5 minute read
Homes for People of All Abilities
by CoxCollege
Homes for people of
All Abilities
Story by Eric Baker and Dr. April Swanson Photos provided by Dr. April Swanson
I found myself frustrated by the barriers that traditional home design can create. I witnessed patients who tried to complete everyday activities such as showering, cooking, and laundry, but could not because of the way the house was designed.
Dr. April Swanson, Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Associate Professor for the Cox College Occupational Therapy department, is on a mission. For over 20 years, she has worked as an occupational therapist to help patients achieve their highest level of independence. When working as a home health OT, Swanson noticed common barriers in homes. Her mission is to see more homes built with design features that meet the needs of older adults and people with disabilities.
“I found myself frustrated by the barriers that traditional home design can create. I witnessed patients who tried to complete everyday activities such as showering, cooking, and laundry but could not because of the way the house was designed.” Swanson recalls. “I worked with the patient to see what we could rehabilitate and what we needed to adapt so they could stay as independent as possible for as long as possible.”
Finding a contractor who can build a home with accessibility in mind can be a challenge. Swanson took action. She decided to combine her home health experiences and her love for innovation to design and construct accessible housing on her own. “It took me several months to get the design finalized,” she said, “I found inspiration for certain elements from the internet, but largely, I was inspired by the principles of universal design. I also wanted to keep construction costs low so that rent would be affordable.”
The entire process of creating accessible housing can be challenging. Contractors do not always understand concepts she wants. For example, Swanson had to explain things such as why she wanted to go with a slab foundation and not a crawl space. She found teachable moments when working with contractors, city inspectors, and other developers to explain universal design and accessibility features. Her current design offers wide doorways, open design, roll-in showers, rocker light switches, higher electrical outlet placement, adjustable shelving, and ZERO stairs. Designing an accessible home requires some detailed planning but can be the difference between someone remaining in their home or moving to a facility.
Swanson’s latest project presented challenges even prior to breaking ground. “I’m not a big multisubdivision developer and I felt like I had presented an idea to the City of Republic that was a bit outside of
Dr. Swanson received praise from city officials for her efforts focused on building homes that are “more for people than for profit.”
the normal building requests,” she said, “I wanted to make this project to be an example of housing that is accessible, attractive, and affordable.” Swanson’s first challenge was to rezone the property. She said, “When I purchased the lot, I had misinterpreted the zoning rules but through consulting and persistence, I was able to figure it out.” She was able to get the property rezoned and even received praise from city officials for her efforts focused on building homes that are “more for people than for profit.”
Being a female builder in a male dominated role has also presented challenges. On one occasion, a salesperson from a construction supply company asked her to “talk it over with her husband.” Swanson laughed, “My husband would have told him to ask me!” She decided to ask for another salesperson and successfully communicated all aspects of ordering and receiving building supplies. On another occasion, a subcontractor made some significant mistakes and became angry and abusive when confronted with his errors. She was able to pull in a more professional team to correct the costly mistakes and move forward. Overall, though, she believes it was well worth the challenges. The result is an accessible duplex with a very functional and accessible design that rents for below market price and is in a quiet neighborhood among single-family homes.
As a professor at Cox College, Dr. Swanson loves to see her occupational therapy students get involved. She often offers hands-on learning opportunities for students and hopes her love of innovation inspires the students to find creative solutions for patients.
As of this article, Swanson has designed and built three homes, consulted on two commercial projects, and redesigned dozens of existing homes for livability. Swanson says one of the best compliments on her recent project was when people asked if she would design and contract their home. “I did not expect that, it was a nice compliment,” she said.
Swanson serves on the board for a non-profit, independent living organization, Empower Abilities (scan QR code below for more information). She is also member of the HOME team, a local group with a mission to increase affordable and accessible housing in southwest Missouri.
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