that's a topic for a future article! |
| many kinds of disabilities. We've all seen accessible | | | | A few simple design changes can make almost any |
| parking spaces, ramps, and washrooms in retails | | | | home better able to support changing lifestyles, as |
| stores, airports, and office buildings. | | | | ease of use and safety become important issues. |
| Homes, too, should incorporate design features and | | | | One of the easiest is the installation of blocking for |
| products that are easier to use by people of all ages | | | | grab bars at appropriate places in the bath when the |
| and abilities. It's a concept called "universal design". For | | | | house is built. These simple and inexpensive structural |
| most people however, the image of an accessible | | | | supports are used for the future installation of grab |
| home is one of fluorescent lights, wheelchair ramps, | | | | bars, which provide increased safety in showers, tubs, |
| and white porcelain plumbing fixtures - more like a clinic | | | | and at toilets. |
| than a home. | | | | Another easy change is using "lever-type" door |
| But an accessible home needn't be like that at all. In | | | | hardware - popular because of its looks and ease of |
| fact, many design features and fixtures that work well | | | | use but also a requirement for persons with reduced |
| for accessibility are also well suited for just about | | | | strength or restricted mobility. Widening the doors a |
| anyone. Accessible design is often just plain good | | | | few inches can also extend the useable life of the |
| design - a well-integrated accessible home design can | | | | house. Standard thirty-inch doors aren't wide enough |
| and should extend a home's usability through more | | | | for wheelchairs and can be difficult for anyone with |
| than just one phase of family life. | | | | trouble walking. A thirty-six inch wide door solves both |
| Start In The Kitchen | | | | problems and makes moving furniture a lot easier, too. |
| Making a house more accessible isn't particularly | | | | Ups and Downs |
| difficult or expensive. You might even have some | | | | Stairs are the biggest obstacle to making any home |
| universal design principals at work in your kitchen now. | | | | accessible. Typically, a fully accessible home must be |
| "Side-by-side" refrigerators are more usable by a | | | | all on one level - no stairs, step-downs, or even door |
| person in a wheelchair - unlike a unit with the freezer | | | | thresholds. But a one-level home is more costly to build |
| mounted on top. Inside the refrigerator, sliding shelves | | | | than a two-story and may require a larger property. |
| eliminate the need to reach all the way to the back to | | | | A better solution is a residential elevator. Sound |
| retrieve what you want. | | | | expensive? Compared to the cost of a one-level |
| A very common disabling condition associated with | | | | home on a larger lot, an elevator is a very reasonable |
| aging is reduced physical strength, which can make | | | | expense. It only adds about sixty square feet to the |
| cooking in a large pot difficult if it has to be lifted into | | | | floor plan, and enables easy access to the first floor, |
| and out of the sink to fill with water. Instead of a | | | | the second floor, and the basement. Even better, only |
| standard kitchen faucet, install a "goose-neck" spout | | | | the elevator shaft need be installed now - the actual |
| that allows the pot to be filled without lifting it into the | | | | elevator equipment doesn't have to be in place until it's |
| sink. And place the cooktop nearby so that the pot | | | | needed, maybe many years down the road. |
| can be easily slid across the countertop to the burner - | | | | Easier Than You Might Think |
| no lifting required. | | | | In most cases, accessible or universal design isn't much |
| The latest in dishwasher design is the "drawer" type | | | | more than good design sense and a desire to make |
| like those from Fisher & Paykel and KitchenAid. | | | | houses usable by everyone - and isn't that a worthy |
| Drawer dishwashers don't require as much bending | | | | goal for any house, regardless of the current |
| over to load and unload and because there's no door | | | | occupants? Our houses are sometimes a little too |
| in the way, they're more easily used from a sitting | | | | disposable - we can easily make them less so by |
| position. | | | | making them more functional for a wide range of |
| Staying Home | | | | homeowners with and without disabilities. We'll all |
| As the American population ages and as housing | | | | benefit from design that helps people stay in their |
| prices escalate, many homeowners are trying to stay | | | | homes longer. |
| in their homes longer. Too often however, family | | | | |