Visitability: A Growing Trend
By Lichter, Mark; PN: Paraplegia News, Vol. 63, No. 5Publication Date: May 2009
Article discusses the concept of visitability, which encompasses modest accessibility modifications enabling wheelchair users to visit single-family homes. Single-family housing, which is defined as a residential structure including one to three dwelling units, is largely unaffected by accessibility requirements mandated by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Visitability seeks to provide such homes with the bare-minimum level of accessibility to a wheelchair user, including a zero-step entrance which can be in one of several locations including the garage, widened interior doorways, and access to a bathroom. The idea of visitability, which originated in Europe where the term was coined, was introduced in the United States in the 1980s by the organization Concrete Change, which advocated for a zero-step entrance to every new house being built in Atlanta, Georgia. By keeping visitability to just a few accessibility requirements, advocates hope the concept will become more widely adopted.
Published by: PVA Publications (Website:http://www.pvamagazines.com)
Paralyzed Veterans of America (Web Site: http://www.pva.org )
Link to text: http://www.pvamagazines.com/pnnews/magazine/article.php?art=2779
