Whether you are a person with a disability, a family member of a person with a disability, or someone
planning for retirement, designing a home that will let you live as independently and safely as
possible can be an overwhelming process. You have to deal with personal and often
emotional issues and make choices that may have long lasting safety and financial
consequences.
As an Professional Accessibility Planner who is an experienced Occupational Therapist with
experience as a Realtor and as a remodeler, I have made it my mission to help people live as
safely and independently as possible wherever they chose to live. I hope that these 5 tips will
help you avoid some of the common pitfalls of accessibility remodeling.
1. Plan ahead before you begin buying self-help equipment and making arrangements for
home modifications. No matter how large or small, every good project begins with a good plan.
Don’t wait until you need it. Many people put off thinking about residential accessibility until there is
a crisis and there is no choice. You will be more likely to make expensive mistakes when you are in
the middle of a medical emergency or feeling pushed for time. If possible plan ahead when you can
take your time to gather details and consider all the consequences of your decisions.
Avoid creating new problems. Reacting to a problem by buying equipment or making a
modification without developing a comprehensive plan often leads to the development of other
problems later. A example of this is the purchase of a scooter or wheelchair without considering how
to get the scooter in and out of the car, in and out of the house, how much of the house it can be used
in, or how a person’s skin will react to the new seat, etc.
Save money and aggravation. A plan that shows what you expect to accomplish, who will make the
changes, where you can obtain equipment or support that is required, and what your costs will be will
save you time, money, and aggravation.
2. Remember that everyone is unique. Your accessibility plan should reflect what you want or
need to be able to do in your home. Don’t use a “cookbook” approach. What works for
someone else who may even have the same medical conditions you have, may not work for you. A
lot depends upon your abilities, your home environment, the help you have, etc. Many inexperience
homeowners and contractors try to follow ADA guidelines for residential remodeling. I advise people
to think twice if someone tells them they will follow ADA guidelines in their accessible home
remodeling. The guidelines are a good place to start, they are not required in single-family homes
unless they are part of the city code, and they definitely don’t work perfectly for everyone.
Think about the house as if it were a tool you use to accomplish your jobs and tasks at home.
Identify what has to change to make it easier and safer for you to take care of yourself, take care of
others, cook, clean, go to work, socialize, enjoy your hobbies…whatever it is you want to be able to
do.
Set goals. Write down a goal to work toward for each problem you have or anticipate having with
accessibility in your home. The goal should be clear. For example: “I want to be able to open the
front door and go through it by myself.”
Prioritize your goals. Your comprehensive accessibility plan may be quite large depending upon
what is important to you and what your abilities are. Deciding how important each goal is before you
begin working on potential solutions lets you work on the most important activities first, with fewer
distractions.
There are so
many ways to
do something
such as “bathe”
so details are
important.
3. Include as many details as possible about what you want to be able to do in your home
when you set your goals.
By including all of the details, you will be more likely to actually do everything you want to do.
You undoubtedly have a mental picture of the activity that includes all of the details- but will the
person you are telling your goals to develop a mental picture that includes the same details? Will you
remember all of the details once the process in underway?
For instance, clients often tell me that they want to be able to bathe by themselves. They may have a
preference for soaking in a tub over showering, they may want to be able to wash themselves, they
may want to be able to get the water pressure and temperature set by themselves, but all they said
they wanted to do was “get into the tub”. If I didn’t know enough to ask the right questions and clarify
what they wanted to do, I might not bring them solutions that would allow them to do all of the things
they knew they wanted, but didn’t actually say they wanted until I prompted them.
I once had a contractor tell me that he preferred to work without a specific set of details from the
customer as it was easier for him to do what he felt was best. I think it is more likely that the
customer will get what they want if they, their access designer, and the contractor discuss
and work from the same details. Needless to say, I don’t have this particular contractor on my
referral list anymore.
4. Think about difficulties in the home as challenges, not problems. You may not have
control over medical issues, development, or aging, but you do have control over how you
view these events.
Sometimes, our own attitudes are our worst enemies. If you tell your self something is awful and
impossible, it probably will be. If you call something a challenge, you are telling yourself it may be
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difficult, but there is a solution. Trust me, it will be easier to start working on those solutions if you
feel like you are facing challenges and not huge problems.
If you have a lot to do, focus on one small piece at a time.
If you are making permanent changes make sure whatever changes you make can be built on to or
added to in the future. Sometimes, you can make changes that are not permanent, or that blend in
and can be used by everyone regardless of ability.
5. Be willing to change. Making your home safe and accessible may mean doing things
differently or using a product in a unique way.
Some people reject potential solutions because changing feels like giving up control to them.
They may not even realize that the effort to stay in control by not changing, is actually hurting their
ability to stay healthy and to be as independent and in control as possible. If you suspect you are
doing this or someone you trust suggests you might be afraid to change, ask yourself this question.
What is more important – whether you can do whatever you want to do, or how you do it?
Changing how you do something isn’t giving up, it is being smart enough to find another way
to accomplish a goal.
No one can afford to learn by trial and error when their safety and independence is concerned.
Think about what you hope to accomplish, and get help with information about your options before
you begin. I hope that these tips will help you begin the access planning process with a better
chance of success. Please don’t hesitate to call on us at Home Access Solutions if you want
additional information in order to make informed decisions about equipment and remodeling.
BevVan Phillips, OTR/L, CAPS
Making everyday living and everyday caregiving
safer and easier For seniors and people with disabilities
with 3 services: Professional access design,
specialty equipment, & specialty remodeling
7914 W. Dodge Rd. #326 Phone: 402-291-9514 www.HomeAccessSolutions.com
Omaha, NE 68114-3417 FAX: 402-291-4202 info@HomeAccessSolutions.com
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