Homes for Impaired Children

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this chance for thanking my research facilitator, friends & family for support they provided and their belief in me as well as guidance they provided without which I would have never been able to do this research.

DECLARATION

I, (Your name), would like to declare that all contents included in this thesis/dissertation stand for my individual work without any aid, and this thesis/dissertation has not been submitted for any examination at academic as well as professional level previously. It is also representing my very own views & not essentially which are associated with university.

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ABSTRACT

Constructing a home does not only involve taking care of the technical details, but a very important part of the designing a house is taking care of the fact that it takes into account the comfort level of all the residents. Obviously all measures need to be taken to avoid hazards in domestic settings, especially where children live. The need becomes even more pressing incase of children with disabilities. The design and architecture should essentially be implemented keeping in mind the individual physical needs of the disabled or impaired. This, however is a less researched and largely ignored area, even within the design community. Designing a comfortable house that is equally comfortable and hazard free for the impaired is an area that requires immediate attention and measures. Flexhousing and Visitability are two concepts that need to be kept in mind when designing homes for impaired children.

Argument for the thesis: what is the importance of designing comfortable and hazard-free homes for impaired children?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTii

ABSTRACTiv

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW2

Understanding Disability2

Disability Models2

Disability in Canada3

On the Topic of Home3

Home Modifications4

Disabled Homebuyers6

The Meaning of Home7

Summary11

CHAPTER 3: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS12

Universal Design12

1. Equitable Use12

2. Flexibility in Use13

3. Simple and Intuitive Use13

4. Perceptible Information13

5. Tolerance for Error13

6. Low Physical Effort13

7. Size and Space for Approach and Use13

Flexhousing14

Visitability14

Inclusive Design15

Principles of Inclusive Design18

A Need for Change20

CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION21

REFERENCES23

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Human rights and human diversity are concepts that Canada has embraced constitutionally with regard to culture and ethnicity, however within every race, religion, and age bracket, a group of people exist who have physical impairments. These people, in addition to overcoming the effects of their individual impairments on a daily basis, live in a culture that values physical wholeness, an environment geared toward a healthy, ambulatory male (Imrie, 2004). Though legislative advancements are apparent in the accessibility of many commercial buildings in the last 25 years (Crichton & Jongbloed, 1998), little action has been taken in Canada with regard to the home as a place to support occupational performance (performance of activities related to self-care, productivity and leisure). The profession of occupational therapy, with its focus on the person-environment-occupation fit, is well situated to assist in the established movement toward improved accessibility for everyone in the built environment (Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, 2003).

Housing providers should ensure that they make the accommodation comfortable and reasonable for children with disabilities. The person with any sort of disability should have ...