Universal Design Resources:
RL Mace Universal Design Institute:
https://www.udinstitute.org
If you want additional resources and solutions to housing UD, this is a good site. They have information on accessibility codes and standards. The research is great that they provide and their demonstration houses and plans are extremely helpful.
If you are interested in the public spaces then this is also a place to find standards and solutions. They are gearing information more towards an aging population and accessibility. Non-profits can come here for free or low cost consultations on UD and accessibility.
Better Living Design Institute:
https://betterlivingdesign.org
Sister company to RL Mace UDI. “Promotes , educates and encourages wide adoption of Better Living Designs to change how homes and products that go in them are designed , built and remodeled to better meet the needs of everyone at every life stage. “ If esthetics and function are important in your project this site might be useful. Lots of training materials.
The UD Project:
https://universaldesign.org
Scott and Sarah Pruett are a husband and wife team, cofounders of The UD Project. Sarah is an occupational therapist and Scott has real world experience manuvering his wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury. The UD Project is serious about the shortage of universally accessible homes being built and are targeting new construction builds to be just that. A remodel will never be quite the same as a newly built UD home. Their mission is to educate professionals and everyone else into demanding more accessible homes in our communities. 25 million households have accessibility needs according to a 2022 HUD report. UD Project has put together an accessibility certification that designates your home as universally accessible. Realtors recognize the benefit of this certification. They offer courses for therapists on home accessibility and Universal Design, collaborative services in making a home usable by all people and have developed a residential Universal design building code. Developers take note!
Disclaimer: I have never used any of the services listed here but UDI is very well respected and I have used their written information for well over 20 years.
Start at the Beginning:Entrances
Matthew 25 Initiative , April 2025 quoted Emerson. “A House is made with walls and beams; a Home is built with love and Dreams.” No one knows what tomorrow will bring, but when a person has that kind of home, a design addressing needs at every continuum of aging, they are free to flourish. They can rest, imagine, grow and heal.
Jerome Kerner author of , Be It Ever So Humble, 2009. Jerome made me think differently about our homes. I have seen his architectural genius in designing homes over the years. I think he pushes us to embrace our homes in a different way and how we can create safe spaces for ourselves and others. In the book, Jerome offers Archologie , the practice of remembering the family and the ways home and safety are constructed. He guides you through exercises to explore these areas in your own life.
CAPS: Certified Aging in Place Specialist is a credential given by the National Association of Home Builders. The credential is available after you have taken their courses on Aging in Place. For the consumer, this certification means someone has knowledge but I would always ask for references to see if they have done the physical work. nahb.org
Finding a physical or occupational therapist:
The American Physical Therapy Association and The American Occupational Therapy Association list therapists by location who are also members of their respective organizations.
When calling about therapy services ask if they have rehab, home modification, accessibility, universal design, or aging in place experience.
Balance & Fall Prevention:
Dr. Deborah Popielarczyk, unpublished paper on Changes in Men’s Balance, 2006.
Rosemary Isles etc. Normal Values of Balance Tests in Women aged 20-80. J. Am. Geriatr Soc 52:11367-1372, 2004
CDC.gov. “About Older Adult Fall Prevention”, 2024
Research on VEDS:
The VEDS Movement: A non profit organization which is a division of the Marfan Foundation. The VEDS website is: https://thevedsmovement.org
containing recent research information, a question forum, educational information and support for patients, their families and caregivers of VEDS.
For specific information on the Children with VEDS Physical Activity study at Texas Children’s Hospital, Dr. Shane Morris, Chief Investigator, go to:
The mouse research project in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University began in late March 2025.
This research is developing a humanized mouse model using human genetic sequences and then making the mutation for VEDS. This approach allows the humanized mouse to be available to other investigators studying collagen mutations/diseases.
Collagen diseases include arthritis, autoimmune disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, scleroderma. lupus, dermatomyositis just to list a few.
The proposed timeline on this research
Phase 1 : Develop the mouse (8 mo.)
Phase 2: Breed mice , phenotype mice (5 mo.)
Phase 3: Characterization of phenotype to include mechanical testing of vessels, platelet functions tests, etc. (4 mo.)
Phase 4: treatment, testing of drugs (4 mo.)
Research updated 6/25
Questions or comments for Debbie contactflourishingathome@gmail.com