There is a lot to consider when finding the right home. We know multiple people right now who are looking to downsize or need to find a one-level option, but it is extremely difficult to find one that doesn’t need to be renovated.
One of our friends who uses a wheelchair recently told me that when he was selling his house, he was certain that his house was the most accessible one in the area, because they were looking for a new one and they could not find much. I don’t know about you, but in our area it is super common to see homes in which you have to go upstairs to go to bed and downstairs to do the laundry. There are also many ranch-style homes, which are technically one level, but often they have hallways that are a little tight, especially when you’re trying to navigate in a wheelchair.
Growing up, my mom and I were in a car accident, and I remember this vividly. We had a hospital bed in our living room for a while, because she just couldn’t get back to her bedroom in our ranch style home. She did get better, but that is not always the case for people. So, we’re not the only ones talking about this stuff.
The stats are quite concerning. The 2019 American Housing Survey was conducted by HUD and they found that four of ten people reported that their homes lack accessibility features like entry level bedrooms and full bathrooms. Now I’m adding this here: Are the doorways wide? Can someone turn around in the bathroom or have someone else come in and help them if they need it? Even if only those two items are checked off the list and designed well, by no means does that mean that the rest of the house actually works well for someone to take care of their daily tasks.
Now, you may be thinking, Sarah, this is just going overboard, not everybody needs this stuff. Well, as an OT, I kind of look at things from a different perspective, and if there are other OTs out there, let me know if you think this way too. Um, and I also realize that people who don’t have a personal experience with it might not realize how quickly life can change, and then all of a sudden, these features that, oh, they might be convenient someday, are now a necessity. And it costs a lot of money to put those things in after the fact. There is a big void in available functional housing for people across our country and our communities. We shouldn’t have to compromise on basic tasks in our homes, but it is the result of where we are now of the current homes in our housing stock.
The solution, well, it is multifaceted and it involves many different people from consumers to therapists and people in the housing and design industries. More universally designed homes are needed. Universal design is an approach to design that creates as much usability for as many people as possible. Accessibility can be tricky because different people need different things. But the benefit of universal accessibility is that everyone can find it useful.
I’ll explain this more in a different video, but the challenge in creating universally accessible homes is understanding what’s useful for everyone, while recognizing that there are some “accessibility features” that, let’s be honest, not everyone would benefit from, even if those features are helpful for some people. The design process requires making lots of careful decisions, and that’s what we’re here to help with.
Leave a Reply