Top Ten Design Tips: Number 5

#5 Design For Accessibility  
Believe it or not, everyone gets older.  Yup, its true.  But no matter the age most everyone faces some physical disability of some sort during a lifetime.  It can be as simple as the need for glasses to read a book or drive a car.  Sometimes accidents can result in a temporary need for crutches or a walker.  But that doesn’t mean that your home or work environment should be a road block to recovery. That is where “universal design” comes in.  It means creating spaces that have the broadest use by the largest number of people no matter the disability.  It can be as simple as wider doors or halls.  It might be a bathroom with a bath on the first floor.  Consider how easy it would be to use a shower without the customary threshold that many stumble over getting in and out of the entry.  For some it can be important to have at least one entry way without a tall threshold.  So think about these important factors in the design of your space so as to have the greatest accessibility, adaptability + flexibility that will span a lifetime.