"The idea of the accessible home has evolved beyond grab-bars and ramps to one where accessibility is built into the design, making living in the house easier both for people with disabilities and those without disabilities, young and old"--

"Accessible Housing considers the role and significance of house builders in influencing the design and construction of accessible housing that can meet the needs of disabled people. Its primary focus is the speculative house building process, and the construction of private (for sale) dwellings. The book describes and evaluates the socio-institutional political, and technical relations that underpin the design and construction of housing. These, so it is argued, shape builders' reluctance to design and construct housing that is flexible to accommodate variations in bodily needs and performance." -- Book jacket.

Paralyzed Veterans of America has revised and expanded the first edition of Accessible Home Design. Color photographs illustrate attractive and innovative accessibility projects. Graphics from the previous edition have been revised for better clarity and supplemented by new color drawings. The book's scope has been expanded to address not only a home's interior and exterior spaces but also many of the more detailed elements. In additon, advice for planning a design, construction contracting and oversight, building permits, and project financing have all been updated to meet today's standard.

A history of design that is often overlooked—until we need it Have you ever hit the big blue button to activate automatic doors? Have you ever used an ergonomic kitchen tool? Have you ever used curb cuts to roll a stroller across an intersection? If you have, then you’ve benefited from accessible design—design for people with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. These ubiquitous touchstones of modern life were once anything but. Disability advocates fought tirelessly to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities became a standard part of public design thinking. That fight took many forms worldwide, but in the United States it became a civil rights issue; activists used design to make an argument about the place of people with disabilities in public life. In the aftermath of World War II, with injured veterans returning home and the polio epidemic reaching the Oval Office, the needs of people with disabilities came forcibly into the public eye as they never had before. The US became the first country to enact federal accessibility laws, beginning with the Architectural Barriers Act in 1968 and continuing through the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, bringing about a wholesale rethinking of our built environment. This progression wasn’t straightforward or easy. Early legislation and design efforts were often haphazard or poorly implemented, with decidedly mixed results. Political resistance to accommodating the needs of people with disabilities was strong; so, too, was resistance among architectural and industrial designers, for whom accessible design wasn’t “real” design. Bess Williamson provides an extraordinary look at everyday design, marrying accessibility with aesthetic, to provide an insight into a world in which we are all active participants, but often passive onlookers. Richly detailed, with stories of politics and innovation, Williamson’s Accessible America takes us through this important history, showing how American ideas of individualism and rights came to shape the material world, often with unexpected consequences.

Are you looking for ways to create an accessible space to live in? Perhaps you plan to build or renovate, or you need some tips and ideas to help you stay in the home you love? Accessibility is so much more than just grab bars in bathrooms! Whether you are creating a space that works for you, your client or your loved one, Build YOUR Space helps you make decisions that will allow for reduced physical energy needs, improved safety during everyday activities, increased independence and the preservation of dignity. Build YOUR Space "walks" you through the process of planning an accessible space, from a single bathroom to a whole home. You will learn how the big decisions, like windows and flooring can make as much of an impact as the small details of counter height and door handles. Build YOUR Space will help you customize your space to fit your personal requirements.For those who build, renovate and design new buildings, Julie will help you save time and money by doing it right the first time. Using her own home as an example, interviews from experts and further ideas from unconventional accessible spaces, Build YOUR Space highlights all the tips and tricks that you didn't know you needed to know. Julie Sawchuk is an Accessibility Strategist, certified by the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification(R) program. As a published author and professional speaker, she combines her lived experience with her passion for helping people make smart decisions when planning for accessibility. Julie has helped plan the renovations of small century-old buildings on the mainstreet of her hometown, as well as the design of the newly constructed Blyth Cowbell Brewing Co. Two Canadian International Airports have become RHFAC certified with Julie's help and major Ontario cities have also come calling. Julie's home is a showcase of how accessibility is not just functional, but also beautiful.

Improved housing conditions can save lives, prevent disease, increase quality of life, reduce poverty, and help mitigate climate change. Housing is becoming increasingly important to health in light of urban growth, ageing populations and climate change. The WHO Housing and health guidelines bring together the most recent evidence to provide practical recommendations to reduce the health burden due to unsafe and substandard housing. Based on newly commissioned systematic reviews, the guidelines provide recommendations relevant to inadequate living space (crowding), low and high indoor temperatures, injury hazards in the home, and accessibility of housing for people with functional impairments. In addition, the guidelines identify and summarize existing WHO guidelines and recommendations related to housing, with respect to water quality, air quality, neighbourhood noise, asbestos, lead, tobacco smoke and radon. The guidelines take a comprehensive, intersectoral perspective on the issue of housing and health and highlight co-benefits of interventions addressing several risk factors at the same time. The WHO Housing and health guidelines aim at informing housing policies and regulations at the national, regional and local level and are further relevant in the daily activities of implementing actors who are directly involved in the construction, maintenance and demolition of housing in ways that influence human health and safety. The guidelines therefore emphasize the importance of collaboration between the health and other sectors and joint efforts across all government levels to promote healthy housing. The guidelines' implementation at country-level will in particular contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals on health (SDG 3) and sustainable cities (SDG 11). WHO will support Member States in adapting the guidelines to national contexts and priorities to ensure safe and healthy housing for all.