1) What is accessible design?
It is a concept of designing a home and which includes features such as wider doorways, zero steps and wheelchair maneuvering areas (to name just a few). By doing so you will create somewhere that will be accessible to you and all your family and friends, no matter what their age, ability or height. This will become a home where anybody will be able to live comfortably and easily for as long as they wish, and will not be forced to move out because of illness or injury, whether temporary or permanent.
2) Who is it for?
It is for everybody at every age. For example, a step-less and curb-less front door will be just as useful when pushing a baby stroller through, or for your friend rolling through in their wheelchair, or the delivery guys maneuvering large pieces of furniture or appliances through on moving day. Accessible design features make everybody’s life safer and more comfortable.
3) What does accessible design look like?
It looks like a normal home but it will feel more spacious and be much easier to use. In fact, you probably won’t realize it’s an accessible home immediately, you will just notice how much you love it.
4) Why are there so many terms for it?
You may have come across terms such as aging-in-place, universal design, wheelchair accessible, barrier-free, and visitability. These are all similar concepts and technically have some slight differences between them. We have chosen to use the simple and straightforward term of accessible design, but we incorporate concepts and factors from all the above terms. The important thing is that we are designing for inclusion in order to make private and public spaces available to everyone.