Metro Housing Still Subpar for the Disabled
by Kenneth Brown
First of a two-part story
Efficient housing
for person with disabilities is a huge concern in our community.
It’s an issue because housing designed
and built years ago, and still being built today, did not and does
not consider the disabled.
Most residences today do not have an entrance at grade that would
allow a person with mobility impairments to enter the home with
ease. Most residences today do not have wide enough doorways for
a wheelchair or scooter to enter freely. The corridors are not
wide enough to accommodate the wheelchair or scooter.
The bathroom, in most cases, is not wide enough or deep enough
to accommodate the wheelchair user, nor does it have the grab bars
necessary for a person with a disability to be self-sufficient.
One other concern, of course, is affordability. To retrofit an
existing residence to accommodate a person with mobility impairments
can be expensive. However, to design and build new homes with elements
that will meet the needs of many with disabilities is no more costly
than the residential buildings that are being designed and built
without them.
Architects and builders
can put up buildings with elements that make them more usable
by a larger portion of the population now and in the future by
incorporating a few changes. They can make fully accessible residences,
adaptable residences, or “visitable” residences.
The residences would be available to be used more efficiently by
the occupants for a longer period of time.
As we age and live longer, a natural part of aging is the loss
of some of our mobility. We do not desire to have to go up and
downstairs, go around walls and other obstacles, climb in and out
of a tub or shower, have to have ladders and stools available to
get items off of high shelves, or have to move furniture constantly
to plug and unplug appliances.
A residence that incorporates “visitability” elements
is the least expensive and offers many benefits. These visitabilty
elements are: one no-step entrance, thirty-two inch clear doorways
throughout the dwelling, and a one-half bathroom on the main level.
The no-step entrance can be in the front, on the side, in the
rear or in the garage. The thirty-two-inch clear doors means there
are 32 inches of minimum clearance, not just the width of the door.
The half-bath allows for personal needs to be accommodated by those
living in the home as well as those visiting the dwelling.
In Minnesota, there
is language in our housing law that specifically addresses a
portion of the need for housing by the disabled community. This
language is referred to as “The Visitability Requirements.”
This requirement reads
in part: All new construction of single-family homes, duplexes,
triplexes, and multi-level town-houses that are financed in whole
or in part by the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency must incorporate
basic visitability access into their design and construction.
For the purpose of this section, “visitability” means
designing a dwelling so that people with mobility impairments may
enter and comfortably stay for duration.
We will provide information
on the forms of accessible housing in future columns.
[This article first appeared in the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.]
Kenneth Brown welcomes
your comments, suggestions and thoughts. He can be reached via
email at Ablenotdisabled@aol.com or by phone at 612-729-8463 x2.
