A Universal Design Retirement Home
By Schwab, Charles; PN: Paraplegia News, Vol. 64, No. 10, pp. 13-15Publication Date: October 2010
Article features an accessible home built following a Universal Design (UD) house plan. Constructed to be accessible to a wheelchair user, the single level, three bedroom home was built following a modified plan from the book Universal Design Smart Homes for the 21st Century, third edition. Accessible features of the home include (1) no step, low threshold entries; (2) passage doors that are 3 feet wide; (3) open knee space under kitchen and bathroom sinks; (4) an accessible electrical panel, light switches no higher than 42 inches and electrical outlets 18 inches above floor level; (5) a dual height serving counter in the kitchen; (6) a curbless shower with adjustable hand held controls; and (7) lever style handles on all cabinet doors. In addition, the home features a fully accessible workshop area in the garage and an easy access ramp in the backyard, leading to a fishing platform on the nearby pond. Located near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the house also includes a hurricane safe room, doubling as a bathroom, with a blast resistant window, emergency lighting, and a separate distinct phone line connected directly to the phone company.
Published by: PVA Publications (Website:http://www.pvamagazines.com)
Paralyzed Veterans of America (Web Site: http://www.pva.org )
