DISCLOSURE: Occasionally we work with affiliates during our adventures. We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in our posts.

Have you ever experienced a barrier free house; one where its accessibility was so seamless you didn’t even notice?  Neither had we until we visited the Universal Design Living Laboratory in Columbus, Ohio. Based on the principles of universal design, this house is the epitome of form and function in terms of accessibility. Experiencing this environment was an important part of our home building journey.

We were unfamiliar with Dr. Rosemarie Rosetti, Ph.D.’s work in universal design when we began our home construction adventure back in 2021. A friend of ours had recently attended a workshop at the Universal Design Living Laboratory and strongly recommended we reach out to Rosemarie to arrange a tour of Rosemarie’s lab, which by the way is also her and her husband, Mark’s, home.

We researched Rosemarie’s work and could relate to her stories of builders not understanding the accessibility needs of a homeowner who uses a wheelchair. Rosemarie is paraplegic and when her and Mark went to build an accessible home they found little if any resources on how to build it. This lab grew from those experiences, wanting to give people with disabilities a resource that they themselves did not have access to.

We were fortunate that this internationally recognized lab is located in Central Ohio, an easy two hour drive south of where we live. We scheduled an appointment for our personal tour with Rosemarie and her husband Mark via their website. The tour includes the first floor and basement of the house as well as the garden and took us about 90 minutes.

Angela had visited several newly constructed accessible homes prior to our tour but never one like this one where every aspect was designed for a wheelchair user. Typically, accessibility is a design compromise, not a central design focus.

Rosemarie and Mark warmly welcomed us when we arrived. The first thing we noticed was the portico, a covered area allowing easy exit from a vehicle to the lab’s front entry. The walkway leads up to a barrier free door. What struck us the most was that the portico did not present itself as an accessible feature. It looked natural and effortless; a true example of form and function.

We entered and began the tour. Just like a friend showing you their home for the first time, Rosemarie showed us around with great pride. The foyer and great room were beautiful, especially with its vaulted ceiling and all the natural light from the windows. It looked like a home out of an architectural magazine. As we walked along she would point out what made each area accessible. As with the portico, everything was seamless. Nothing stood out as adapted or compromised; again, form and function.

Thanks to their residential elevator we were able to fully explore the house, including its classroom downstairs. We toured nearly every nook and cranny. John spent quite a bit of time asking Mark questions about various details; things like “did you pick this style shower floor drain based on a practical need or on personal taste”, “was this vanity custom made or can it be bought off the shelf”, things like that. Mark was gracious and talked through all of the details.

Angela’s favorite part of the house was the kitchen. With its pull-down shelves, pull out dishwasher, and wheelchair height counters, she could envision herself functioning more independently in this kitchen than any other she had been in. Amazingly, many of the features work for any ability level.

And her second favorite part was the master closet and how easy it was accessing the wardrobe. This has been a challenge in every apartment she has lived in. She had never seen anything like and, and it is totally accessible! 😄

We left the experience inspired to create our own custom home design. We also followed the lead of making every bathroom in our house wheelchair accessible; even though Angela is unlikely to use all three on a regular basis. 

Dr. Rosetti and her husband Mark are a wealth of knowledge on universal design. We knew from the start we would have to be our own accessibility advocates working with our builder and their team. To help us, we bought a copy of Dr. Rosetti’s Universal Design book to have on hand.  

They also offer consulting services. They will sit down with both you and your general contractor to review the design and ensure that everyone understands what it will take to successfully execute the project from an accessibility standpoint. 

Regrettably we did not use this service. We felt confident enough to proceed on our own. Though the design we created fits our needs almost perfectly, our general contractor’s understanding of accessibility is severely lacking. On multiple occasions during pre-construction we found unapproved changes to accessible features we included and we are on different pages at almost every turn. A consultation with Rosemarie and Mark would have paid for itself many times over had we gone that route. We hope others learn from our mistake.

Most people building an accessible house will not build one like the Universal Design Living Laboratory. But the purpose of visiting the lab is to let you experience a truly accessible house and give you ideas of what is possible. We highly recommend a visit if you are in Ohio and building or modifying a house. For our followers from afar; we highly recommend the virtual tour posted on the website.