Basics

I thought I would cover some of the basics of accessible design. Fundamentally we have change our mind set. We must put ourselves in the position of the person we are designing for. We do this now in that we design with our clients wants and desires and taste in mind. We must go a step farther and keep their physical needs in mind also. We have to keep in two sets of specifications or standard practices. Things like height at which we place a light switch or electrical outlet. The height of counter tops and what we use for floor coverings. All these items have different answers depending on the clients physical needs. For me it is easy to keep these things in mind, since I have spent the last 36 years in a wheelchair. And the fact the majority of the homes you will build or remodeling jobs you do will not require any modification from standard practices. And I might mention here that neither will most of the accessible jobs you do. There are only a few things that will have to be done differently. In this blog I hope to cover all of the differences between standard building practices and the ADA practices. I will try to cover accessibility room by room. Also from time to time, as we touch on the subject, I may get a little more animated when we discuss my pet peeves. We will get started with our room by room tour of accessible design. So until then breath Peace and God's Love.......