Handicapped, Accessible, Universal

There are about 60 million people in the US with a disability. But that’s just a number. For most of us, disability is brought home by someone we love. When Ann’s Mom’s Alzheimers progressed, I sat down with her husband Stan and then designed and detailed some renovations to their seaside Seabrook, NH home. The goal was to make their home a place where Sitto could live safely surrounded by the place she knew and to be a home that facilitated the many-times-a-day care she needed. The addition of an elevator and the remodeling and expansion of the master bathroom to a fully accessible, roll in bathroom provided the physical reality that supported the loving care she received to the very end.

My Dad is 94 and lives in a two story, three bedroom suburban home in Easton, MD. His mobility is not good these days and he requires a walker to maneuver over the carpets and hard floors of his home. Like most American two story homes, the bedrooms and full baths are upstairs and the kitchen, dining, and living are downstairs. He absolutely could not continue to live there if it weren’t for the addition of a stair lift. Last year he once decided to not use the lift and walk downstairs. It resulted in a head-over-heels tumble to the bottom. Amazingly, at 93, he was only bruised and left that day on an out-of-town trip with his daughter-in-law Mary Ann.

Stairs are indeed dangerous. We tend to fear things like snakes and sharks and being hit by lightning. But the reality is, the stairs in our house are much more likely to do us in. Lightning kills about 60 people a year in the US. Falling down stairs kills perhaps 5,000 people a year with over a million injuries. On the other hand, climbing stairs is great exercise and multi-story homes with stairs provide comfortable zoning of functions, acoustical and visual privacy, and are essential to effectively using small lots such as our 5,000 sf 40B Cloutmans.

The old 40B Cloutmans, while only 1,500 SF, had a plethora of steps and stairs. Coming from the street and parking, you descended five steps to the front patio. Then it was two steps up to the front door. Then, once inside, a single step to the first floor. Neither convenient nor safe. Getting my Dad into the home with his walker when he visited was a challenge.

We could have connected walkway to the first floor with a ramp. But I don’t like ramps with their double handrails that shout “handicapped here”.

The solution was to raise the main floor of the new home 14”. This allowed the walkway from the street and parking to connect to the main level with a gently sloped bridge. Comfortable stroll or roll in ease for those in a wheelchair or when moving heavy objects.

None of us know what the future holds for our physical and mental abilities as we age. Our new home gently acknowledges that reality.

Next week; Handicapped, Accessible, Universal 2; flexible spaces for (perish the thought) one level living.

Old 40B Cloutmans model view of entrance steps

New 40B Cloutmans model view of entrance bridge