Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: "Associate" Members of cohousing grpups/Accessibility

[Ann Zabaldo (zabaldo]

This is a great topic, Dick.  Thanks for brining it up.  (I added
"accessibility" to the subject line.  Hope you don't mind...)

I'm very interested in this -- particularly why accessibility and
adaptability are not simply built into the design program.

As Liz says...it makes good sense to build accessible units.  But not just
for the household that has an immediate need.  Someday *you* may need it.
We're all getting older if nothing else...

I live in a community that's 80% adaptable.  Wide doorways, levers instead
of door knobs, grab bar "blocks" in place behind drywall in the bathrooms,
low thresholds, etc. etc.  We used low VOC compounds/paints and many other
health related products in the fnishes.

The result of this is:  our universe of resale candidates is much greater;
*we* can potentially stay in our own homes much longer; and, our members can
visit and use more than their own home and common areas.  Most importantly,
we acted on our value of diversity by making diversity possible.

Building accessibility/adaptability into the housing design is a real
win-win for everyone.

Ann Zabaldo

Takoma Village Cohousing
Washington, DC. -- America's
Hometown!
zabaldo [at] earthlink.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "Elizabeth Stevenson" <tamgoddess [at] home.com>
To: <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2001 7:25 PM
Subject: Re: [C-L]_"Associate" Members of cohousing grpups


>
> If mobility problems are keeping a member from buying a house, why are you
> not building a unit that s/he *can* buy - one that's accessible?

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