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Steps actually provide access to your home if you are able to use them. They aren’t a barrier unless you are unable to use them safely. That is one of the interesting things to consider when you think about residential accessibility. Home features like steps, deep tubs, or under cabinet storage, that may be very helpful to us during one phase of our lives, may become a barrier in another phase or if we become injured. That is why there isn’t a list of home features that must be changed to make a home truly accessible to everyone. Everyone is different.
Universal Design is a concept of making an environment as useable as possible for as many people as possible, but residential accessibility is a personal customization to match a personal need. What it takes to make a home accessible for different people may have similarities, but will vary based on an individual’s goals, skills, medical condition, preferences, budget, social environment, and existing physical environment. When you are planning to make modifications or choosing equipment to reduce barriers in your home, you should follow a process we call “prescriptive access design” . Our handout “5 Tips For Successful Home Accessibility Remodeling” is a good starting place. Make sure the solution you choose matches your goals, current and future abilities, and preferences in order to make sure the solution will actually work the way you expect it to.
Access to your house is critically important and there is nothing wrong with having a ramp, power door openers, stair glides, etc. Just as access needs vary from person to person, so do personal preferences. Sometimes access designs that aren’t well thought out might be noticeable or obtrusive. If appearances are important to you, it is often possible to use universal design concepts to blend the access features in, to minimize their visual impact, or at the very least to make them removable when you no longer need them. Interestingly, some health professionals and construction professionals are not well versed in this concept. There are some people who still believe that they must follow American with Disability Act guidelines when providing residential access and do not address the individual needs of their customers.
A home feature is only a barrier if a person can’t use the feature safely. Residential access can be both customized and lovely. If done well, it can have either a positive or a neutral impact on the value of a home.
