Occupational Therapists Aid in Designing for Special Needs

It has been shown that an individual with a known medical condition will function better in a more independent, safer, accessible and health-sustaining environment. It cannot be assumed that individuals with special needs will adapt to their surroundings. Careful attention must be taken to provide products and structural changes which meet the needs of the user.

With the collaboration of a team of professionals consisting of occupational therapist, interior designer, architect and building professional, a partnership is created which provides the opportunity for users to be engaged within their environment.

The perspective of an occupational therapist provides a comprehensive profile of an individual’s activities of daily living. They can make an analysis of barriers in an environment and also provides knowledge on what kind of environment works best for the user. OTs are trained and have expertise in these areas.

By fitting the person with the environmental needs and assessing the activities to be engaged in, an environment is created which supports the interaction between the user’s abilities and the activities of choice, giving a person freedom to live in a place which is comfortable, secure and adapts to their needs.

Bathroom Trends

Historically, home sizes have shrunk somewhat during economic recessions, but an emerging consensus shows that in the coming decade, new homes will be smaller on average than they were in the past decade.


Trends in the number and size of bathrooms in homes reveal 17% of respondents showing that the number of bathrooms was still increasing, while 8% saw a trend toward fewer bathrooms in homes. Over the past three years the pace of growth has slowed significantly.

The greatest features in bathroom trends are:

• Radiant-heated floors, which are sparking growing interest due to energy efficiency and comfort considerations.
• Features that enhance accessibility and adaptability.
• Sustainable water-saving toilets in general and dual-flush toilets.
• LED lighting, due to the conservation of energy, gaining in favor even as households are generally scaling back on their investment in housing.
• Doorless and no-threshold showers, as well as handshowers, for their accessibility promotion.

Other upscale bath products are not faring as well in this new cost-conscious housing environment. Requests for steam showers and towel warming drawers/racks are reported to be declining in popularity by about a third of respondents.

While floor plans may be smaller, design considerations are getting bigger to encompass not only green products and practices, but also Universal Design.  

Call me for help in designing to meet your unique needs.

Contact an Expert When Dealing with the Great Unknown

For many people faced with a life-altering disability, the thought of returning home for the first time can be overwhelming.  Discovering that an injury is permanent may require having specialized equipment in your home to accomplish daily living tasks.  To promote as much independence as possible, an accessibility specialist can help by assessing your current home to determine which solutions will best address your needs.
In my role as an interior designer, specializing in disability and aging challenges, I can work with your health care provider to help ease your mind from the mind-filling thoughts of how you are going to maneuver with new limitations in an old environment.  At the point you know a disability is permanent or the condition is diagnosed as progressing towards needing home access features in the future an accessibility specialist should be contacted.   Your home can become a hindrance to independence.  I want to help maintain your home to remain your source of comfort, access and security when faced with any disability.

Baby Boomers accept Universal Design for Bathrooms

Plan for Future, Efficiency With Your Bathroom Design

American consumers are choosing to remodel their bathrooms in luxurious and efficient ways, according to a survey by The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

The survey found that Americans are interested in :

1. Water-saving toilets. Standard toilets typically require a family of four to consume more than 140 gallons a day by flushing alone, while a water-saving toilet only uses about 100 gallons per day per household.
2. Installing radiant heated floors, which are comprised of low voltage GFCI-protected circuits to power the systems. Hydronic radiant floors are a more traditional and popular approach to floor heating.
3. "Universal design," which means accessible for everyone.
4. No-step entry, wide doorways and halls, and main floor facilities.  Curbless showers are being installed in order to provide easy access for all users.
5. Finally, LED, energy-efficient lighting is also being placed in the bathrooms.

This completes my soapbox forum on universal design.  If you are in need of a universal kitchen or bath design, please call me. 


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