Research Paper_ 4th draft

A Study on Adaptable Residential Design for Mobility Disabilities (GOOD TITLE)

Ben Lee (Min Hyung Lee) Oct, 19, 2007

Introduction

The increase of mobility disabilities, who use wheelchairs and other mobility aids, due to the rapid growth of aging society, traffic accidents, and industrial disaster, becomes a major issue in our society. Communities and government has tried to give people with disability equal right to participate in their society as (valuable) members. For example, nowadays, public facilities, not only buildings but also roads, schools, and parks, are more accessible than past and use by all the people without any barrier. However, the disabled still have struggled with their physical obstacles. In spite that Interior designer should need to (delete) consider about various classes (replace it with other expressions.) of people and their ability, few studies on Interior design for the impaired have been limited to public facilities. Therefore, it is necessary to think about the physical characteristic of the handicapped and their family members to live a convenient life in their house. And this (To address this issue, this report proposes ‘universal design’…) research paper regarded standard of universal design in residential design. According to the center for universal design (2007), universal design is barrier free and accessible design for all people and makes product and builds environment to be usable by all people without exception. (Ben, you need to explain how you will develop your ideas in this paper before you start the body part.)
Physical characteristic of the handicapped (Check APA style for sub-titles/You need to consider another subtitle for this paragraph. Your focus is on the design not on the physical characteristics of the handicapped. This is not a medical report!)

Residential space design is one of the most important factors which influence their (who are “they?” Remember, you need to be REALLY CAREFUL when you use pronouns.) quality of life and an independent life. House is very important place for wheelchair users because they should stay much time in their house.(I think this is too personal opinions. How did you know this? What if many disabled individuals got active jobs that need them to be outside of their houses? Can you provide any data?) However, the physically impaired have difficulty in moving with their physical obstacles in the house. According to Young and Pace (2007), People with severe mobility disabilities use either electrically powered wheelchair or a normal wheel chair by human power. People who use wheelchairs have some of the most obvious access problems. House design for common people has been developed with developing industrialization, while house interior design for wheelchair users has not been developed with a lot of primary factors of difficulty. This physical blockage include narrow gallery spaces, steep slope, uneven surfaces, negotiating steps or changes in level at an entrance, toilet and bathing facilities, and reaching and seeing items placed at conventional heights. (Ben, reduce these sentences into 2-3 sentences. )For example, they can’t move to the side directly and wheelchair needs extra space to turn around. And also it is difficult to use both side hands when wheelchair users move ahead and there are limits to approach by hand on the wheelchair. They have difficulty in moving on prominence and depression and steep slop. Finally, it is difficult to switch from wheelchair to another object such as bath tubs, toilets, and beds and also people need safety holder to help to sustain near this objects and appropriate height and space to switch from wheelchair to another object.

Universal design in residential space

The interior designs and architectures are definitely important to the handicapped because it could be focal point for quality of life. For example, the handicapped have to bear the inconvenience in their house made by the standards of the general people.(You already mentioned this point in the above. Don’t repeat any ideas without adding new information. Because of this, your paper sounds redundant!) In some case, the physically challenged use facilities designed for them conveniently after remodeling facilities, while their family feels difficulty using this facility because this design doesn’t consider about normal people. Therefore, this standard should peruse convenient life style between the incapacitated and family in the same place and universal design, which was suggested at North Carolina State University, could be solution to solve this problem in this place (Revise this sentence and make it strong and clear, because this is your proposal to solve the problems raised by you). Researched by Young and Pace (2007) showed, if the impaired people who use wheelchair don’t live in particular house designed in consideration of the disabled, they feel difficulty during their life time with their wheelchair. (the position of this sentence is not proper. You can use this one as part of topic sentences in this paragraph.) (Before you go to the next, explain briefly your suggestions using universal design.)

Entrances and General Interior

Whenever they enter into their main door, they would meet prominence and depression in front of door. And they need another person’s help to enter into. Therefore, in terms of entrance design, they suggested some criteria for the handicapped
• One entrance without steps.
• Minimum five x five-foot maneuvering space at the stepless entrance.
• For viewing, a sidelight or a peephole at 42 and 60 inches above the floor.
• All closet rods adjustable to 48 inches above the floor.
(You need a citation. Without it, it sounds like your own creative ideas, which are not proper at this stage.)

Kitchens

Moreover, they need extra space for going through with wheelchair and more space to turn around in kitchen. However, we can not find this wide space in kitchen generally and disabled people feel difficulty to move back and forth in kitchen. And they have to bear difficulty from kitchen furniture and refrigerator. For example, whenever they want to open the door of kitchen furniture and refrigerator, wheelchair users have to move beside from theses objects because of lack of space in kitchen. With regard to kitchen design,
• Adaptable cabinets to reveal knee space at sink and under work surface near cooking appliance.
•Counter space with front - or side-mounted controls and staggered burners to eliminate dangerous reaching.
•Single-lever faucets.
•Side-by-side refrigerator/freezer or refrigerator/freezer with frozen food storage in the bottom.
•Variable height work surfaces adjustable through a range of 28 to 42 inches.

Bathroom and bedroom

And the bathroom is important space that causes many unexpected accident and accident due to carelessness. The obstruction factors were increased when the disabled try to use both hands or to reach and pick up objects, to move and to assist the severe handicapped in the bathroom. And also the bathroom needs extra space to move and turn around wheelchair in it. Designer have to think about the height of toilet as same as wheelchair and safety holder for the enfeebled because it is difficult to switch from wheelchair to bath tubs and toilets. As regards bathroom design,

•Adaptable cabinets to reveal knee space under lavatory.
•Enlarged reinforced areas around toilets and bathing fixtures to provide secure. mounting locations other than the minimums found in design standards.
•offset controls in tub or shower to minimize stooping, bending, and reaching.
•Single-lever faucets.
•Toilet centered in a minimum 36-inch wide space, 18 inches from the sidewall.
•Adjustable height hand-held shower head.
•Mirror to backsplash at lavatory.
Finally, the bedroom need more space to access to the bed and the height of bed is as same as wheelchair.

Conclusion

This research handled (focused on the…) characteristic of disabled people who use wheelchair, their difficulty in general residential house and suggested some criteria as the solution of these problems. Even though this research paper suggested some standards in residential design, these are set limit to wheelchair user and this paper could not cover all the physically challenged.(Excellent! It is really good to present the weakness of the paper.) And there are no researches about serious illness disabled people like cerebral palsy. Therefore, designers and architects have to establish particular adaptable standards for each different the disabled.

(Ben, this conclusion is too weak. In the first part, you need to summarize the content, then you will provide your personal interpretations of the research you have done. As I mentioned in the text, you need to find sources to support your ideas of universal design. Otherwise, this paper would be more likely an essay, which is not acceptable.)

Reference List
Ostroff , E., & Preiser, W. ( 2001). Universal design handbook. New York. McGraw-Hill.
The Center for Universal Design (2007). About Universal Design. North Carolina State University. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/about_ud/about_ud.htm
Young, L. C., & Pace, R. J. (2007). Accessible multifamily housing. North Carolina State University. Retrieved September 20, 2007, from http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/pubs_p/docs/acessiblemultifamilyhousing.pdf
Young, L. C. (2007). Residential Rehabilitation, Remodeling and Universal Design. North Carolina State University. Retrieved September 28,2007, from http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/pubs_p/docs/residential_remodelinl.
Pdf