Accessibility & Universal Design

Accessibility Analysis of Model Building Codes

Contains Federal Register Notice of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's review of four model building codes. Describes the difference between the codes and the design and construction requirements of the Fair Housing Act.

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Accessibility Guidelines Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions on accessibility guidelines of the Fair Housing Act.

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Accessible Design - Universal Design Resources

Information on universal design principles, guidelines, resources and companies.
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Accessible Housing Information

Accessible housing information and news for people with disabilities, housing officials, builders and designers.
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Accessible Space, Incorporated

Locate accessible, affordable housing and assisted/supportive living and rehabilitation services for persons with physical disabilities, brain injuries, and seniors.
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Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Requirements

Guidelines to ensure that buildings, facilities and vehicles covered by the law are accessible, in terms of architecture and design, transportation and communication to individuals with disabilities.
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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings & Facilities

Contains the scoping and technical requirements for accessibility to buildings and facilities by entities covered by the ADA.

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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Checklist for New Lodging Facilities

Checklist designed to help hotels, motels, inns and other places of lodging comply with the ADA and be accessible to people with disabilities.
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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design

One of two standards (along with the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards) for new construction and alterations under the ADA for state and local government facilities. In addition to being incorporated into local building codes, they are a good source for univeral design concepts when building or remodeling private homes.

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Beyond 50.05: A Report to the Nation on Livable Communities: Creating Environments for Successful Aging

AARP's Beyond 50 report presents an agenda for examining, building and retrofitting communities to support successful aging. Livable Communities: An Evaluation Guide is also available. Both documents are in .pdf format.

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Center for Universal Design

A national information, technical assistance, and research center that evaluates, develops and promotes accessible and universal design in housing, commercial and public facilities, outdoor environments, and products.
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Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS)

CAPS professionals have been taught the strategies and techniques for designing and building aesthetically pleasing, barrier-free living environments.
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Common Violations of the Fair Housing Act Design & Construction Requirements

The Fair Housing Act requires that new construction of "covered multifamily dwellings" both private and public, comply with the Fair Housing Act's design and construction requirements. The information on this site provides examples of common accessibility errors or omissions that have been identified through a review of a number of properties.
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Concrete Changes

Information to make all homes "visit-able" by people with mobility impairments.
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Creating Livable Communities

Report identifies barriers to developing livable communities and sheds light on potential methods for overcoming these barriers.
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EasyLiving Home Program

Certification program designed to encourage builders of single-family homes and townhomes to incorporate mobility/accessibility features.
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Fair Housing Act Design & Construction Requirements

Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines provide builders and developers with technical guidance on how to comply with specific accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act.

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Home Modification - Online Education

Learn more about home modifications through online courses: Executive Certificate in Home Modification Program and Speciality Courses in Home Modification by IDEAS.
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Home Modification Frequently Asked Questions

Answers common questions received by the National Resource Center for Supportive Housing and Home Modifications.

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Informed Consumer's Guide to Accessible Housing

Information defining accessible homes and resources to assist with accessible housing.
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Making Historic Properties Accessible

Discusses the complex issue of providing accessibility at historic properties, and underscores the need to balance accessibility and historic preservation.
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National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research Facilities: Universal Design & Accessibility for People with Disabilities

Information on how universal design principles are applied to the planning and design of NIH projects.
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Principles of Universal Design

These seven principles may be applied to evaluate existing designs, guide the design process and educate both designers and consumers about the characteristics of more usable products and environments.
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Rehabilitation Engineering & Research Center (RERC) on Universal Design: Visit-ability Page

Information on an affordable, sustainable and inclusive design approach for integrating basic accessibility features into all newly built homes and housing.
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Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Universal Design

Part of the State University of New York at Buffalo, RERC researches and develops critical tools for advancing the field of universal design and works to apply those tools to develop products and places through industry partnerships.
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The Idea Center

Home page of the University of Buffalo Rehabilitation Engineering and Research Center on Universal Design.
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Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS)

One of two standards (along with the Standards for Accessible Design) for new construction and alterations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for state and local government facilities. In addition to being incorporated into local building codes, they are a good source for univeral design concepts when building or remodeling private homes.

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Universal Design Education Materials Online

Designed to support the teaching and study of universal design, an approach to the design of all products and environments to be as usable as possible by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability or situation.
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  • The White House
  • USA.gov: The U.S. government's official web portal.