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We are pleased to have been working on universal and accessible housing with the Mid America Regional Council (MARC) in Kansas City since 2019. This video offers an introduction to universal design renovations and to the "Remodeling for Accessible Homes" Guidebook.

Bobrick’s Planning Guide for Accessible Restrooms Continuing Education Course has been updated with 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design and includes important changes from ICC A117.1-207 for new and existing buildings. The revised course is based on Bobrick’s recently released fourth edition of its Planning Guide for Accessible Restrooms  and reviews how accessibility standards accommodate a diverse set of users. Schedule a learning session with your local architectural representative at Bobrick’s re-designed Continuing Education page . What's New? Table of Contents – a table of contents has been added for ease of reference on important areas Reference to the ICC A 117.1 – 2017 Accessibility Standards – For the first time, the 2017 International Code Council (ICC) Standards make a distinction between some dimensional requirements when applied to new buildings versus existing buildings. Federal Buildings – not covered by the ADA, federal buildings follow the provisions of the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), and we’ve created a section that addresses this. Hygiene, Health and Wellness – hygiene best practices should be included in all restrooms. This is a new section to the Planning Guide for Accessible Restrooms. Shifting Demographics – a significant shift in demographics has occurred since the ADA was put into law. The guide addresses these shifts in more detail. Multigenerational Restrooms – As the United States becomes increasingly diverse, facilities must accommodate by becoming more inclusive as the Multigenerational Restrooms section indicates. Clear Floor Spaces – a wide variety of changes have been made to the 2017 ICC Standards for new buildings, based on the increased size of three basic space requirements: wheelchair clear floor space; circular turning space, and t-shaped wheelchair turning space. Obstructed Reach Range Solutions – reach and range space requirements are outlined and illustrated in detail. Full Height Partitions – there is increasing interest in full-height partitions for improved privacy, and the 2017 ICC Standards for these partitions are addressed in detail with illustrations. Signage – Signage is required to provide direction to (or identifies) accessible restroom and bathing facilities where not all facilities are accessible. The Signage section outlines this information in greater detail. ​

There are a lot of dementia care and caregiving management platforms out there. And they keep getting better and more sophisticated: we may all use these at some point. But I keep looking for particular home tech that seems oriented towards the 60-75 yr old cohort. We're a fairly tech savvy group, no? Our house has five Echo devices but we make only rudimentary use of them: house-wide music or radio, time, temp, occasional timer, joke of the day, away security setting...not much really. I think it can control my TV. And if I invest in a lot more hardware, it can control a lot of household functions. But Echo can do a ton more without me buying anything. I just don't have the motivation to try it all out. Read more about how caregivers are using new technology to help care for older adults .

We were delighted to have the opportunity to speak with Stephen Beard who focuses on the intersection of housing and accessibility. Watch the interview here . Listen to the podcast episode here .

We know that high real estate prices are one driver of accessory dwelling (ADU) development. In this context, accessory dwellings become a more affordable housing option, not necessarily a deeply affordable option, as this article reveals. Three other interesting points: 1. Developing ADUs as condominiums. ADUs are new enough in so many places that development and financing are still pretty demanding. Alternatives are always welcome. 2. Restricting ADUs to older adults, only. This seems like a great idea to us, and would certainly lower some community resistance. But it seems difficult to enforce and constitutionally challenging in many places. 3. We need to continually emphasize the need for age friendly design for all units that are intended for use by older adults. Full Article here

This article makes the case for changing your home to allow for safer and more successful aging in place. It correctly notes the high costs for care settings and the potential cost savings of aging at home. Delaying moves to care settings or avoiding care settings altogether can save many thousands of dollars. Keep in mind that modifying a home may not be the best idea for everyone . The home may be too complicated to modify, or too costly, or may not be able to be modified to a level that will be truly useful. We know that if there were other local housing options, many of us would choose a smaller, easier-to-maintain, well designed home. The problem is that few communities have many viable alternative housing choices for older adults. Creating these dwellings also needs to be a major priority. Read full article here .

We recently completed the first edition of a guide to remodeling homes for accessible and universal design. We worked on this for the Mid America Regional Council (MARC) in Kansas City. The "Remodeling for Accessible Homes" guide covers entrance, bathrooms, kitchens and more. And we've taken great care in providing cost estimates too. Download the Guide

This post contains sponsored content provided by Boberick . The COVID-19 pandemic has changed design and accessibility expectations for commercial and public restrooms. As buildings reopen and design professionals think about new projects, a restroom’s ability to support hygiene as well as accessibility has become a top consideration. According to research conducted by Bobrick, hygiene is of utmost importance to both architects and facilities professionals. A survey of more than 300 architects and facilities professionals revealed that restrooms ranked as a top-2 area of concern for both groups. Further, 70% of architects and 92% of facilities professionals say hygiene is “extremely important” to their clientele. The research also revealed that architects and facilities professionals rarely consult with each other on projects. Only 15% of architects name facilities professionals as their top hygiene resource – only 6% of facilities professionals rely on architects most. What are the Expectations Now? New health and safety standards and accreditations have emerged, including WELL Certified and GBAC (Global Biorisk Advisory Council) STAR. While LEED® is primarily seen as an environmentally focused certification standard, it also offers incentives for supporting patron health and wellness. LEED Green Cleaning Guidance for Safety First offers pilot credits for healthy cleaning practices to reduce virus spread, support of physical distancing, ensuring adequate air and water quality and more. As new health and wellness standards emerge, design and ease of maintenance become all the more important in the restroom. Compliance with ADA and ICC A117.1 accessibility standards remains a non-negotiable. What Are the Risks? In a COVID-conscious world, the restroom poses a number of challenges. Respiratory droplets can easily spread within 3-5 feet. Transmission can occur from person to person or via surface contamination. Poor air circulation can exacerbate potential risks. Meanwhile, restrooms can be crowded, enclosed spaces, with numerous touchpoints and many shared surfaces. Keep in mind these multiple touchpoints must be cleaned every day. A single restroom utilizing manual accessories exclusively can present 15 or more potential touchpoints to a single user. For today’s restrooms, reducing touchpoints while supporting Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance for handwashing, occupancy and disinfection are overriding objectives. In fact, Bobrick research indicates that both architects and facilities see “touchpoint reduction” as a top concern in restrooms. A facility being indoors or outdoors, as well as crowd density and patrons’ ability to keep a mask on throughout their visit, are significant factors in a building’s risk of transmission. While all restrooms moving forward will require modified design approaches, knowing which building types are at the highest risk can help prioritize solutions. A New York Times article from May 2020 identified restaurants, malls and gyms as places with the greatest risk for transmission. The CDC guidance on returning to the workplace environment, which can lead to many design and operational challenges, advises that one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of infection is with frequent, proper hand hygiene – specifically handwashing and drying. Restrooms must be safe spaces, where someone can clean their hands and feel good about the process. The CDC also suggests when returning to the workspace, the traffic flow and occupancy of spaces needs to be considered. Overcrowding of these spaces leads to easier disease transmission. A key point to consider is the condition and design of the airflow to these spaces. Finally, the CDC also addresses the cleaning and disinfection of spaces. From a design standpoint, it is critical to consider the types of surfaces used for moisture control, their ease of cleaning and their ability to stand up to the repeated exposure to disinfectants or just general longevity. Viruses and bacteria like to live in any small crack or space they can find. So, considering the surface and the long-term condition of the surface is critical. Should I Specify Touchless Restroom Products? Prioritizing touchless products is one of the most impactful design strategies for post-COVID restrooms. Touchless, automatic soap dispensers and hand drying solutions are now preferred by most facilities. In addition to touchless soap dispensers, touchless hand sanitizer dispensers, paper towel dispensers and hand dryers also can support hygienic handwashing and hand drying. Doorless entries and exits, as well as new technologies, such as anti-viral touch keys, are emerging as popular solutions. You should also prioritize touchless plumbing fixtures, such as faucets, toilets and urinals, over manually operated products. Some toilet compartment door latches – such as those used on Bobrick’s PRIVADA® Cubicles -- can also operate without grasping the latch with fingers. This hardware allows users to both secure and unlock the door with a quick flick of the wrist, forearm or elbow. The hands-free L-shaped latch/handle can be used on newly designed toilet compartments or retrofitted on existing compartments to reduce contact with shared surfaces. To further support user peace of mind, you should also consider additional amenities inside toilet compartments, where possible. To address shared surfaces, such as grab bars and toilet compartment door handles, toilet compartment interiors can include a hand sanitizer dispenser, paper towel dispenser and a waste disposal to ensure optimal hand hygiene while inside and exiting the compartment. Accessibility and universal design best practices are implemented by architectural design, space planning, restroom accessories/toilet partition product specifications and facility operational policies. Specify Bobrick and Koala Kare products that support compliance with accessibility standards and universal design for inclusion and greater usability by people with disabilities. In designing for a post-COVID-19 world, evaluate restrooms from the perspectives of all restroom stakeholders, from users requiring accessibility considerations to facility operators and building owners. An overall risk assessment should be conducted to address physical distancing, density, air quality and more. Thoughtful product selection should meet patrons’ hygiene needs while ensuring smooth, reliable operation. Space and layout should optimize physical distancing with traffic flow, queuing and accessibility. When all perspectives are considered, the result is a clean, healthy restroom where everyone – no matter their physical abilities -- can feel safe. For additional post-COVID design strategies, download Bobrick’s Restroom Hygiene & Planning Guide .

The topic of this article is interesting: retaining your home's value while making it more age-friendly. However, it takes some odd twists. My comments are below. 1. Use temporary ramps. Only if you have a short term need. Otherwise, you need to figure out a proper access solution. How about using a graded entry? 2. Have one-floor living. This is ok, but not necessary. As long as the four key function areas (bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and laundry) are on the main level, you can have as many floors in a home as you want. 3. Good bathroom design. Like the zero-threshold shower. Like avoiding built-in seats. I'm not yet on board with grab bars being a selling point for most people. But they can be removed and plugged anyway. Better to have the newly popular built-in handholds, at least as starter grab bars. 4. We love accessory dwellings, whether within the primary residence or as a free standing unit. 5. Also thumbs up to drawer bases and pantry style storage. 6. Lighting - Like added, higher footcandle lighting.What do you think? For full article and to learn more click HERE

The Promise of Fair Housing Mitigating this dilemma may be an apartment design requirement that has been in force for 30 years: the Fair Housing Amendments Act design requirements. In force since 1991, these federal requirements mandate certain limited accessible features in many, but not usually all, units in larger (more than four units in size) apartment buildings. These “Fair Housing” (FH) units typically number far more than the 5% “fully accessible” units that may also be required in these same projects. These FH units have somewhat wider doors than typical units, and a bit of extra maneuvering room in bathrooms and kitchens, and reachable environmental controls. These features combine to offer limited usability improvements to unit interiors when compared to standard unit designs, offering less accommodating features than the more accessible “5%” units. While they are not designed for easy and full use by the homemaker who uses a wheelchair, the doorway, space, and reach requirements also benefit those who use other mobility devices such as walkers and those with bending or reaching limitations. Of greater impact – to an even broader number of beneficiaries - the Fair Housing design requirements mandate accessible parking and accessible routes of travel on the site and into and throughout many buildings. The requirements also mandate access to most amenities and service areas in an apartment complex such as laundry and recreation facilities. The Fair Housing Act provisions allow a tenant to undertake some modification of their units. I have never heard of a case with a full conversion to accommodate the needs of a wheelchair using homemaker. The limited unit interior features and the modest remodeling provisions mean that units built to the Fair Housing Act requirements don’t seem to be meeting the needs of a number of people with disabilities, particularly those who use wheelchairs. However, the combination of unit and site features means that the FH units in multifamily projects might be good places for those who are ambulatory but who have mobility issues that don’t require the use of a wheelchair, such as many older adults. Proposed Solutions The accessible housing problem remains: Fair Housing does not increase the number of truly accessible apartment or condo units. To ensure a reasonable chance of finding a more usable accessible unit during a typical apartment search, several options are possible: 1. Expand the Fair Housing requirements: mandate larger bathrooms and more adaptable kitchens. 2. Require landlords to allow more substantive accessibility renovations within units. 3. Adopt a universal design standard, applicable to virtually all apartment units. This adaptable, flexible standard could apply to far more units (than 5%) so that units could be more easily adapted for tenants with disabling conditions.

The corner location facilitates the installation and use of wall-mounted grab bars. It seems to me that bowl-mounted bars have far more utility for most older adults in the sit-and-stand movements than wall mounted bars. Also, the traditional idea for the horizontal-wall mounted bars next to a toilet is to allow a person to execute a sideways transfer from a wheelchair. Very few older adults, should their situation demand the use of a wheelchair, will have the arm/hand/upper body strength to safely perform a sideways transfer. What do you all think?

The number, utilization, and availability of accessible apartments remain a challenging area for disability advocates and the apartment industry. Advocates assert that many persons with disabilities have great difficulty finding accessible units to rent. The industry claims the accessible units are expensive to build, that it is hard to find persons with disabilities to occupy them, that the units must be discounted to be rented or must be retrofitted to a condition that appears more typical to be appealing to the broad array of renters. The Renter’s Dilemma The challenge of finding a place to rent is a perennial problem for many. All renters seek housing that meets their criteria: Is the location near work, shopping, transit, or school? Does the apartment or complex have desirable amenities? Does the apartment have the features that are needed? Is the size right? Does it have the right number of bedrooms, for instance? Is the price affordable? Is the condition of the unit acceptable? With all of these criteria to meet, it is no wonder that the task can be onerous. Timing can be key. In addition to all the other criteria, an apartment hunter has a choice of only the units that are available while the search is on; this may be a time frame of just 30 – 45 days. If you have a disability, particularly a mobility impairment, you have to add other criteria: is the complex and the unit accessible? The Apartment Inventory Over the past 30-40 years, a small percentage of units in many apartment projects have been specially designed and built as “accessible”. Often pegged at 5% of the total number of units in a project, these special units have wider doors, bigger bathrooms, and lowered features in kitchens, all intended to help the wheelchair user perform his or her daily activities. Over that same time period, apartment projects have been built with some accessibility to the site and to public areas: parking, pathways, lobbies, laundry, etc. However, the percentage of required accessible units (around 5%) in newly constructed apartment complexes has not increased over that time. The number of accessible units in most areas is limited and is far less than 5% of the total number of units because 1) very few older buildings (for example, pre-1991) have accessible features or accessible units, 2) almost no dwellings with less than four units are accessible, and 3) some of the 5% units have been remodeled (“de-accessed”) to standard unit features. The number of accessible units that are available during a typical apartment search is reduced further because once occupied by a household with a person with a disability, accessible units turn over less often. People with disabilities know how hard usable units are to find, they are more likely to remain in a hard-to-find accessible unit, with the result that their tenancy is longer than average. Of the apartments that are available during a typical apartment search, we can expect far less than 1 in 20 to have accessibility features; perhaps as few as 1 in 50. With this limitation, it is no wonder that those seeking accessible apartments report great difficulties in the search. Stay tuned for part 2 of this series, where we’ll cover the effect of Fair Housing Design Requirements and our suggestions for a path forward.