4/27/2024 0 Comments Handicap accessible homes near me![]() Hallmarks of accessible design are wider doorways and zero-step entrances-useful features, whether using a mobility device or pushing a baby carriage. For a standing cook, spatial proximity means less physical strain and more efficient kitchen activities. Appliances-cooktop, wall ovens, microwave, sink, dishwasher, and fridge-are all close by, a short spin in a wheelchair. A central work island doubles as a serving counter to the dining area. Groceries are brought in from the door at the right, and stored in the fridge and pantry. This kitchen-dining area design is a roadmap for the activities of preparing and eating meals. Accessible design is creative design, tailored to the unique needs of those who live there. For someone who is blind, storage cabinets throughout the house mean that supplies-at the entrance, stair landings, toilet-put essential items where they are needed. For a parent who is hard of hearing, removing walls and adding glass doors lets her keep track of children in the next room. Private homes are the laboratories for residential accessibility, as people with disabilities collaborate with medical and design professionals to find ways to make everyday life easier. State and local building codes now mandate accessible public spaces, but for single-family houses, it is usually the unique requirements of those who live there that set the standards. A generation of architects and builders, as well as disability-rights advocates and policy planners, are awakening to the possibilities created by an accessible environment-greater participation in community life, at all levels. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991 changed the ways public buildings are designed, and these changes are making their way into the home. Whether one has a sports injury or an infirm older relative, a progressive illness or simply the wish to “stay put” in one’s golden years, homeowners are warming up to the idea of home accessibility. By age 65 disabilities affect one out of every two persons. Limitations and other so-called “invisible” disabilities such as cardio-pulmonary disorders. Deborah Pierce, AIA, CAPS, Author of The Accessible Home Yet on another, it is truly a revolutionary way of thinking about home design." "On one level, accessible design is common sense. According to the US Census, one in five persons has some kind of disability-mobility and dexterity problems, hearing and vision loss, intellectual When you think of “accessibility” does an institutional setting come to mind? How about substituting the term “user-friendly”? Accessibility is about fitting the home to the real requirements of those who live and visit there-whether they use a wheelchair, a white cane, bifocals or hearing aids. Built-in furniture keeps the path of travel clear and makes the most efficient use of wall space. Pocket doors and wide doorways, strategically placed, reduce travel distance. Here a study, library, powder-room and living room all share circulation routes-a path of travel that avoids space-consuming walls and hallways. Wide hallways can seem a luxury of space-or an opportunity to manage with less space. Homes that are environmentally safe, that reduce the chance of injury, and that accommodate all our interests-these features aren’t even on the radar screen, though they should be! Too often we have gotten used to living in homes that are “good enough.” Accessible homes raise the bar. Good schools, certainly, a modern kitchen-these features top most lists. Accessible and Universal Home-Thinking Beyond the Wheelchairīy Deborah Pierce, AIA, CAPS, Author of The Accessible HomeĪccessibility is usually a low priority when young families are house-hunting.
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