Homeward Bound -- A Special Feature on Housing

By Sarah Yates

Don’t be daunted by the detailed specifications developed to produce accessibility. Hire a designer and/or an architect to interpret them. Designers conduct a detailed analysis to help determine what you need and what you want, according to how your family functions. Ask yourselves: What are you trying to achieve? What are your child’s, partner’s or parent’s abilities? Ask lots of questions, answer designers’ as openly as you can and your house can be an accessible home which adapts to your changing needs.

It’s also a great idea for the family member with a disability, whether adult or child, to meet with the designer so that specific questions and solutions can be bandied about. I’ve always found that our daughter suggests half the solutions to her problems. It is then up to us or a designer to fine tune it. The benefit of design: an individualized solution.

A house needs to be considered as a whole, something designers do, so that taking out one wall doesn’t create a dead-end space or compromise its structure. Renovations can be timed according to your needs and your budget. You’ll need proper plans and documentation to obtain building permits and get any tax concessions.

Sure, the bathroom needs a wider door, a sink without a vanity underneath, and its hot-water pipes bound. Why not add jets to the bathtub to provide relief for an aching back? Caregiving is an essential role in a family; consideration of its demands will make individual tasks easier. A stool, preferably on wheels, built at the height of your bent knees with your feet flat on the floor, can help you provide toileting assistance without straining your back. Grandparents can easily add one to their home; give it as a gift if they can’t afford it. Support rails in the bathtub and beside the toilet need to be properly placed, according to individual ability.

For us, independence was the goal. We chose rocker-type light switches dropped to our daughter’s height -- and caught out an intruder, who inadvertently bumped against one with his hip and flooded the house with light! Add texture by roughing the surface for a family member with a visual disability. Faucets should be levers; towel holders should be lowered. All doors need lever handles. We didn’t put ours in until our daughter was capable of using them. Buy proper hardware and you can install it and re-install it, as necessary. Professional installation saves
hours.

Making the world accessible takes some ingenuity. Don’t try to work alone, however. Discussion about your needs allows family and friends to choose a medium or low-pile carpet when they’re choosing replacements or to consider alternative flooring as you will have to do. Childproofing is an accepted practice -- why not ask friends and family to make simple moves toward accessibility?

At home, plan wide-open spaces with no carpets or additional furniture that hinder the path of a wheelchair or walker. We knocked down some walls according to the architect’s plans and the result is glorious accessibility. Before a visit, ask hosts to create a clear path from the front door to the living, television and dining rooms and bathroom by moving excess furniture for the duration of your visit.

If there are stairs, install handrails. Lighting needs to be bright and the stair tread-covering fixed flush to the stair lifts. Loose tread-covering is dangerous for everyone. Contrasting strips of textural material provide a guide for someone with a visual disability.

The provision of accessible eating and play spaces is a major challenge. We’ve installed a counter, supported on a platform that is easily adjustable in height, at which our daughter loves to eat. It’s been moved up three times. My parents moved a microwave onto a low shelf, accessible by my daughter’s foot so she can cook independently. My father made a low games table with legs of unfinished dowelling cut to the right height. The legs can be changed easily when it’s necessary.

Light your entranceways brightly and keep them cleared of snow and ice; keep doorways free of boots and other barriers. A firm chair close by lets people catch their breath or get assistance when undressing.

Accessibility results from individual interpretation of universal design. An open attitude to what works for you helps provide solutions.

(Sarah Yates is a freelance writer living in Winnipeg, Manitoba.)

RESOURCES

Lions Millennium Place
A new housing development in Vancouver, BC, for all ability levels. All 39 units are either wheelchair accessible or adaptable, and six are designed to accommodate people with significant disabilities. For more information, contact:
Kim Vlchek-Egger
BC Paraplegic Association
Phone: (604) 324-1212
e-mail: vancouver@canparaplegic.org
To apply for a housing unit at Lions Millennium Place, contact:
I.J.M. Properties Ltd.
Phone: (604) 736-7018.

Education for Quality Accessibility (EQA)
Provides a no-charge consulting service to review accessibility in construction plans before projects are built.
P.O. Box 815
Brockville, Ontario K6V 5T1
Phone: (613) 342-6883
E-mail: janson@recorder.ca

ProductAbility
Provides community consultation services, including a product information referral service on adaptive technologies and products, barrier-free and universal design consultations, and functional and site assessments.
1010 Sinclair St.
Winnipeg, Manitoba R2V 3H7
Phone: (204) 339-9268
Toll-free: 1-800-601-8780
Fax: (204) 663-1016
E-mail: beverton@tenten.mb.ca

Canadian Institute for Barrier-Free Design (CIBFD) Conducts research into building codes and standards relating to barrier-free design, collects and disseminates information, and educates students, professionals and public in accessible design.
Laurie Ringhart,
c/o Faculty of Architecture
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2
Phone: (204) 474-6450
Fax: (204) 275-7198

Société d’habitation du Québec
Serves the needs of people with disabilities through a non-profit housing program, a subsidized housing program and a home adaptation program.
3 Desjardin Pl.
North Tower, 25th Fl.
Montreal, Quebec H5B 1B3
Phone: (514) 873-9611
Fax: (514) 873-2849

Canada Housing Information Centre (Canada Mortgage and Housing
Corp.)
The most extensive housing information source in the country, serving consumers, builders, developers, academics and industry decision makers.
700 Montreal Rd.
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0P7
Toll-free: 1-800-668-CMHC
Fax: (613) 748-4069
E-mail: chic@cmhc-schl.gc.ca
Website: www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca

Co-op Housing Federation of Canada
Housing co-operatives are mandated to serve people with housing disadvantages, including people with disabilities. Contact the national office for information on your local co-op housing federation.
311 - 225 Metcalfe St.
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1P9
Phone: (613) 230-2201
E-mail: admin@chfc.ca
Website: www.chfc.ca


BOOKS

HIGH-ACCESS HOME: DESIGN AND DECORATION FOR BARRIER-FREE LIVING
By Charles A. Riley II
Provides easy living solutions such as level entryways, handrails and grab bars, adjustable kitchen countertops, and more. Published by Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.
ISBN 0847822133

BARRIER-FREE DESIGN GUIDE
Developed by the Barrier-Free Design Advisory Committee of the Safety Codes Council and Alberta Municipal Affairs A reference guide for incorporating barrier-free design standards and principles into building and renovation projects. Safety Codes Council Toll-free: 1-888-413-0099
Website: www.safetycodes.ab.ca