“Universal Design," now a staple in education, was originally termed by an architect and designer, Ron Mace, working to make buildings more accessible and useful to all members of the public. The cartoon on the right is my favorite illustration of Universal Design.
Instead of choosing to only cater to the larger population of abilities (those without disabilities), there is always a way to increase the accessibility further for everyone. The illustration shows a student in a wheelchair who cannot access the stairs. Instead of focusing on the stairs, which provide limited access, the ramp should be the priority, as it can accommodate everyone. This type of mindset does not only serve people with disabilities. An elderly person with a walker, a mother with a double stroller and a child with a broken leg would all have an easier experience by prioritizing the ramp. Universal design helps increase access to those who might otherwise be excluded.
A first step towards being a more inclusive agent is becoming more sensitive to the needs of people with different abilities than the general population. For example, if someone uses a wheelchair and an agent takes them to a house that has a long flight of steps to the front door, this not only wastes everyone’s time because this house is an unrealistic possibility, but this client may now be feeling embarrassed or upset, which nobody wants their clients to feel. A way to avoid this is to research a property thoroughly, by seeing it in person first before a showing to ensure that this house is accessible to your client, or even calling the listing agent for more details. This is an opportunity for listing agents to be supportive of buyer's agents with clients with disabilities.
QUICK TIP: Here is a fast way to immediately add more inclusivity into your real estate practice. Next time you host an open house, on your advertisements, write something along these lines: "If you have any special needs that you would like us to try and accommodate for your visit to our open house, please contact xxx-xxx-xxxx for assistance." A client who may have felt a barrier, now has someone to contact to help them see the house. The agent now has more traffic at the open house. Developing a trusting relationship with all clients, especially those with disabilities, is the best way to fully understand their specific needs. A client in a wheelchair may still want a house that has stairs, so don’t just assume what your client with special needs actually needs. As long as the primary bedroom and bathroom are on the main floor, and the main floor is accessible to them, then you may only need to come up with a creative way to show them a basement and make them comfortable with that space that will be largely inaccessible and unused.
Our behavior and our knowledge of ways to create accessibility in homes we are looking at are tools that we can use to be assets to people with disabilities. For example, if a person has limited use of their arms or other gross motor concerns, a round door knob is very difficult to operate. A simple and inexpensive fix, such as installing a lever door knob, greatly increases the usability of doors in the house. This is information that can be shared with families to help them visualize the usability of their future home. What about disabilities that are not physical? Adjustments to our behavior are sometimes necessary when working with families with people with disabilities (see next post for more on this).
If you are a buyer or seller, advocating for yourself is the best way to make sure you can find the house that best fits your needs. Let your needs be known and find an agent who you feel comfortable sharing those needs with. If you are an agent, be that resource for families by implementing simple inclusive practices so you can cast a farther net.
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