In calif we have a new building code that uses universal design principals.
I too, have minimal accessibility in my current place. I have a wide
doorway leading into my place, and the bedroom doorways are so narrow that
I have scratched them in many places. my bathroom is not wheelchair
accessible at all, being a mere 25 inches wide.  I put in a grab bar right
inside the doorway, and two grab bars in the tub. I use a shower chair in
the tub and use a handheld shower attachment. My kitchen is so narrow i
can't turn around in it, so my chair arm gets eaten up when I back out of
the area where  my sink, stove and fridge are, collide with my kitchen
table that serves as a counter. Hopefully the new codes will help alliveate
some of these issues. I know for sure that the new units going up in
downtown will meet those standards because I'm on the committee that looks
at all new building plans being partly funded by the city and feds. this
was the best place i could find in two months of searching too. I urge all
of you to become members of commissions and boards that affect change. 

mag 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[log in to unmask]
Come visit my new store! http://www.cafepress.com/TamarMag
visit my Blog at; http://tamarmag-newsletters.blogspot.com/


> [Original Message]
> From: Kathleen Salkin <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 3/26/2006 7:42:55 AM
> Subject: Re: Accessibility in apartments
>
> I could be wrong but I think if the building's an historic one (on  
> the Historic Register), they don't
> have to adhere to ADA building guidelines, whether it's converted  
> from flats to not.  But I leave that
> to the legal experts on this list.
>
> All I know is that when I looked at flats in this city a few years  
> ago, I saw units that had been
> designated as "accessible" but really weren't, completely.  For  
> example, the flat I've been living
> in for almost six years has two bedrooms, two baths, and I can only  
> access one bath and one bedroom
> closet. The doorways into the walk-in closet and the back bath are  
> way too narrow for
> my wheelchair, but my friend who has many disabled clients in her  
> home health-care business, said
> that the minimum is that the *essential* living spaces need to be  
> accessible, not the whole living
> space.  And this flat was the best I saw of the lot that I could  
> afford - I saw a lovely one-bedroom
> that might have done, but I wanted two bedrooms, and this flat would  
> have been  $850 a month for
> one-bedroom, and $1100 for a two-bedroom.
>
> I did ask the management of my apartments if they could widen the  
> doors but they refused, saying they
> are not obligated to make changes that are unreasonable.
>
> Kat
>
> On 26 Mar 2006, at 10:17, Anthony Arnold wrote:
>
> > Kat,
> >
> > I don't know if your explanation holds true in this case, the  
> > building was
> > used as the opera house, and the guy and his company decided to  
> > purchase and
> > make it into apartments.  They left the shell alone to the most  
> > part and
> > just turned it into apartments, would this still be grandfathered?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Anthony
> > Visit my website at www.anthonyarnold.net
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Cerebral Palsy List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On  
> > Behalf Of
> > Kathleen Salkin
> > Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 4:46 AM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: Accessibility in apartments
> >
> > Anthony, if a building was built before a certain date, they're
> > grandfathered under the ADA and don't have to build such things a
> > roll-in showers.  In fact, I think the minimum requirement is that
> > the apartment is accessible, not that the kitchen or bathroom has to
> > have handicapped-accessible equipment.  I have a bathtub and not a
> > roll-in shower in my apartment and my kitchen counters and stove
> > aren't lowered for wheelchair users, and the top cabinets wouldn't be
> > accessible if I couldn't stand to put my dishes away.
> >
> > Kat
> >
> >
> > On 26 Mar 2006, at 02:14, Anthony Arnold wrote:
> >
> >> Friends,
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I definitely don't know all the details here, and I don't know what
> >> the
> >> Americans with Disabilities Act reads, and I'm sure that most of
> >> you have
> >> more knowledge behind the act.  However a local guy just purchased  
> >> and
> >> turned a older building into apartments, and he has a few units
> >> wheelchair
> >> accessible just like what he is required to do.  He had a open
> >> house today,
> >> and my parents went to see it just for the fun of going, but
> >> however they
> >> were surprised at his bathroom in the wheelchair accessible unit,
> >> it has a
> >> bathtub instead of a roll-in shower.  My dad personally knows the
> >> guy, so he
> >> questioned him on why he did a bathtub instead of a roll-in
> >> shower.  He
> >> responded saying that's what the ADA requires, which seems weird  
> >> to my
> >> parents, so I told them I would e-mail you guys to see what's up
> >> with this.
> >> This isn't the first time we have wondered about the Americans with
> >> Disabilities Act.  Don't get me wrong, it's great but parts of it
> >> are really
> >> questionable.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >>
> >> Anthony
> >>
> >>