Publications

This page provides links to numerous free publications related to visitable housing. There are three sections, the first for publications about visitable housing in Hawaii, the next for visitable housing in the United States, and the last for visitable housing around the world.

Hawaii Publications

Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH CDS)

• Oahu General Plan Update Comments by UH Center on Disability Studies (May 2017). The Oahu General Plan provides guidance on development around the island to ensure important problems and future growth are addressed in a coordinated manner. In response to an invitation for public input on an update of the Plan, UH CDS submitted comments on the importance of including the goal of visitable housing. (Word Document, 5 pages, 190 Kilobytes)
• State of Hawaii Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice with a Focus on People with Disabilities (November 2016). This study was conducted by the UH CDS. It was funded by nine Hawaii State and County housing agencies to meet their requirement to regularly report on barriers to fair housing and plans to reduce them to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). (PDF, 133 report pages, 168 appendix pages, 7 Megabytes)
• Wheelchair Users Need Visitability (December 7, 2016). Honolulu Star-Advertiser “Island Voices” column by Patricia Morrissey and David Leake, on page 8. (PDF, 1 page, 340 Kilobytes)
• Why Hawaii Needs to Mandate Visitability in Housing Now (May 2017). A fact sheet describing the case for visitable housing. (PDF, 1 page, 310 Kilobytes)

Home For Life Task Force, Hawaii State Legislature

• Home for Life Task Force Interim Report (January 2011). The Home for Life Task Force was created “to reduce barriers to aging in place and to facilitate multigenerational living.”  The Task Force established four working groups, including one on universal design that identified visitable housing as an important part of efforts to support aging in place. (PDF, 41 pages, 3 Megabytes).

Honolulu Civil Beat

• Hawaii Just Doesn’t Have Enough Public Housing for the Disabled (September 2016). This online article describes complaints alleging that Hawaii’s Public Housing Authority is failing to meet its obligations under the Fair Housing Act to set aside at least (1) 5% of its units to be accessible for people who have mobility impairments, and (2) 2% of its units to be accessible to people who with serious hearing or vision impairments. The article also describes efforts underway by the Public Housing Authority to meet these requirements. (Online)

Housing Hawaii

• Housing Hawaii’s 12 Platform Statements. Housing Hawaii is a broad coalition of public, private, and nonprofit organizations dedicated to creating, preserving, and supporting accessible affordable housing for all through advocacy, education, and development. (PDF, 12 pages, 3 Megabytes)

US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

• Inventory of Public Housing Units for Elderly and Disabled in Hawaii (2010). This spreadsheet compiled by HUD shows information about 102 HUD-subsidized properties with rentals for seniors and people with disabilities. A total of 6,229 units were inventoried, with 3,766 assisted units, 1,113 units designated for seniors, and 505 units designated for people with disabilities of which 469 had accessible features. (PDF, 14 pages, 250 Kilobytes)

National Publications

AARP

• Expanding Implementation of Universal Design and Visitability Features in the Housing Stock (July 2017). This publication of the AARP Public Policy Institute was authored by Shannon Guzman, Janet Viveiros, and Emily Salomon. It explains universal housing design and visitability, and describes possible legislative approaches for promoting such housing. (PDF, 6 pages, 1 Megabyte)
• HomeFit Guide: Smart Solutions for Making Your Home Comfortable, Safe and a Great Fit (2015). AARP created this guide to help people stay in the home they love by turning where they live into a “lifelong home,” suitable for themselves and anyone in their household. Solutions range from simple do-it-yourself fixes to improvements that require special skills. (PDF, 28 pages, 2 Megabytes)
• Housing Policy Solutions to Support Aging with Options (July 2017). This publication of the AARP Public Policy Institute was authored by Shannon Guzman, Janet Viveiros, and Emily Salomon. It describes the concept of aging-in-place and explains why accessibility is essential for enabling people to remain in their own homes as they age. (PDF, 9 pages, 2 Megabytes)
• Increasing Home Access: Designing for Visitability (2008). This publication of the AARP Public Policy Institute was authored by Jordana Maisel, Eleanor Smith, and Edward Steinfeld. It examines the different types of visitability initiatives, evaluates their potential to enhance aging-in-place, discusses barriers to increasing the stock of visitable homes, and describes opportunities for promoting these design features in new home construction. (PDF, 117 pages, 8 Megabytes)

American Architectural Foundation

• Housing That’s Sustainable, Visitable, and Universal by Design (2013). This report is by Kathy Sykes, Senior Advisor for Aging and Sustainability, US Environmental Protection Agency. It explains the connections between the concepts of sustainability, visitability, and universal design for housing in view of the increasing challenges presented by an aging population and increasing rates of extreme weather events due to climate change. (PDF, 4 pages,  650 Kilobytes)

Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDeA), SUNY at Buffalo

• Local Visitability Initiatives and Policies (updated January 2014). Online spreadsheet summarizing information for 59 cities and towns (none in Hawaii).
• State Visitability Initiatives and Policies (updated January 2014). Online spreadsheet summarizing information for 35 states (Hawaii is not among them).
• Visitability: An Inclusive Design Approach for Housing (2009). This booklet provides a summary of the goals, benefits, and features of inclusive housing design. It is a preview of the book Inclusive Housing: A Pattern Book: Design for Diversity and Equality, by Edward Steinfeld and Jonathan White, published in 2010 by W. W. Norton. (PDF, 10 pages, 450 Kilobytes)

Center for Universal Design, North Carolina State University

• Creating Stepless Entrances for Multifamily Housing (2007). When multifamily housing is build in a hilly area, it is common for entrances to be reached via stairs to an elevated front porch. This tech sheet presents solutions that allow porches and also offer easy access into the house via a stepless entrance. (PDF, 4 pages, 1 Megabyte)
• Residential Rehabilitation, Remodeling and Universal Design (2006). This remodeling guide (1) describes how to select a dwelling that is conducive to accessibility improvements, (2) provides both a comprehensive list of universal features for the entire house, and a priority list of the most important universal features, and (3) provides multiple illustrated designs for modifying two key areas, entrances and bathrooms.  (PDF, 27 pages, 2 Megabytes)

Concrete Change

• Quick Guide to Low Costs of Visitability (2012). Summary by Concrete Change founder Eleanor Smith of the very low costs of including visitable features in new home construction. (PDF, 2 pages, 380 Kilobytes)

Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard University

• Housing America’s Older Adults: Meeting the Needs of an Aging Population (2014). This report is based on the concept that housing is the linchpin of well-being. It explores problems and solutions for the rapidly growing population of seniors in the areas of housing that is both affordable and accessible, social connections, access to essential services, and ability to pay for long-term care (which is often a challenge especially for renters). (PDF, 44 pages, 5 Megabytes)
• Housing America’s Older Adults: Appendix Data Tables (2014). This Excel file contains 17 data tables to accompany the above report. (Spreadsheet, 17 tables, 320 Kilobytes)
• Projections and Implications for Housing a Growing Population: Older Households 2015-2035 (2016). This report expands on the 2014 report of the Joint Center for Housing Studies entitled Housing America’s Older Older Adults (above). It is projected “that by 2035, an astounding one out of three American households will be headed by someone aged 65 or older.” The report summarizes housing circumstances of older adults, their increasing disability rates, their financial challenges, and implications for housing. (PDF, 98 pages, 6 Megabytes)
• Projections and Implications for Housing a Growing Population: Appendix Data Tables This Excel file contains four data tables to accompany the above report. (Spreadsheet, 4 tables, 110 Kilobytes)

Journal of the American Planning Association

• Aging and Disability: Implications for the Housing Industry and Housing Policy in the United States (2008). This article by Stanley K. Smith, Stefan Rayer, and Eleanor A. Smith explains how they developed housing projections that (1) 21% of households in 2050 will have at least one resident with a physical limitation and 7% with a self-care limitation; and (2) there is a 60% probability that a newly built single-family detached unit will house at least one resident with a physical limitation over its lifetime (or 91% if visitors with physical limitations are included), and a 25% probability of housing at least one resident with a self-care limitation (or 53% if visitors with self-care limitations are included). (PDF, 18 pages, 390 Kilobytes)

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) Journal

• Inclusive Design and Visitability and Elder Housing Solutions for the Future (Spring 2015). This review article by Thomas Hall describes how the aging US population is increasing the need and demand for visitable housing and discusses mandatory and voluntary legislative approaches for addressing this crisis. (PDF, 12 pages, 700 Kilobytes)

National Institute of Building Sciences

• Visitability Webpage, National Institute of Building Sciences (2017). This webpage describes the features of and good reasons for visitability in housing, illustrated with color photographs. (PDF, 4 pages, 1 Megabyte)

Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities, University of Montana

• Housing Characteristics, Home Experiences and Community Engagement of People who Report Mobility Impairment (2016). This PowerPoint presentation summarizes quantitative survey data reflecting the challenges commonly experienced by people with mobility challenges in housing and community inclusion. (PowerPoint, 39 slides, 6 Megabytes)
• National Housing Workshop: Affordable and Accessible Housing for Vulnerable Older Adults and People with Disabilities Living in the Community (December 2016.) This is a brief overview of a one-day workshop organized by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. All the presentations are available at the Workshop website. Each presentation is listed by presenter name on the right side of the screen in the drop-down “Presentations” category under “Other Meeting Resources.” (PDF, 4 pages, 150 Kilobytes)

Research and Training Center on Independent Living, University of Kansas

• Housing for People with Disabilities = On-ramp to Community Participation (2014). This flyer provides a graphic summary of 2011 American Housing Survey data on barriers faced by people who use a wheeled mobility device and live in a rental unit. Only 10% live in units covered by the Fair Housing Act’s Design and Construction Accessibility Guidelines, 54% in units with a stepped entrance, and 24% must go up at least one flight of stairs without elevator access. (PDF, 1 page, 4 Megabytes)

US Census Bureau

• Aging-Accessible Homes Summary Graphic (June 2017). This is a graphic summary of an analysis of Community Survey Data (2011-2015) on 21.5 million homes with an adult age 65 or over. It was found that about one out of three have trouble using some feature of their home, and about four out of five live in a home without an accessible bathroom. (PDF, 1 page, 4 Megabytes)

US Conference of Mayors

• Resolution 28 Promoting Visitability (Passed June 2005). This resolution expresses strong support for “the independence of persons with disabilities and seniors by promoting the concept of including visitability standards to increase access to the homes of friends, family and neighbors” and for “local and state initiatives to promote visitable housing.” (PDF, 1 page, 80 Kilobytes)

US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

• Strategies for Providing Accessibility and Visitability for HOPE VI and Mixed Finance Homeownership (2000). This publication encourages builders involved in Federally funded housing developments to include accessible and visitable features in more units than required, to help meet program goals of creating truly inclusive mixed-income neighborhoods. (PDF, 20 pages, 650 Kilobytes)
• Universal Design: Housing for the Lifespan of all People (1988). This classic paper by Ronald Mace presents a compelling case for universal design in housing to accommodate the needs of people of all ages. (PDF, 16 pages, 760 Kilobytes)

International Publications

Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, National Disability Authority, Ireland

• Building for Everyone: A Universal Design Approach (2012). This large publication provides best practice guidance on how to design, build and manage buildings and spaces for ready access and use by everyone, regardless of age, size, or ability. It consists of 10 booklets and covers mainly public buildings. Residential housing is covered in Booklet 7 on Building Types (Section 7.12) and Booklet 9 on Planning and Policy (Sections 9.4.8 – 9.4.10). (PDF, 944 pages, 18 Megabytes)
• Dementia Friendly Dwellings for People with Dementia, their Families and Carers (2015). These guidelines are based on an in-depth literature review of national and international best practice regarding dementia-friendly design. The guidelines cover both public spaces and residential settings. (PDF, 178 pages, 11 Megabytes)
• Research for Dementia and Home Design in Ireland – Key Findings and Recommendations Report (2015). This in-depth research report was used to develop the above guidelines on dementia-friendly dwellings. (PDF, 251 pages, 10 Megabytes) 

Habinteg Housing Association, United Kingdom

• Accessible Housing Policy Update Briefing for United Kingdom (2017). Outlines the current United Kingdom housing policy landscape for accessible housing and provides recommendations for overcoming the severe accessible housing deficit and achieving a more inclusive future. (PDF, 8 pages, 450 Kilobytes)
• Accessible Adaptable Dwellings Standards in 2015 UK Building Regulations M4 Compared with 16 Lifetime Homes Standards of 2011 (2016). This paper provides a chart comparing the 16 design criteria in the Lifetime Homes Standard and describes the access improvements or reductions delivered by the new United Kingdom national standard as described in Part M (4) category 2. (PDF, 20 pages, 510 Kilobytes)
• Comparison of Accessible Housing Standards in Different European Countries. This leaflet includes a chart comparing standards for 11 different rooms or living spaces for Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, and United Kingdom (leaflet published by the European Federation for Living). (PDF, 2 pages, 260 Kilobytes)
• Design Guidance for People with Dementia and People with Sight Loss (2010). This brief report summarises results from a comparative review of design guidance for people with dementia and design guidance for people with sight loss. (PDF, 8 pages, 40 Kilobytes)
• European Federation for Living Accessible Housing Design Competition – Jury Report and Design Book (2016). This report describes an accessible housing design competition for university students in six European countries, with illustrations of the top entries. (PDF, 60 pages, 4 Megabytes)
• Information and Communications Technology for Aging-in-Place (2015). This is the final report of the I-stay@home Project exploring how technology can help seniors thrive in their own homes. The project tested a variety of technologies in about 180 dwellings in nine pilot sites all over Europe. Over 100 products were tested, ranging from activity sensors to automatic page turners to robot vacuums to stove guards (full list of products). (PDF, 68 pages, 4 Megabytes)

Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York, United Kingdom

• Incorporating Lifetime Homes Standards into Modernisation Programmes (1996). The Joseph Rowntree Foundation sponsored the development of 16 Lifetime Homes standards for creating homes that meet the needs of family members of all ages. This report summarizes research on the refurbishment of homes in York to include these standards. It was found that most of the standards could be met at minimal cost, and that occupants felt the improvements increased safety and convenience for all age groups, not just people with disabilities. (PDF, 4 pages, 80 Kilobytes)

Journal of Engineering Design

• How Can the Exploding Senior Population Be Accommodated? Japanese Struggle toward Inclusive Design (2010). This article by Satoshi Kose describes the research, legislation, and policies that have been undertaken in Japan to increase the stock of accessible housing. These efforts are particularly important because the population of Japan has a higher proportion of seniors than just about any other country. (PDF, 8 pages, 190 Kilobytes)

Livable Housing Australia

• Livable Housing Design Guidelines for Australia (2012). These guidelines cover 16 design elements, from entrance to window sills, that help improve movement and safety in homes for young children, people with temporary or permanent mobility impairments, and aging baby boomers. (PDF, 68 pages, 4 Megabytes)

Social Inclusion Journal

• The Provision of Visitable Housing in Australia: Down to the Detail (2015). In 2010, the Australian Government got housing industry leaders to voluntarily commit to making all new private housing visitable by 2020. This study by Margaret Ward and Jill Franz of housing construction in Brisbane found that this commitment is not being put into practice and that mandatory regulations will be needed to reach the visitability goal. (PDF, 13 pages, 780 Kilobytes)

Visitable Housing Canada Initiative, Canadian Centre on Disability Studies

• VisitAble Homes Have Three Basic Accessibility Features. Promotional flyer for VisitAble Homes Canada with photographs showing accessibility features. (PDF, 1 page, 3 Megabytes)
• VisitAble Housing Canada Brochure. Overview of the VisitAble Housing Canada Initiative. (PDF, 2 pages, 1 Megabyte)
• Success Stories in Visitable Housing across Canada (2016). This one-time magazine issue contains 13 articles with numerous photographs on successes experienced by home buyers, building professionals, and policy makers. (PDF, 18 pages, 500 Kilobytes)

United Nations

• The Right to Adequate Housing for Persons with Disabilities Living in Cities (2015). This UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) report takes a human rights approach to promote development of human settlements that are welcoming to persons with disabilities, including sufficient accessible housing. Numerous studies are synthesized to identify actions and practices to make this goal a reality. (PDF, 136 pages, 2 Megabytes)