FEATURED ARTICLE
Homes That Help: Smart Design for Independent Living by Perry Cross
THE JOURNEY TO INDEPENDENCE When I became a C2 ventilated quadriplegic at 19 years of age following a rugby accident 25 years ago, living with independence in my own home didn't seem like an option.
Perry Cross has been a leading figurehead in the field of spinal research and launched the Perry Cross Spinal Research Foundation in 2010. The former rugby union player became a quadriplegic as the result of an injury sustained in a tackle in 1994. He has since dedicated his life to finding a cure for paralysis and is now helping people with high-supported living needs live independently in everyday communities in everyday homes, albeit homes with special smart design modifications and features.
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And in reality, homes designed to adequately support people with high-supported needs to live independently simply didn't exist until more recently and even now, are few in number. And when I'm referring to 'homes', I'm not talking about institutions or nursing facilities - I mean real dwellings where people would want to call home; in locations where people would want to live. However, there are more than 28,000 Australians requiring supported specialist accommodation, while there are currently only 4,000 such dwellings available across the country.
THE MAGAZINE FOR THE ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTANTS IN ACCESS AUSTRALIA
