An exemplary house built with universal design will be available for public viewing at the Greater Iowa City Area Homebuilders Association 2002 Parade of Homes on June 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9, 2002.

This house on 1821 B Street, Iowa City, in Iowa is a collaborative effort of Mercy Hospital, Moore Construction Co., and is designed by Shelly McCafferty. The project Universal House Design is created to promote benefits of universal design in everyday living environment and increase accessibility in daily living. This universal home will feature some basic designs such as step-less entrance, wider doorways and hallways of 32 inch clearance, and an accessible bathroom on the first floor.

These simple features help minimize physical barriers, hence allowing residents of all ages and abilities to live independently throughout their lifetime. For more information on this house, call
(319) 356-5121 or (319) 356-5400 ext. 20, or visit the website at: http://www.icgov.org/universaldesign.htm to see the floor plan.

The Consumer Consortium on Assisted Living (CCAL) together with MetLife Mature Market Institute have recently released the 2nd Edition of the consumer checklist titled "Choosing An Assisted Living Facility: Considerations for Making the Right Decision."

Recognizing the lack of complete information on the existing facilities and their wide variability, this checklist consolidates some key points of consideration when choosing an assisted living place. This useful and convenient publication may apply to assisted living facilities in every state despite obvious discrepancy between facilities in different states.

The questions included in the checklist are not inclusive of all the necessary points of consideration for every individual, but are intended to guide consumers through the potentially confounding search process for a suitable assisted living facility. The checklist contains general questions that consumers should ask themselves to identify and assess their needs. Also included are questions on the facility concerning the quality, services, and other relevant aspects such as activities, meals, and costs.

For more information and to order the checklist, visit CCAL's website at http://www.ccal.org/checklist.html, or order over the phone by calling (703) 533-8121. The previous version of the checklist is available for viewing online.

Tetra Society of North America is a nationwide volunteer organization established to help improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities. With approximately 400 volunteers, Tetra designs and develops custom assistive devices based on the clients' need, to help enhance the accessibility of their living environments.

Last month, Tetra opened a new chapter in the Los Angeles area, servicing the population living with disabilities in Los Angeles, California. The volunteers consist of engineers, architects, occupational therapists, and others with special skills to create ingenious assistive devices.

After careful screening of clients' requests, Tetra organizes the details of projects before handing over to the volunteers to design and build the suitable assistive device. The projects cover all aspects of accessible living, ranging from mobility, personal care, communication, to vocational/educational needs. These services are provided at a minimal cost of the volunteers' mileage to the site of implementation and the cost of the materials.

The organization was originally formed in 1987 as a self-help group consisting of friends and families as volunteers to help create assistive devices for people with disabilities. In 1992, the Tetra Society of North America was established as a formal program, recruiting skilled volunteers, and expanding its services to a larger population. Other existing chapters in California include San Francisco, and San Diego; other chapters are located in Portland OR, Seattle WA, Vancouver BC, Columbus OH, and Anchorage AK.

For more information on the newly established Los Angeles Chapter, contact Lorraine Teneja at P.O. Box 7161 Northridge, CA 91327-7161, (818) 832-3675, or email tetra-la@linkline.com. For information on Tetra Society of North America, visit the website at: http://www.reachdisability.org/tetra.

Contrary to the popular opinion, making a home safer and more accessible does not require major home renovation. Sally Haile, from the Center of Universal Design in Raleigh, N.C. recommends some simple, practical steps to a safer home. "Home modifications don't have to be expensive," said Haile. With small, effective changes having an accessible living environment does not have to be costly.

Integrating home modification that applies to existing homes and universal design which targets home designs, the Center considers all possible options as solutions to environmental barriers. The recommendations given are on major parts of a home, such as the house entry, stairs, bathroom, and lighting.

Suggestions indicate that lighting along the steps is crucial to the house entry and inside a multi-level house with stairways. This simple change can help prevent falls, which is a common accident among older adult from walking in the dark or searching for light switches. Another option is to install lights with electronic sensors that light up when someone approaches. If the homeowner chooses to install a ramp, Hail specifies that a safe ramp leading to the house entry needs to be 1 foot long for every inch of rise.

Another important area in a home is the bathroom where two small changes can improve its accessibility. Hail suggests the swing hinges for the bathroom door, which allows it to swing clear of the frame, providing extra two inches to the width. A second option is to hang the door so it opens outward away from the bathroom, allowing more space to exit and enter without limiting the interior space of the bathroom.

(Source of article is from a Chicago Tribune article titled Small changes can have big impact in home design.)

In the recent month, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and President of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced a new partnership between the two influential organizations in the housing industry.

The goal of the collaboration is to promote the accessibility requirements and disability rights under the Fair Housing Act. Efforts will focus on educating and training professionals in the housing industry about their responsibilities to provide accessible housing to persons of all abilities.

Specifically, HUD and NAHB will endorse the design and construction requirements for accessible multifamily housing, apartment buildings, and condominiums. Educational campaign thus will be a step to inform the building industry and the consumers on essential accessible housing requirements.

With increased awareness of the accessibility rights, and housing requirements, HUD and NAHB hope to ensure that anyone with needs accessible housing will be able to find them readily available. Some current initiatives grants to other involving organizations such as the International Code Council (ICC) to develop a single set of comprehensive model building codes; and KPMG Consulting, Inc. to develop a 3-year training and technical guidance program.

Source of article is based on HUD's news release on the website at www.hud.gov.

A joint effort between the local chapter of Rebuilding Together, the California Department of Aging's (CDA) Senior Housing Information and Support Center and the National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modification has produced an educational campaign to raise the home safety awareness in California.

Four public service announcements (PSA) will highlight the important aspects of home modification for persons of all ages. Two 30-second and two 60-second PSAs, in English and in Spanish, will be distributed statewide for airing as a television announcement and for display on the California Area Agency on Aging InfoVans. All videotapes will be closed captioned before distribution.

An informational poster in English and in Spanish will further support the campaign. A tagline and an image of a firefighter familiar with the benefits of home modifications will thematically tie the series together. The video was unveiled in April 2002 at a joint Conference of The National Council on the Aging and the American Society on Aging in Denver, Colorado. Minor editing is currently in progress.

New comprehensive safety and health inspection plans are scheduled for selective worksites with high injury and illness rates. OSHA is implementing a site-specific targeting method with employer-reported information on injuries and illnesses from 2001. This is the fourth year that OSHA is using a site-specific targeting inspection program to enforce safety measures on workplaces that need the most safety regulations.

Decisive factor of target sites includes those whose employers reported at least fourteen injuries or illness that reduce active workdays or activities for every 100 full-time employees.

For nursing and personal care facilities, OSHA will inspect those with high injury rate based on specific hazards. The hazards include blood borne pathogens/tuberculosis, slips, trips, falls, and back injuries from handling patients.

Besides these targeting sites, OSHA will also randomly select 200 workplaces that reported low injury and illness rates to collect information on the actual degree of compliance with OSHA requirements.

For more information, visit the website at http://www.osha.gov; information is also available to sensory impaired individuals by calling (202) 693-1999.