Housing to Meet Special Needs of Families Competency 1.03 Sherry Brooks David W Butler High School

Developed by Ronald Mace at NCSU “ Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” The intent of universal design is to simplify life for everyone by making products, communications, and the built environment more usable by as many people as possible at little or no extra cost. Universal design benefits people of all ages and abilities

Special Needs for Children Install gates at top AND bottom of stairs Store all household (cleaners, medicines, etc) behind locked doors

Put plastic outlet caps over all unused electrical outlets Tie cords of blinds high so children cannot reach them

Keep children away from any area that may have toxic or lead-based paints Corrosive (such as acids, bleach, drain cleaner ) Flammable (burns easily Paint and Paint thinner) Reactive (explosive or produces deadly vapors) Toxic (poisonous to humans).

Elderly Change all floors to be of one type (all wood, all vinyl) for better mobility. Remove all rugs so not to slip Provide safety bars in the bathroom near toilet and bathtub

Provide safety seats in tubs Provide additional lighting in hallways and night lights Provide lever handles on doors

Strobe Smoke Detector

Impaired Mobility and/or Wheel Chairs Trim doorway thresholds so they are flush with floors Provide handrails on both sides of stairs and hallways. Should extend at least 18” beyond last step

Grab bars in bath and rubber or non-slip flooring Seat in shower/tub, chairs with arms

Place to sit while preparing meals, varied height counters, room for knee space

Impaired Vision Mark the flooring changes with wide strips of contrasting adhesive tape Use large type or Braille on any product that would be considered poisonous (household cleaners) Remove all furniture with sharp corners, glass tops, or that can turn over easily Telephone should have large numerals or Braille. Pre-program all emergency phone numbers

OTT-LITE A hands-free magnifying accessory OTT-LITE A hands-free magnifying accessory. The neck extends to cover large areas. The lens rotates for easy viewing. The flexible shaft provides universal positioning. 3X magnification.

Hearing Impaired Install lighting to flash for doorbell, smoke alarms, and telephone Use portable vibrating timers in kitchen. TTY/TDD telephone (can type message into phone to be received) Sonic Shaker

Resources Housing Decisions, pages 108-112 Housing and Interiors, pages 31-33 www.spinlife.com Copyright ©2007, ABCD, All rights reserved