In the Fall of 2010, I participated in a two day conference at Saint Louis University related to the importance of accessibility and the huge demand that will be facing our society driven by the “Age Tsunami.” Over 77 million “Baby Boomers” are becoming 65 years old at the rate of 10,000 per day in 2011. This group of Americans, of which I am one, were born after World War II and have, as a group, been reasponsible for having made huge impacts on the way we educate, live, play, travel etc..
These alarming statistics have further supported my mission, “All people live full active lives through functional and beautiful homes.”
Since I am in a wheelchair, and I am very observant about how people get in and out of homes, public buildings and transportation, I am noticing that we as a society will experience a visitability gap in the future. Through business, I have found gaps to be a good thing to be aware of and a source for improvement or an awareness that calls me forth. Most homes are not visitable by people who experience challenges in walking. And, as we get older our health most likely will not improve, so I request everyone think about, how accessible (or visitable) is my home? Drive to doorway, street to door, sidewalk to door, sidewalk to front or back door…
