[Visitaccess] FW: Planetizen Article on Accessible Housing

Tue Jun 5 10:50:48 EDT 2007

Yes, but cane/walker is actually complicated with
respect to ramps, etc.  It's often a toss-up as to
whether people needing them will take stairs or a
ramp.  My mother, when she used a walker, preferred a
stairway with a stout railing to a ramp, which could
throw her back out.  After her hip replacement, her
doctor told her to avoid ramps for 2 years.  A level
entry was best, but then she preferred stairs, and a
ramp was (is) a last resort.  

--- Liz <lkormos at nycap.rr.com> wrote:

> I think you are being too narrow to restrict the
> analysis to wheelchair
> users.  Anyone who uses a cane or walker is mobility
> impaired and should be
> included in the analysis.
> 
> Liz Kormos
> >President
> >Kormos and Company LLC
> >12 Overlook Drive
> >Voorheesville, NY 12186
>  
> 518-439-8903
> 518-466-8904 cell 
> lkormos at KormosandCompany.com
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: visitaccess-bounces at cnunext.org
> [mailto:visitaccess-bounces at cnunext.org] On Behalf
> Of Bruce F. Donnelly
> Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 10:21 AM
> To: CNU VisitAccess
> Subject: Re: [Visitaccess] FW: FW: Planetizen
> Article on Accessible Housing
> 
> Fine, but that's not what he asked.  What is the
> percentage of people who will need wheelchairs in
> their lifetime?  What is the percentage of dwellings
> in which people who use wheelchairs will live?  Or,
> since that is probably pretty hard to get, what is
> the
> percentage of people who will be both able-bodied
> enough to live independently _and_ who are in need
> of
> wheelchairs in their lifetimes?  
> 
> There _is_ an old statistic (1995 or so was the last
> I
> saw) of people who are outside institutions and use
> wheelchairs, but if there's a parallel claim that
> people are being forced into institutions because of
> mobility, then that implies that the percentage of
> people outside institutions using wheelchairs would
> be
> higher if they could find housing that accommodates
> them.  
> 
> It's not enough to say that the number or percentage
> of people over 65 is going up, because at the same
> time I am hearing that the number of people in each
> age cohort needing mobility assistance is going
> down. 
> That is, if we are able to offer hip and knee
> replacements, better prosthetics, direct nerve
> stimulation and robotic exoskeletons (which are
> being
> rolled out in Japan), then the age at which 10% of
> people need wheelchairs will likely go from 82,
> where
> it looks like it is now, to 85 and up.
> 
> There must be stats and projections; do you know
> where?
> 
> 
> --- "Steinfeld, Edward" <arced at buffalo.edu> wrote:
> 
> > From: Steinfeld, Edward 
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 9:28 AM
> > To: 'Kormos'
> > Subject: RE: [Visitaccess] FW: Planetizen Article
> on
> > Accessible Housing
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > This is a chart from a paper we commissioned:
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Demographics of Wheeled Mobility Device Users
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > By
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Mitchell P. LaPlante, Ph.D.
> > 
> > Associate Adjunct Professor
> > 
> > Dept. of Social and Behavioral Sciences
> > 
> > Disability Statistics Center
> > 
> > University of California 
> > 
> > 3333 California Street, Room 340
> > 
> > San Francisco, CA 94118
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > October 7, 2003
> > 
> >  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Figure 1. Proportion of the population unable to
> or
> > having some
> > difficulty walking by themselves, and use of
> > assistive devices, by age:
> > United States 1995-1997
> > 
> >  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > This paper is being updated for publication in a
> > journal. From the graph
> > you can find the incidence of mobility impairment
> at
> > any age. 
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Edward Steinfeld, Arch.D., AIA
> > 
> > Professor of Architecture and Director
> > 
> > Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental
> Access
> > School of
> > Architecture and Planning
> > 
> > University at Buffalo, State University of New
> York
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Tel. 716 829 3485 (x327)
> > 
> > Fax. 716 829 3861
> > 
> > email address:arced at buffalo.edu
> > 
> > IDEA Center website: www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea 
> > 
> > ________________________________
> > 
> > From: Kormos [mailto:lkormos at nycap.rr.com] 
> > Sent: Monday, June 04, 2007 10:23 PM
> > To: Steinfeld, Edward; VisitAccess at cnunext.org
> > Subject: RE: [Visitaccess] FW: Planetizen Article
> on
> > Accessible Housing
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Edward,
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Isn't it be possible to calculate statistically
> the
> > probability of being
> > mobility disabled during your adult lifetime.  It
> > would be interesting
> > to calculate the probability of both your own
> > disability and also that
> > of having a close family member with a disability
> > (parents, grandparent,
> > child) at any given point in time.  Adding that
> > factor would show how
> > common this is in families.  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > This year my 90 year old uncle visited our home in
> a
> > wheel chair.  My 84
> > year old father in law walks with a cane and can
> not
> > do stairs. He lives
> > in a retirement community nearby and visits our
> home
> > often staying the
> > weekend.  Luckily I built my two story home with
> 36
> > inch wide doors, a
> > single step into the house from the garage (the
> > builder said I couldn't
> > do at grade in 1994) and a first floor study/guest
> > room and first floor
> > full bathroom.  The added cost was minimal.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Just drive around a typical older neighorhood and
> > see how many people
> > have installed ramps.  I just don't understand the
> > resistance from those
> > building new single family construction.  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Liz Kormos
> > President
> > Kormos and Company LLC
> > 12 Overlook Drive
> > Voorheesville, NY 12186
> > 
> > 518-439-8903
> > 518-466-8904 cell
> > 
> > lkormos at KormosandCompany.com
> > 
> >   
> > 
> > 	-----Original Message-----
> > 	From: visitaccess-bounces at cnunext.org
> > [mailto:visitaccess-bounces at cnunext.org]On Behalf
> Of
> > Steinfeld, Edward
> > 	Sent: Monday, June 04, 2007 7:01 PM
> > 	To: VisitAccess at cnunext.org
> > 	Subject: [Visitaccess] FW: Planetizen Article on
> > Accessible
> > Housing
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > 	The % of people who have a mobility impairment is
> > cross
> > sectional data - it doesn't tell us who is at risk
> > or who will
> > eventually have such an impairment over the course
> > of their life. Since
> > houses last a long time, we have to take the long
> > view. The % over 65 IS
> > important because older people have a much high
> > probability of having a
> > mobility impairment than the rest of the
> population.
> > They are a large
> > portion of the population at risk. Moreover, they
> > will drive the market
> > for accessibility because, due to the experience
> > with their parents,
> > this generation is much more aware of the
> importance
> > of access for aging
> > in place. 
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > 	Edward Steinfeld, Arch.D., AIA
> > 
> > 	Professor of Architecture and Director
> > 
> > 	Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental
> > Access School of
> > Architecture and Planning
> > 
> > 	University at Buffalo, State University of New
> York
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > 	Tel. 716 829 3485 (x327)
> > 
> > 	Fax. 716 829 3861
> > 
> > 	email address:arced at buffalo.edu
> > 
> > 	IDEA Center website: www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea 
> > 
> > 	
> > ________________________________
> > 
> > 
> > 	From: visitaccess-bounces at cnunext.org
> > [mailto:visitaccess-bounces at cnunext.org] On Behalf
> > Of Bruce F. Donnelly
> > 	Sent: Monday, June 04, 2007 6:53 PM
> > 	To: CNU VisitAccess
> > 	Subject: Re: [Visitaccess] Planetizen Article on
> > Accessible
> > Housing
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > 	I'm immediately skeptical when someone uses
> > irrelevant
> > statistics.  The percentage of people over 65
> isn't
> > relevant; the
> > percentage of people with mobility disabilities
> is. 
> > 
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > 	Too static <-> "Life" <-> Too noisy
> > 
> > 	--Christopher Langton
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > 	Bruce F. Donnelly
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > 	216 470 9348
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > 	From: visitaccess-bounces at cnunext.org
> > [mailto:visitaccess-bounces at cnunext.org] On Behalf
> > Of Todd McLeod
> > 	Sent: Monday, June 04, 2007 4:02 PM
> > 	To: visitaccess at cnunext.org
> > 	Subject: [Visitaccess] Planetizen Article on
> > Accessible Housing
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > 	The linked article on accessibility for
> > single-family housing
> > was posted to Planetizen last Tuesday, and
> includes
> > a reference to
> > Eleanor Smith and "Concrete Change."
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > 	http://www.planetizen.com/node/24729
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > 	Todd McLeod, E.I.
> > 
> > 	Civil Design, Inc.
> > 
> > 	The Guaranty Building
> > 
> > 	120 S. Olive Ave., Suite 403
> > 
> > 	West Palm Beach, FL 33401
> > 
> > 	Tel:  (561) 659-5760 x102
> > 
> > 	Fax: (561) 659-5772
> > 
> > 	Cell: (561) 676-6208
> > 
> > 	tmcleod at civil-design.com
> > 
> > 	www.civil-design.com
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > 	 
> > 
> > > _______________________________________________
> > Visitaccess mailing list
> > Visitaccess at cnunext.org
> >
>
http://mail.cnunext.org/mailman/listinfo/visitaccess_cnunext.org
> > 
> 
> 
> Yours truly,
> 
> Bruce F. Donnelly
> 
> (216) 470-9348
> 
> 