Life on Wheels (86 page)

Many people fear that making their home accessible will make it look institutional and damage future resale value. Ramps, grab bars, lowered switches and raised outlets, or kitchen counters that leave space for leg room all raise the specter of not being able to sell the home when the time comes.

It is a fallacy that an accessible home must become unattractive to potential buyers. Remember, when you think in terms of Universal Design, you are making your home safe, comfortable, and convenient for everyone. Because the design quality of products—from grab bars to kitchen and storage systems—has improved, your home can remain attractive and not look like a hospital.

Building contractor Louis Tenenbaum puts it simply:

Most people with disabilities will be faced with adapting—and adapting to—an existing home or apartment. Wheelchair access is not what architects and builders are thinking about when they design and construct housing.

A rental landlord is not required by law to make a house or apartment accessible, but landlords are required to allow you to do it yourself. They also have the option of insisting that you return the house or apartment to its original state when you move out.

You will likely encounter issues in the public areas of an apartment complex, which are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This chair user found that:

The degree of adaptation you can make depends on:

What you can afford

The existing design features of your home or property

What control you have over your home—that is, whether you own or rent your home

Start with measures that cost nothing, such as moving furniture around to make space and teaching your family to not leave items where they impede your path. You might move to another bedroom in the home, rearrange what goes in which kitchen cabinets, or remove the door to the bathroom in the master bedroom. It might even be necessary to accept not having access to certain parts of your home without assistance.

Next, there are measures that don’t cost much money. Wooden ramps can be built easily; portable, folding metal ramps are available at reasonable cost. Doorknobs can be converted with inexpensive lever handles, and door hinges can be changed to a hinge type that pivots the door aside so the door’s thickness no longer blocks your way. Grippers, reachers, and various other tools help to extend your reach and use what strength you have. Remotecontrol systems allow you to turn almost anything on or off in the home, as well as open doors or answer the telephone.

More expensive is the construction cost associated with major work, such as widening doors, pouring a concrete ramp and grading the land outside, replacing a bathtub with a roll-in shower, or adding a new room to the house. You might also consider taking down a wall that is not load bearing—perhaps between the dining room and den—to open up space for ease of movement. Depending on your income and where you live, tax credits might be available for some of these expenses. Some banks extend longterm loans with minimal down payments for disability-related construction. Your local center for independent living (CIL) might have access to modification funds.

If you are doing substantial work or buying significant new items such as major appliances, this is a chance to improve your home with quality construction and well-made products that will last, with a minimum of maintenance. Adapting a home for access can be a chance to increase the convenience of your home for everyone and, in the process, improve the home’s longterm value.

There are some sources that will assist with home modifications. Federally funded Community Development Block Grant monies are available through various entities that administer home-modification programs, very possibly your local center for independent living. These funds are available only to people with qualified disabilities who have a household income below a certain level. Because this is a government program managed by a nonprofit, be prepared for the possibility of delays and complexity—though it is not impossible that you can get the support of people who really know how to make this program work well. The slow spot is typically in the process of inviting in multiple contractors for estimates.

Local charities or churches or a Rotary group could be a source of contributing not only money, but also materials and muscle, to make home modifications.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has programs that help provide accessible housing, including the Section 8 voucher system, in which you are given a certain amount of money each month to rent housing in certified units. These kinds of programs tend to be overburdened, involve being on long waiting lists, and require you to deal with the kind of bureaucratic complexity that lives up to the stereotype of a Federal agency.

Insurance companies also contribute to the expense of modification, particularly if you are covered by a longterm disability plan, fall under Workers’ Compensation, or are a veteran. In all of the above cases, be sure to take the time to learn all of the requirements and boundaries involved, such as the surprise that this woman, spinal cord injured since childhood, encountered:

If you’re fortunate enough to have the resources, you can build your home from scratch. You might work with a homebuilder who is putting up a new project—giving you the opportunity to make changes to one of the floor plans the builder has to offer. In this case, you will be limited to working within the broad structure of the existing design, but you will have considerable flexibility moving around walls that are not structural; selecting appliances, sinks, tubs, and so on; specifying placement of light switches and power outlets; and working to design the zero-step entrances you will need. You could even have an elevator put in for a second floor.

The deluxe approach is to design from scratch with an architect. Obviously, this takes a lot more time and money and involves a much greater number of decisions to make—not the least of which is the aesthetics and style of your home. You’ll also need to find the piece of property where you’ll build.

This is exactly what Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD, a wheelchair user since a tree fell on her while she was riding her bicycle in 1998, did. Paraplegic from the injury, Rosemarie has been writing, speaking, and consulting ever since. Not only are she and her husband Mark Leder building their own house from the ground up with an architect, but they have made it the centerpiece of The Universal Design Living Laboratory (www.udll.com) in Columbus, Ohio, where they live (Figure 7-1). The process is being documented for a public television broadcast, and the home will be made available for tours once it is complete.

Doing construction in the home is quite stressful. The stereotype—often true—is that things take longer, cost more, and disrupt your life in ways you never imagined. Many people find themselves in conflict with the contractor or their spouse, arguing over scheduling, costs, design choices, or quality.

It is easy to underestimate what construction will cost, even if the task seems simple. Contractor Louis Tenenbaum observes:

The right professional will give you good advice on the reality of the work—the costs and the actual tasks. Many builders are still not experienced with accessible design, beyond simple tasks like adding grab bars or using wider doors. However, there are contractors who make a specialty of accessible construction. It is worth some effort to find the most experienced people. You would be well advised to interview a number of builders, find out about their experience, invite them to evaluate your home, and ask for references.

There are efforts aplenty to help builders learn their way around Universal Design. The EasyLiving Home program offers certification. Contractors who demonstrate the ability to provide Easy Access, Easy Use, and Easy Passage get their seal of approval and participate in various co-marketing activities (www.easylivinghome.org/elh.htm). The National Association of Homebuilders has been gradually but surely overcoming its resistance to recognizing the value of supporting and disseminating information about accessible housing. Universal Design and aging-in-place information is available on their web site at www.nahb.org.