Universal Design Means Accessibility

Universal Design Means Accessibility
An increasingly popular concept known as universal design is based on the notion that any building should be attractive and usable by all people, regardless of age or physical ability. The idea has caught on as the population ages and people seek to remain in their homes instead of moving to retirement communities.

"It's difficult to swallow that we're all going to need these things,'' said Mary Jo Peterson, an interior designer from Brookfield, Conn., who specializes in creating accessible kitchens and bathrooms.

But whether from old age, a skiing accident or a hip replacement, it's a fair bet that most people will have to live with a mobility problem during at least some portion of their lives.

So some designers say any home renovation or new construction should include accessibility features such as no-step entrances, extra-wide doorways, lever door handles, no-lip showers and at least some lower counters and under-sink legroom in the kitchens and baths.

And nobody should be able to notice.

"We don't want it to look institutional,'' said Carol Peredo Lopez, national architecture director for the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Lopez is completing a book on accessible design.

"Most of the images in our book do not look like a wheelchair user lives there,'' she said.

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