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Change Agents
Change agents are what all architects strive to be. How can we
continue to improve society, community and environments for our
users, in large or small ways?
This past spring, as co-sponsors with the AIA Academy of
Architecture for Health, the Design for Aging Knowledge Community
got the opportunity to affect change.
In April, on behalf of the US Access Board, we held a workshop on
Assisted Transfers. I know what you’re all thinking - "what a
glamorous topic." But those of you in the field designing for the
elderly have grappled with how best to serve our clients while
meeting the letter of the access board regulations. The two goals
currently conflict, and our clients are not best served. What
research has been done in the field by gerontologists, nurses, and
designers illustrates that the guidelines for ADA, originally
intended for people with upper body strength, do not help the
elderly.
So we spent the day learning about patient movement, rehab
engineering, and state-of-the-art design, and ended by galvanizing
a core of volunteers to develop some alternative guidelines. These
guidelines will be presented to the Access Board as an alternative
proposal for adoption. We are change agents.
There will be more included on this topic in future newsletters,
but for now I wish to thank the participants in the workshop,
listed below, for their care and attention to this
topic.
Jeff Anderzohn, FAIA
JSA, Washington, DC
Lyn Bentley, MSW
Washington, DC
Martin H. Cohen, FAIA, FACHA
Southbury, CT
Wendy Ehnis, RN, MSN
Extendicare MI
Okemos, MI
Ingrid Fraley, ASID
Design Services, Inc.
Gaithersburg, MD
Arun Garg, PhD
E357/EMS Building
Milwaukee, WI
David A. Green
Center for Community Partnerships
Oshkosh, WI
Mitch Green, AIA
Hillier ARCHITECTURE
New York, NY
James W. Harrell, FAIA, FACHA
GBBN Architects
Cincinnati, OH
Lorraine G. Hiatt, Ph.D.
New York, NY
Mary Matz, MSPH
Veterans Health Administration
VISN 8 Patient Safety Research Center
Tampa, FL
Marsha K. Mazz
U.S. Access Board
Washington, DC
Laura A. McClure, MPT
VA Pittsburgh Health System
Pittsburgh, PA
Eric McRoberts, AIA
RLPS
Lancaster, PA
Gaius G. Nelson, AIA
Nelson-Tremain Partnership
Minneapolis, MN
A. Ray Pentecost, III DrPH, AIA, ACHA
CLARKNEXSEN
Norfolk, VA
Joyce Polhamus, AIA
SmithGroup
San Francisco, CA
Karl Polzer
National Center for Assisted Living/
American Health Care Association
Washington, DC
Janet M. Reynolds, AIA
Cochran, Stephenson & Donkervoet, Incorporated
Baltimore, MD
Jon Sanford
Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA
Molly Follette Story, MS
University of California, Berkeley
Human Spectrum Design, LLC
Santa Rosa, CA
Lois Thibault
U.S. Access Board
Washington, DC
Phil Thomas, AIA
Golden Living
Fort Smith, AR
Stephanie Vierra
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
Washington, DC
James V. Vitale, AIA, LEED AP
Division of the State Architect, California
Department of General Services
Sacramento, CA
Laurie T. Waggener, RRT, IIDA, AAHID
HKS, INC.
Dallas, TX
James Warner, FAIA
JSA
Portsmouth, NH
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