Home Adaptations

These extracts are taken from the site:

I built my house in 2001. The process was arduous but I had an overall positive experience with building my own home. The reason I chose to build was because I needed accessible housing. For the past several years I lived in a two bedroom apartment spending way too much. I tried to find an accessible apartment with the amenities that I required such as a roll-in shower, but couldn't find any. There is a definite shortage of accessible housing in this country, which will only get worse in coming years with the aging of the baby boom generation. Likewise, there is an emerging interest in remaining in one's home and receiving at-home care rather than automaticatically going to a nursing home at the onset of any degree of physical disability. Two major reasons for being placed in a nursing facility is due to a lack of accessible physical accommodation in the home and an inability to receive at home nursing care. I realize that nursing homes have their place, but I applaud all efforts to allow a person with a disability to remain in their home all long as feasibly possible.

In the bathroom lavatory I used an accessible sink by Kohler (Invitation model) that has the drain positioned in the back to prevent a wheelchair user's knees from hitting the plumbing underneath. This product has worked wonderfully for me. The sink projects from the counter to be nearer to a seated person. The tail fin levers to the faucet are also within easy reach. I used a simple Formica laminated countertop that could be cut to size to fit the available wall space (5' long). The counter was installed 34" from the floor with ample space for leg room beneath. I personally don't like standalone wall-mounted sinks with narrow ledges in the master bathroom, because there's not enough room to place everyday items, like toothbrushes, shaver etc. However, I do have a wall-mounted sink in my half bathroom for access. I don't need to place tolietry items on that one.

A smart home is one that has been wisely planned and designed to fit your particular needs. Like a wheelchair or computer, a house should be considered as one type of assistive technology, perhaps one's greatest aid for enabling one to perform daily tasks intelligently, easier, and independently. Access to enter one's own home is crucial, but if one cannot control their environment than that's only half the battle.



X10 devices are the easiest and most popular method of home automation. There are several websites detailing this technology and offering different types of X10 controllers and responders. Smarthome.com is one of them. X10s work great in an apartment and rental housing but I feel that one should be able to design your own home so X10s aren’t as necessary. The thermostat and wall switches should be within reach and operable by a wheelchair user. There are different types of thermostats out there designed to be operable for persons with hand limitations. I used outside carriage lights that are motion activated and light sensitive to automatically turn on at dusk. I used a motion sensor for the porch light that easily screws into the light fixture. Both were available at my local hardware stores. There are many automated devices that are available for a little extra. I bought Emerson overhead fans with remote controls so pulling the chain is not necessary. I mounted the remote control on the walls next to the light switches, which I can control fan speed, light on/off and dimming, and fan direction. Timers are also commonly available to activate lights, outside Christmas lights, and the lawn hose. For turning on table lamps in a room, I, like many have the power to all the top wall sockets (or bottom) in the living room controlled by a wall switch. This is practical for everyone for turning on several lights from a single, convenient location. If you want turn on specific lights at certain time in the day then X10s might be the solution. I use X10s to control hard-to-reach appliances or turn on Christmas lights. You can also use automatic drapery openers to operate most pullstring curtains.