February 2012 Archives

When I was studying interior design I was fascinated by universal design. While I don't trust Wikipedia for everything, their definition nails it:

Universal design refers to broad-spectrum ideas meant to produce buildings, products, and environments that are inherently accessible to both people without disabilities and people with disabilities.

I think universal design is brilliant. Well-done universal design functions well for everyone, and in many cases it's accessible to everyone without looking institutional. Examples of this inside the home would be showers that look like any other high-end bathroom but can accommodate a wheelchair, or grab bars that match the home's decor. We can carry these same ideas to the outside.

Keeping paths as level or as gently inclined as possible is one way of making them accessible to as many people as possible. The Americans with Disabilities Act has some good guidelines for this sort of thing, as it's based on lots of research into what people can comfortably navigate. We can also make these surfaces ADA compliant, allowing wheelchairs to easily roll across them. Asphalt is good, gravel is bad. But what if asphalt isn't the look we want?

Source: Cell-Tek's company site

There are products out there that can bind gravel to keep it looking natural while still allowing wheelchairs to use the path. Two of these are Gravel-Lok and Klingstone Path. If you're here in Virginia, you can go to James Madison's Montpelier (in Orange County) to see what Klingstone Paths look like in person. It's pretty exciting.

Source:

http://revolutionarygardens.com/accessibility-and-universal-design-in-the-landscape/

1. Equitable Use - The design can accommodate any type of user.
2. Flexibility in Use - The design may be used by people with a wide range of abilities.
3. Simple and Intuitive Use - Design is easy to understand and figure out.
4. Perceptible Information - The design itself communicates efficiently to the user.
5. Tolerance for Error - The design is safe and minimizes consequences of accidents.
6. Low Physical Effort - The design can be used without strenuous exertion.
7. Appropriate Size and Space for Approach and Use

Travel professionals - including independent and hosted agents - should stop viewing the special needs (handicapped or disabled travel) as a niche market and instead see it as a mainstream service option, says Andrew J. Garnett, president and CEO of the Florida-based Special Needs Group/Special Needs at Sea (SNG).

Agents will see more requests to support special needs travelers and should be prepared, Garnett says, buttressing his position with hard numbers, including the growth of baby boomers as a share of the population.

Garnett also cites the growth in disabled/handicapped/special needs travelers and the increased awareness among professional agents of the importance of the market.

"The professional agent should be aware of the full range if services available to them and to their clients," Garnett says. "This includes cruise and tour travel and independent travel at conventions, resorts, theme parks and meetings. We have positioned SNG as a full service special needs provider with worldwide resources."

SNG pays a 10 percent commission to agents and works closely with all major cruise lines. The average rental for a scooter on a one-week cruise is $175 with pickup and delivery included, Garnett notes. "While the commission is relatively small, our service is essential and often critical for clients to enjoy the freedom of travel."

Garnett notes that some 63 million Americans have a disability and roughly 10 million aged 15 and older use a walking aid such as a cane or walker. An estimated 3.3 million use a wheelchair, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The data is dated but Americans with disabilities spent $13.6 billion on travel in 2002 (the latest data available) and that spending is likely to have kept pace with the aging of the U.S. population and growing numbers of disabled.

Agents sell what they know, Garnett notes and is especially proud of SNG's professional education program (SNG Certified Accessible Travel Advocate) and the recent decision by CLIA to credit SNG program participants with credits toward CLIA certification.

The one-hour, three-module program focuses on understanding accessible travel, building expertise in accessible travel and demonstrating accessible travel advocacy skills. "This initiative represents the first time travel professionals can become conversant with this market segment through online study and testing," Garnett says. The program is presented in a non-commercial format with the focus purely on content.

The SNG program now has nearly 400 agent participants suggesting solid interest in serving the special needs market. "Access to reliable disabled services - a wheelchair or scooter, for example - may be the difference between going or not going on the trip.  Access to resources can be a key to families traveling together or for small groups."

Garnett credits many suppliers - airlines, cruise lines, tour operators, hoteliers and destinations with opening opportunities for disabled travelers. "Access to special needs equipment and expertise has helped expand demand."

Cruise lines earn substantial praise as they have led the way in serving the special needs market. "We work closely with all the cruise lines and they have shown a welcomed willingness to serve the market - including well trained staffs."

Special Needs Group, Inc., will continue to expand its services, Garnet says. It is a force in the special needs equipment rental services to major Orlando locations, including theme parks, hotels, resorts, villas, the Orange County Convention Center and Orlando Science Center.

Twenty percent (63 million) of the U.S. population has some form of disability, and the number of these individuals is increasing daily, he notes. Studies show that 24 million disabled Americans would travel/travel more frequently if their special needs were met. 
 
Also encouraging is that Baby Boomers and mature adults took 340 million domestic vacations in 2006 and 110 million international trips from 2004-2006. The mature market alone spent $192 billion in travel expenditures. These markets contain many "slow walkers" individuals who do not consider themselves disabled, but who could benefit from special needs products and services, Garrett says.

SNG's web site offers a diversity of resources for agents and travelers including online booking capabilities and an informative blog.

"Whether it is some form of mobility or impairment (including temporary disabilities), the need for oxygen, a crib for a baby, refrigeration for medication, or ev

A two sister team recently won NHAB's Best of 50+ Housing Award 2012 for their universally designed LifeHouse^TM. Susanne Tauke owns New American Homes, including its Newport Cove development which featuresLifeHouse^TM. Her sister, Beth Tauke is an architecture professor at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Together they developed a universally designed house to give home buyers an understanding of the UD features that they can incorporate into their homes.

LifeHouse^TM boasts wide doors, a no-step entrance, and an interior elevator. The kitchen has appliances all within accessible reach range, and multi-height counters and work surfaces. There are two fully accessible baths withcurbless showers, shower seats, multi-height faucets, and toilets with comfort-height seats. Throughout the house there are special lighting features, memory niches, easy to use lever-style hardware, and security features that all work to make the home easy to use and enjoy. 

More Information...

More: http://blog.lesliesaul.com/featured/universal-design-for-wounded-soldiers/

The U.S. Army, a Virginia realty firm and architect Michael Graves have joined forces to create a new kind of accessible home for injured veterans.

The Wounded Warrior Home Project is building homes for wounded soldiers who stay in the service at Fort Belvoir, Va. But before embarking on the project, the partners decided to take a new look at what accessible means.

They started with universal design principles and then took them a step further to design a home that was convenient for people with varied disabilities as well as their able-bodied family members.

More:

http://realestate.msn.com/blogs/listedblogpost.aspx?post=52778c34-f812-4546-96b7-2f0bd51e411a

By 2030, nearly one in five Americans will be over age 65. Today, more than 35 million Americans are age 65 or above--a tenfold increase in the 65 and over population since 1900.

In past generations, it was assumed that when an individual or a couple reached a certain age, they were expected to move into a senior living facility, retirement home, or move in with their children. That is not necessarily the case anymore. Many seniors still enjoy an active and high-quality retirement, and it isn't always necessary to give up their autonomy or their home.

A growing specialty within the remodeling industry called Aging in Place allows active seniors to stay in their homes longer. Aging in Place (also known as Universal Design) is a design approach that seeks to create environments and systems that can be used by as many people as possible and adapts the home to the physical needs of its occupants.
Sea Pointe Construction works with Universal Design techniques such as installing a barrier free walk-in shower in the bathroom, adding motion sensor lights to all the rooms in the house, placing aesthetically pleasing grab bars in the bedrooms and bathrooms for balance and assistance, putting in a lift on stairs, and even installing an elevator between floors.

With several certified Aging In Place specialists on staff, Sea Pointe Construction can help you design and construct a remodel that is tailored to your family's specific needs.

What is Aging in Place?

The focus of Aging In Place is to help you ensure that you can live in the residence of your choice as you age while getting any services or support you need over time as your needs change. However, it is more than just that. The goal of an elderly person (or anyone) wanting to age in place should be to maintain and/or improve their quality of life. In order to do that, a good plan that focuses on your quality of life and covers yourself, home, finances, care and other items should be created as early as possible. Your plan should be maintained over time as your situation changes.

Aging Changes

Aging brings changes to us all. As a person begins their aging in place experience, it is important for them to consider and plan for the changes that will happen to them and what impacts these changes will have on their lives. As we age, our bodies and capabilities change. Examples of changes you may experience are:

These changes happen to most everyone in one form or another. Knowing that this is the case and choosing to have a plan to age in place means you will have a greater chance to control your quality of life and independence.

The impact of these changes can be seen in the daily life of an elderly person. While your physical capabilities lessen and demand change, this can impact many of your daily activities, such as:

http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=185056

Starting on March 15, 2012, a new provision of the Americans with Disabilities Act is going to take effect.  The provision allows travelers with special needs to be able to make reservations for accessible guest rooms in the same way that people without any special needs or disabilities can make reservations - electronically, in person, telephonically or through a third party.  

The provision says that hotels and resorts will have to: