Wheelchair-Accessible Housing Rolls in, Slowly

Article Date: 2008 05 02

If you build it, they will come. It worked -in a baseball movie, so why not with wheelchair-accessible housing?

The philosophy goes like this: As the baby boomer generation ages, more and more elderly people or seniors with disabilities will be looking to take advantage of Costa Rica’s balmy tropical climate and pura vida way of life. Build them wheelchair-accessible hous¬ing, and they’ll buy it.

Good in theory, but it’s been a slow road thus far, developers and real estate agents say. The general consensus, from the northwestern province of Guanacaste to the booming Central Valley, is that the market hasn’t materialized yet - but it won’t be long.

Jon Armstrong, developer of Las Pampas, a housing development in Santa Ana, southwest of San Jose, .is staying ahead of the curve; he says he has designed his homes with versatility for any potential res¬ident in mind.

He calls it “one-floor living,” and empha¬sizes that his homes can accommodate wheelchair users but are also attractive to anyone who’d prefer not to tromp up and down stairs all day.

This is retirement, after all.

In the United States, the American Asso¬ciation of Retired People (AARP) calls it “universal design.” The difference between ordinary handicapped-accessible and uni¬versal design homes is simple, according to the association’s Web site (www.aarp.oig):

“Universal design is getting popular for two reasons. First, it looks nice. Second, more people want universal housing. We all want more comfort in our homes.”

- Armstrong has chosen this route. Instead of sterile-looking, whitewashed rooms, his are spacious and airy, with doorways wide enough to allow easy access and movement.

It’s subtle, he says, but for someone in a wheelchair, it makes all the difference.

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