Universal Design: Born Again

Have you raised a child?

I often wonder what I learned in school that was so great: geometry, endless history, exotic authors, extreme science? After years of school there was so much practical stuff that I didn’t know: how to cook, nutrition, conflict resolution, and child rearing. Simply bizarre, even absurd, that it was assumed that I would instinctually know what to do when shepherding a little being along the path to adulthood. Well, the good thing about school is that I did learn where to find information – the library!

If you raised a child and went to the library to find out how, you would encounter a tsunami of information. The same is true in a bookstore – aisles of books. On the internet, fogedaboutit! When bringing a newborn home from the hospital, there are tons (literally) of information.

There is another time when we bring a being either into our home or into our neighborhood; it’s when we have a parent who would benefit from the extra care we can provide when they are close by. What prepares us for this? Nothing. So, back to the library (bookstore or internet). Woops! Slight problem – no information! No tons of books on the topic – not even one pound!

I’m all about universal design and advocating its wide adoption. I have the books – most of them. They occupy a whopping 15 inches on my bookshelf! That’s it, and, many are out of print. I’ve bookmarked the websites on this topic, same deal – just a handful. You are gonna stumble when trying to get useful information – chances are you don't know where to start (hint: Universal Design Resource and AARP).

OK, we do have more babies than we have parents moving back close to home. But, this is changing. Demographic and economic factors are rapidly putting us sandwichers into barely getting one being out of the house when another comes in. And so it is. But, this absence of info makes it really hard. I have to make every mistake the person did before me and those that follow will have to repeat my mistakes. Meanwhile there is all the suffering that comes as a result of an ill prepared transition.

So, that’s the way it is for now. Change will come and authors will step up to meet this rising demand for good advice. There will be a Dr. Spock for adults caring for their elders. For now, hang in there. Write a blog, share your experience, join a support group. I’m busy finishing a book on universal design and in it is a section that addresses this concern. You’ll get some help evaluating a house or apartment, a neighborhood and how to transition a full and complete life including social connections and medical ones. If you have thoughts to share, please contact me or post a comment.



Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
September 11, 2009
Universal Design Resource
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Universal Design: 10 Simple Home Improvements for Seniors

Are you 55 or older? What would be the simple improvements to make your home get you another ten years of usability?

AARP does annual surveys to assess the desire to age in place, and the means which people are employing to do so. This annual survey, in its fifth year, looked at who made what improvements and what was the benefit. 70% did at least one modification that made it easier to live at home. Half of them believe the simple modification will make living at home longer possible, adding as much as 10 years to the livability of their home. The 30% that did not make any improvements to their home cited physical and financial limitations.

The home improvements cited most frequently were:

1. Levered doorknobs.
2. Grab bars in bathrooms.
3. Levered faucets in kitchen sinks.
4. Handrails on both sides of stairwells and on front and rear steps.
5. Grab bars in showers; removal of any door threshold.
6. Movable shower heads for those who must sit.
7. Portable shower seats.
8. A bathroom with a bath/shower as well as a bedroom on the first floor.
9. Widened doors to accommodate wheelchairs.
10. Ramps for those using walkers and wheelchairs.
    

And who can stop at just one top 10 list? Here’s another that lists the main improvements to reduce chances of falls, the #1 killer for seniors - yes #1!. From AARP’s CDC report:

10 steps to make home a safer and more comfortable place:

1. Install handrails on both sides of all steps (inside and outside);
2. Secure all carpets and area rugs with double-sided tape;
3. Install easy to grasp shaped handles for all drawers and cabinet doors;
4. Use brighter bulbs in all settings;
5. Install nightlights in all areas of night activity;
6. Add reflective, non-slip tape on all non-carpeted stairs;
7. Install lever handles for all doors;
8. Place a bench near entrances for setting down purchases and resting;
9. Install closet lights, as well as adjustable rods and shelves;
10. Install rocker light switches; consider illuminated ones in select areas.
    

What are you waiting for? Get to work!


Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
May 28, 2009
Universal Design Resource
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Universal Design: Website Under Construction

The Universal Design Resource website is undergoing revision! When created, my intention was to raise awareness and provide information. For the revision, I have structured a tiered approach: First is a facelift using today’s technology making it easier for you to participate by either finding what you are looking for or by submitting your own material. Universal design is not so much a destination but rather a dialogue; the new UDR website will support that. Second will be networking opportunities similar to Facebook and Linkedin. The final tier will be a wiki-style knowledge base. In all levels of development, I will strive to meet the needs you expressed in the survey (which you can still respond to).

Here’s a quick glimpse of UDR Version 2.0:
--- More and better organized material for those who are researching universal design for their projects including internal search engine.
--- Focus on meeting the needs of professionals.
--- Courses, links, photos, hot topics & news and problem/solution forums.
--- Professional networking opportunities; marketing, codes, database.
--- Reading lists and resources.
--- Clean, intuitive look.

UDR website has an expected launch in late July. Until then, keep the feedback coming through comments at this blog, the survey and UDR email.




Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
May 7, 2009
Universal Design Resource
Universal Design Network at Facebook and LinkedIn

Universal Design: The 8th Principle, Part II

In last week’s post, Universal Design: The 8th Principle, Part I, I departed from the more frequent discussions about how we physically “fit” in our environments and looked at the emotional landscape we have as a result of being perceived and judged as fitting in or not. Here is Part II:

Judgments form the foundation of our daily decision making, and are informed and adjusted by the present situation. Driving a car is a useful example: you learn the skills needed to drive, yet every road is different and requires immediate judgments for the situation at hand. Judgments are also received without question by us from our parents and the cultures we live in. One example is height.

Our judgments of height subtly tell us that tall is better, tall is more powerful, and tall is more authoritative. Shorter political candidates struggle with this perception and constantly seek adaptations to equalize the influence of height over voter perception. Herein lies the essence of an eighth principle, can we build in a way that reduces or eliminates those judgments? Can our environments and products allow us to appear more equal to others, reducing or eliminating biased perceptions, than the way we presently design them?

In December, 2008 President elect Barak Obama announced members chosen to be on his green team. I watched the press conference and saw something unusual as a result of a rare camera angle. When it was Nancy Sutley’s turn at the podium, the camera shot switched from the rear of the room to the side of the stage. Ms. Sutley is quite short. I watched as President Elect Obama moved forward and using his foot, nudged a stepping stool into position for her. The gesture was personal; they shared a glance that was endearing and which acknowledged the caring forethought. Seen from the camera at the back of the room, one saw nothing other than one person turning over the podium to another.

With these extra inches to stand on, she presented her speech in no way marginalized by her shorter physical stature. Without these extra inches, she would barely peer over the podium, or, would have stood to its side, an action that would have unfairly singled her out from the other speakers and induced judgments base solely on physical stature.

By recognizing that it is in our nature to be judgmental and that environment influences the judgments we make at every moment, I assert that in addition to the seven principles that equalize the mechanics of a physical environment, we can add a principle that calls attention to the emotional ones.

Here would be principle eight:

8. Principle Eight: Perception of Equality –
The design minimizes the possibility of an
individual being perceived as unequal.



Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
March 29, 2009
Universal Design Resource
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Universal Design: The 8th Principle, Part I

An eighth principle would be a welcome and needed entry to the brilliant seven as created in 1997 by the North Carolina State University’s Center for Universal Design. Rather than only define the environment of a user, this eighth principle would address perception; those shared by the observer and the observed. How do we see others and how do they see us? Can we build in a way that levels the perceptual playing field in which all players are seen as equal?

I was recently asked if the New York City subways should be cleaner. As a life long resident of New York, I balked at this absurd notion. I adore our grittiness. This is my rough, nasty and harsh city and nobody is supposed to clean it up. A grimy subway was normal and it was a stable measure of our urban humanity. If you showed up dirtier than the subway, you were really a mess. If you took a few minutes to clean up, you were already better than most. And if you dressed sharp, you were king – something to be looked at and admired. That’s me; I like to look good. The subway made me look good with little effort. Clean it up and my habits and standards would appear to be lower. Pretty silly, eh? But don’t we all play such silly games? You have a look; it’s your look. You like and maintain that look. You measure how you look against how others look; you make judgments of yourself and of others. You wear sweaters or jackets; buttoned shirts or t-shirts. They are reflections of your identity and they are the image you wish to project; cloths make the man.

But suppose one morning you woke up, slumbered over to your closet and discovered not a stitch of familiar cloths. In your closet were cloths that were the wrong color, the wrong material, the wrong look and fit. Now what? You can’t go out naked so you dress with what’s there. You head out into a world completely unsure of yourself. Everything is wrong. You don’t fit in. Friends all wonder what happened to you. People react differently, better or worse. How you see yourself and how others see you has been altered simply by cloths different from those you would normally wear.

This example of dress is a metaphor for the design of our homes, cities and products and how we “fit” in them. If we feel comfortable, the experience is positive, if not, the experience is negative – it all goes wrong and we feel as if we are not seen, heard or understood. The judgments we naturally make are awry; we feel judged by ourselves and by others.

The eighth principle would acknowledge the importance of equal perception. A universally designed environment would be like familiar cloths and would support positive perceptions by others and of ourselves. We would appear and feel equal as we face daily challenges. There would be no moments when an environment or product puts us in a place where we are perceived as different.

Come back next week for part II of the 8th Principle.



Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
March 20, 2009
Universal Design Resource
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Universal Design: CAPS - Certified Aging In Place

Hooray! I am a CAPS graduate. What’s so different? Through manuals, instruction, discussion and testing, I added to my knowledge (even me, Mr. know-it-all). And, I am very excited.

CAPS is an acronym for Certified Aging In Place Specialist. It is a three-day training and certification course offered by NAHB, National Association of Home Builders. One day is devoted to general business management for builders; the other two days provide aging-in-place training in both marketing and communication strategies and design-and-build solutions.

The courses are great and I doubt that anyone walked away not having expanded their knowledge and added to their skills. The manuals are tight; they successfully condense an enormous amount of information into a well-conceived order that is easy to follow and to reference. I’ve seen week-long seminars fail to accomplish what these manuals do in 100 pages. The instructors skillfully navigate you through the material providing an overview powerful enough to help you get the details when you need them. Participant discussions add to the richness of the material bringing specialized and current knowledge.

However, NAHB is shooting a bit off-center with the certification requirements. Somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the material taught over the three days had nothing to do with aging-in-place; there was lots of basic business management and marketing. Why? It doesn’t serve the participant who gives up three days in the field for a specific training they are counting on to give their business a competitive edge.

I regretted the missed opportunity of a full three days on topic, the opportunity to be more thorough as we worked through the course materials, and the opportunity of discussion with participants who possessed much practical experience in a variety of related fields. I also was disappointed not to gain any insights on how to partner with local government on aging-in-place incentives.

I humbly suggest that NAHB removes the day-long business management requirement from their CAPS training; it’s useful, but not relevant. On the remaining two days, focus even more directly on only that which is specific to aging-in-place removing any non-specific material. Assume that participants have competence in the general management and marketing of their businesses, not that they don’t.

Great course and timely material; most construction will be remodeling as baby boomers adapt their homes to maintain the active lifestyle that has marked their generation.

My appreciation to the Builders League of South Jersey for such a fantastic job hosting the course and making us feel so welcome and cared for.


Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
February 26, 2009
Universal Design Resource
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Universal Design: The Three Little Boomers

Once upon a time there were three little boomers and the time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes. Before they left, their mother told them, "Whatever you do, do it the best that you can because that's the way to get along in the world."

The first little boomer built his house out of straw because it was the easiest and cheapest thing to do.

The second little boomer built his house out of sticks. This was a more expensive and beautiful house but lacked any amenities for later in life.

The third little boomer built his house out of bricks. This was a house for all the years of one’s life; it would never fail to keep its inhabitants happy and secure.

One night, big bad father time, who dearly loved to eat boomers, came along and saw the first little boomer in his house of straw. He said "Let me in, Let me in, little boomer or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the little boomer.

But of course big bad father time did blow the house in and so burdened the little boomer with no place to live.

Then big bad father time came to the beautiful house of sticks.

"Let me in, let me in little boomer or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the little boomer. But big bad father time blew that house in too, and meanly forced little boomer into assisted living in a far away city where costs were lower.

Big bad father time then came to the house of bricks.

"Let me in, let me in," cried the big bad father time. "Or I'll huff and I'll puff till I blow your house in!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the oldest boomer. Well, big bad father time huffed and puffed but he could not blow down that brick house. But big bad father time was a sly old man and he climbed up on the roof to look for another way to get at the older boomer.

The older boomer saw big bad father time climb up on the roof and prepared; he lit a roaring fire in the fireplace and on it placed a large kettle of water.

Big bad father time found the chimney and crawled down. KER-SPLASH! Into the kettle of boiling water he fell! That was the end of big bad father time.

The next day the older boomer invited his mother over. She said "You see it is just as I told you. The way to get along in the world is to do things as well as you can." Fortunately for that older boomer, he had learned that lesson. And he just lived happily ever after!


Konrad Kaletsch
February 18, 2009
Universal Design Resource
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Universal Design: Tax Incentives

If you live with a physical limitation, you have added expenses that are rather obvious: maybe a specialized car, home, appliances, electronics, etc. You pretty much know that if you are relocating, the home you choose will require expensive modifications just so you can move in - we’re not even talking about decorating!

If you are able-bodied, do you have such added expenses? The obvious answer is no. You relocate, move in and start decorating - no remodeling the bathroom just to take a shower. The less obvious answer is, yes. How much disability adds to your expenses varies depending on what you include. Your taxes have about $300 billion to support those who would work but can’t because work isn’t accessible! If those people were in the workforce, they would be contributing about $200 billion in tax revenue. Where do you feel this invisible but real financial pinch? It’s in your payroll taxes - the ones your employer deals with, the one that’s a disincentive for new business and innovation.

What does reversing the tax pinch look like? Rather than having the expense show up as a disincentive, lets have it show up as an incentive:

• Building universal design homes gets tax credits based on specific features (a universal design bathroom gets $500 credit; an elevator gets $1000; and so on). Presently Virginia's Department of Housing and Community Development offers a $500 tax credit.
• If remodeling your home because you have to accommodate a new disability and would otherwise have to leave your home, make it a medically tax deductable.
• Provide intelligently designed increases in disability tax credits. If you’re the one forced to pay for home modifications, sweeten the deal because when you are done, you’ll have added to the real estate market a soon to be much needed commodity, universal design housing.
• Building departments typically burden the process of granting permits; in addition to tax incentives, a universal design application could get priority status. Building departments could find other means to encourage universal design housing such as fewer restrictions; for example, allowing smaller lot sizes.
• Do you have a school tax? Create a tax incentive by lowering the school tax if a home is built or modified to meet universal design standards. Typically the occupants will be empty nesters thereby adding to any lost tax revenue.

Compared to government mandates, tax incentives keep us, the individuals who are the soul of this great country in the driver’s seat. We make the choice, and, that what universal design is about, having choice.

Konrad Kaletsch
January 31, 2009
http://www.universaldesignresource.com/

Universal Design: The Future

Survey: Making UDR Better

Read 100 books on future trends and two themes emerge: China once again becomes the dominant power (weren’t they always except for the last few centuries); and, Web 2.0 will change everything. So, wouldn’t you buy stock in a social networking company based in China?

Our bias in life favors the rear view mirror and makes it much larger than the windshield we use to peer at the road ahead. Looking back, with all its nostalgic overtones, certainly feels more predictable and assuring. But the reality is that the windshield is much bigger than the mirror, as it should be, if we are to make strategic and successful choices for our future. Universal Design Resource, seated in the driver’s seat, peers eagerly at the road ahead. On the passenger seat lies an open map. On it, a red line indicates the planned route. But, a few mysteries along the way mean stopping and asking strangers for help (I hope you appreciate the old-school travel metaphor).

As Universal Design Resource embarks on a major revision, some things are mapped and others are stops where we ask for directions. Presently, we have a survey posted and are asking you to help a stranger. Your few minutes will be a great contribution to Universal Design Resource reaching a destination that serves you better in the near future. Please follow this link to an anonymous 10 question survey (as a bonus, you’ll discover a great company, SurveyMonkey).

Survey: Making UDR Better

Thanks in advance for your generosity and neighborlyness.


Konrad Kaletsch
January 8, 2009
http://www.universaldesignresource.com/

Universal Design: You Are The Expert

Let me ask an expert…

We attribute expertise to one who has extensive training and experience. It is someone with comprehensive and authoritative knowledge. They have skills gained from years of practice. We defer to them for answers and guidance.

When it comes to universal design, the definition of expert applies to you; you are the expert. Routines repeated around your home over many years have bestowed you with these credentials. What takes you beyond the beyond is a depth of individualized research and a profound familiarity with your subject, you. You’ve been adjusting your environment to work as best as it can; there is hardly another expert out there that knows more than you. How is it that you became this expert?

You unknowingly became an expert by the very attributes that make you unique. What works for you doesn’t always work for someone else. Someone with great physical strength uses force; genius uses intelligence. What emerges is that the variety of human ability is infinite. It is variety that is normal, not some standard that there is a normal. Let’s start with 1000 people and sort out who is normal: If our first filter is average height, we quickly reduce the number of “normal” people in our survey down to a few hundred. Our next filter, average weight, reduces our “normal” people further. Let’s have one more filter, age. Now we have a handful of people that constitute normal based on just three filters! If we build for this “normal” person we are in fact building for a very few people leaving the other 900 to bend lower, reach higher, and in other ways force their bodies to work in ways that don’t feel normal (a few won’t be able function at all).

A normal person doesn’t really exist yet we design as if they do. Primary work stations such as kitchens still have a one size-fits-all approach. This leaves many unable to use parts because they are too high, too low, too dark, too heavy, etc. You adapt your kitchen as best as possible to work for you.

If we shift the focus from an expert over there to the expert in you, your contribution matters greatly, yet, there is no place for your experience to be recorded; there is no place where you and other experts can collectively design a better kitchen. Until that opportunity exists, some guy in front of a computer fishing for statistics will design for a “normal” person hoping to sell as many products as possible at the lowest cost.

Universal Design Resource is developing a new web experience where your collective knowledge is brought into forums, discussions and blogs where the best solutions can emerge and guide those that design and fabricate our products and environments. Our launch is in early 2009.

Konrad Kaletsch
November 19, 2008

Universal Design: AARP's Life@50+

I would like to say that a conspiracy took place – at least there’s intention and action in a conspiracy.

At this year AARP Life@50+ annual convention in Washington DC, twenty-five thousand attendees left knowing as much about universal design as when they walked in (nearly none). I really doubt that this was AARP’s intention; perhaps, in all the excitement of pushing product and keeping the 50+ crowd entertained, it just was overlooked.

After walking miles of convention floor for endless hours, I was amazed by the complete absence of universal design as knowledge. There are a number of advocacy organizations, but none had a booth. Not the Center for Universal Design at NCSU, not Adaptive Environments from Boston, not TRACE from Wisconsin, not Universal Design Alliance, not IDEA at SUNY Buffalo, not Concrete Change, not the National Aging in Place Council, not the National Association of Home Builders and their CAPS (Certified Aging in Place) program nor the National Council on Independent Living, and, none of the manufactures or retailers who are committed to universal design such as Toyota, Lowes, Toto, Humanscale, or General Electric. Nothing. Not even a handout.

Here’s what could be at Vegas@50+ next year: Let’s start with a Universal Design Pavilion (pavilions is how AARP clusters exhibitors by theme). The intention is that all attendees leave knowing at least enough about universal design to acquire it when they want it. This would be supported by handouts, including one in the bag you get when you register, strong visual presence at the UD pavilion itself, interactive displays, additional resources and handouts, workshops, membership drives among the advocacy groups, surveys (data mining to further understand what it takes to create universal design communities), and opportunities for manufacturers to display their commitment to products that support the independent lifestyle that you love. In addition, it would be great to see a celebrity personality give universal design a bit of pizzazz, some wow-ness.

At the core of this endeavor would be Universal Design Resource, and its president, Konrad Kaletsch, providing the leadership necessary for the fulfillment of this expanded awareness. It is easy to imagine the 75,000 attendees, now knowledgable about universal design, telling friends over the following year. If they each have 14 conversations about universal design, one million lives improve as a result. Pretty neat.