Re: Including disabled people in cohousing, especially forming communities
From: S. Kashdan (s_kashdanhotmail.com)
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2017 16:38:50 -0700 (PDT)
Hello Allison,

I am sorry to be a little late in responding, but I want to add a few things 
that might be helpful for your new group and others to keep in mind. These 
items might seem obvious, but are all too often overlooked or forgotten.

1. It is important to have the common dining room and other meeting rooms 
designed with the best available sound dampening ceiling and walls, so it is 
a space where people can hear each other easily.
This is important for both meals and for large community meetings, such as 
community business meetings.

Sound dampening is particularly important if you have members with hearing 
loss, and even if you don't currently have any, remember that members may 
experience hearing loss as they age, and sound dampening may be really 
welcomed by all as children grow and get louder during meals.

Sound dampening solutions that are put in later, after the project is 
completed, are more expensive and less effective. So, it is much better to 
get the sound dampening done when building the project.

2. It is also important to plan for sound dampening between adjacent 
apartments and between floors. This is also much easier and cost effective 
during building than later.

3. All spaces should be designed with good adequate lighting. This is 
especially important for people with vision challenges, which many older 
adults develop, and some people have when younger.

4. Make sure all stairs have secure hand-rails, not loose or wobbly. Also 
avoid hand-rails that have spaces big enough for children or adults to 
accidently fall through. Hand rails that have open designs may look 
attractive but can be hazzardous, especially for young children and older 
adults.

5. Stairs should also have at least a touch of contrasting color to make 
them easier to see.
You can get hand-rails with contrasting colors to make them more visible.
 This can help avoid accidental falls.

6. Avoid using loose rugs or carpets in common areas, as they are especially 
dangerous for people with balance problems and can lead to falls.

7. Set an expectation that carpets on stairs  that are worn or loose will be 
immediately replaced to minimize falls.

8. Encourage everyone to keep both indoor and outdoor walkways in common 
areas free of clutter to minimize the danger of tripping and falling.

9. Make sure that all bathrooms are built with grip-rails near the toilet, 
and in the tub or shower, for older adults and others with balance problems 
to use these facilities with safety and confidence.


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