Universal Design
From: David Hornick (dhornicknycap.rr.com)
Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2009 04:32:36 -0700 (PDT)
The following statement discusses the application of universal design
principles to cohousing and the reason for it.  It is meant to explain the
use of this technology in the Mexicommunity project and to explain its
relationship to avoiding other issues related to affordability.



I need to clarify a misconception....."stressing that the community   will
be designed and helpful to those with physical needs" is not the issue.
Rather, universal design is "design of as much of the environment as
possible to be as useful as possible to as many people as possible".

Universal design   is not just for people who become incapacitated.  It's
also for such mundane functional issues as short stature, a characteristic
shared by all children, for example. Light switches need to be lower than
the usual 4 feet. Bathroom mirrors have to be designed / placed to be usable
by children and people in wheelchairs alike.  Universal design is also
'adjustable design'.  Kitchen and bathroom   design, in particular,  should
adhere to universal design principles.  For example, there are now kitchen
units that are motorized so that cooktop and sink units are mounted on a
shelf that can be raised and lowered with a  switch (up and down button).
This arrangement permits comfortable use by   people who are tall, short or
sitting in wheelchairs as well as by children. Special electronic or
mechanical interfaces or use of induction   cooktops prevent children from
burning themselves.  The use of the traditional kitchen stove with an oven
door that   swings down from a bottom-mounted hinge doesn't work well once a
person is in a wheelchair and the door becomes an obstruction. Placing the
oven   door hinge on the side eliminates this problem (and there are ovens
designed  with side mounted hinges).

Bathrooms should be larger to provide for access by a wheelchair.  A drain
mounted in the floor of the bathroom permits   inclusion of a wall-mounted
shower head.    Appropriately designed shower curtains shield shower spray
and Special non slip floors provide protection from slip hazards.  Such a
bathroom is useable by all people as long as the control knobs for   faucets
are located with a little thought.

Home automation systems permit a person to control lighting and heating and
appliances with voice commands.  Imagine yourself quadriplegic and   lying
in bed at night.  How would you deal with lowering the thermostat,   turning
off a light or turning off (or on) the TV?  How would you summon someone
in an emergency if you were alone and elderly?  Voice controlled automation
systems are affordable, available and effective. They provide   convenience
for all of us....not just quadriplegic people in bed at night.  Including
universal design in original plans empowers people to   provide self-care
instead of relying on neighbors, friends and paid   caregivers when
functional decline or injury impedes capacity to use poorly designed
living spaces. Universal design also means providing wider doorways, lower
window sills, high electric receptacles,   replacing doorknobs with lever
handles, and eliminating stairs and even single   steps at thresholds. It
means providing lighting that can be adjusted to the changing needs of aging
eyes and paying attention to eliminating   built in fall risks.  The most
elegant (and expensive) example of universal design is the   home of Cynthia
Leibrock, an expert in universal interior design.  Check out Cynthia's new
home in Colorado:  

http://www.agingbeautifully.org/ranch.html


Cynthia understands and agrees that her home would be difficult and   too
expensive to reproduce; but she created it to demonstrate over 180
universal design interventions.  There are less expensive versions of these
interventions, and not all of them have to be included in a home or
apartment.  

No one knows with certainty when physical incapacity or functional or
cognitive decline  will occur in a person's life.  The use of universal
design to prepare for unexpected life changes is demonstrated by the
following true story:

http://cacad.org/articles/uliving.htm#intro

Universal design prepares the living environment for unexpected changes in
functional capacity and enables a person to maximize self-care potentials.
Self-care is far less expensive than paying a personal care aide $20 per
hour to compensate for poor home design.

As far as social dysfunction and mental illness is concerned, I   believe
that there are some fairly effective interventions and preventive
approaches. Clearly, relying on cohousing to solve these social issues is
neither reasonable nor fair. Intentional communities with built in mutual
support and social interaction are extremely important.  I subscribe to the
cohousing concept   unreservedly as long as affordability is stressed.
Cohousing units selling for   half a million dollars work for people with
the financial resources, but problems arise when residents begin to
experience financial distress.   Divorce is commonly  precipitated by
financial issues as is depression and   aggressive behavior.  I've been very
careful to reduce the construction cost to a minimum while including
universal design in the Mexicommunity   project.  The average cost of a home
will be about $150,000.  The daily cost of   living will be about $20.00
(including heating, cooling, hot water, energy,   food and TAXES).

Financial profit for development has been stripped completely from
Mexicommunity.

Hopefully, with less stress related to financial matters, residents will not
have to devote so much time to earning a living   and will be able to attend
to such issues as child rearing, communal meals, gardening, and helping one
another when help is needed.  Gardening   will not only provide food (12
months a year), but also provide a way to   exercise and maintain
flexibility and function.

I'm not so naïve that I believe that there will be no problems at
Mexicommunity.  Far from it.  My hope is that each new problem will be
effectively handled because the architectural and  environmental design will
be more flexible than many current cohousing communities.  Cohousing is the
correct concept, but it can't flourish in an unforgiving environment.  I'm
hoping that at Mexicommunity, we can create an environment that is
optimized for cohousing and aging-in-place.

No one knows with certainty when physical incapacity or functional or
cognitive decline  will occur in a person's life.  The use of universal
design to prepare for unexpected life changes is demonstrated by the
following true story:

http://cacad.org/articles/uliving.htm#intro

Universal design prepares the living environment for unexpected changes in
functional capacity and enables a person to maximize self-care potentials.
Self-care is far less expensive than paying a personal care aide $20 per
hour to compensate for poor home design.

David Hornick

dhornick [at] nycap.rr.com 



Results generated by Tiger Technologies Web hosting using MHonArc.