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Boise homeowner Jeremy describes designing his home with basic Visitability features:

1. one zero-step entrance.
2. doors with 32 inches of clear passage space.
3. one bathroom on the main floor you can get into in a wheelchair and close the door for privacy.

But he also makes a point often lost on planners and developers—one Visitable home in a subdivision is isolating. It means he and his wife can't accept invitations to dinners, celebrations, or get-togethers with neighbors. Jeremy's friend Jane also has a Visitable home—modified at great expense after construction—which allows the two households to connect.

Now imagine if the entire subdivision were planned, designed and built to simple, cost-neutral Visitability standards. Then it would be an inclusive neighborhood. That's how we plan for social mobility and the sense of community everyone wants.

When we design and build homes that exclude 11% of Idahoans who live with mobility-related disabilities, we increase the cost of housing through a 'disability tax.'

Beyond the cost to tenants and homeowners, Idaho taxpayers bear increased costs when Medicaid-eligible Idahoans are forced into nursing homes for lack of Visitable housing for rent or purchase. This is the consequence of a Visitability Gap—where 11% of Idahoans require Visitable features, but only 1% of our housing stock fits that need.

Economists note that each new home designed and built today has a 60% probability of housing someone with a mobility-related disability, and a 91% probability of welcoming visitors who require Visitable features. These design elements cost no more if planned for in advance, but are beyond the financial reach of most people living with disabilities—and their families, friends and co-workers.

The Idaho Access Project is making Visitability one of our key focus areas in 2023. We aim to work with architects, builders, developers, planners—and consumer groups—to raise awareness of the fiscal responsibility and social benefits of building smarter.

For more information:
Inclusive Design Gets Customers in the Door
https://fairhousingforum.org/disabili...

Independent Idaho: Making homes and neighborhoods visitable with Erik Kingston
https://anchor.fm/independent-idaho/e...

Avenues for Hope
https://www.avenuesforhope.org/organi...

Visitability
https://visitability.org/