For me, it was the people I met while working my way through college. They did not change my direction, but supplied inspiration for me to endure to graduation. The first of these was a Thermodynamics Instructor. He was disabled with MS, but set a great example by soldiering on. Also, he he was one the best instructors for that difficult subject. There were times when he was in pain and shrugged it off to make it though a lecture. All of his lectures were delivered from a wheel chair. Extensive use of the chalk board was needed. He could reach only the bottom half and he made good use of it. He died a few years after I graduated in 1960, but his memory remains with me to this day. What an inspiring instructor! The next are two students who lived in the Men's Residence Hall with me. The first was blind. He had to depend entirely on his memory. He could not pick a book off his shelf and refer to it to consult about a problem. He recruited fellow students who lived on his floor to help him. He needed help with the laundry and with his studies. We students read and recorded text from his books. I was one of those. The next resident was born without any arms, and yet here he was taking college level courses. All of his manipulations were performed with his feet. His toes became his "fingers". He kept his physique very trim and limber to the point of being a contortionist. He wore slippers and kept his feet cleaner than many of our hands. At meal time, he'd sit in the chair and unnoticed, his foot came on top of the table. He could grab a fork or spoon with his toes and feed his face! This act was done so quickly and without fuss that one did not notice until you took a second look. He was amazing and very agile. The University had a group of barracks left over from past wars. These were scheduled to be replaced, but meanwhile, these were used to house handicapped students. Many of these had lost limbs in war. They were the wheelchair brigade of the campus. What struck me was that they did not bemoan their situation and were always seeking ways and occupations to make a living and to become contributing individuals. Many became acrobats with their wheelchairs. Some could mount a street curb. The first time I saw it, I gasped. This person gathered speed as he crossed the street, tipped back in the chair raising the front wheels off the ground and raced toward the crub. The front wheels would clear the curb and when the rear wheels hit, he would lean forward and the chair would hop up up to the new elevation. These students played wheelchair basketball on Saturdays. That was sight to behold. I first thought it would be a mild game - Not so! It was as rough and tumble as you could imagine with plenty of crashes. Each player had a 'pit crew' of wheelchair mechanics on the sidelines who made repairs during a match. These people inspired to to shut up, stop complaining, and finish my degree. These...

Point taken! Beverly's chair is perfect, if only it were 6" higher⦠ceiling is 12' and there's a pretty tall window behind this chair. I hadn't thought of Ballard (which is the frontrunner so far, I love that they do COM) but I've checked Arhaus, RH, PB, Horchow, Overstock, Wayfair and furniture manufacturers. If anyone has other suggestions, I would be very appreciative!

Hello everyone. I was doing some research on home elevators for an upcoming seminar I am doing for retirees who want to "age in place" or build or buy their "forever home" and came across this thread. It's been very insightful to say the least. One thing that kept coming up is the appearance of an elevator and/or a chairlift for the stairs. Having worked with older adults and mature homeowners for the better part of 2 decades, I can tell you that when someone is faced with relocation to a senior community, assisted living or other such healthcare environment due to mobility issues, how their home looks is the least of their concerns. Before someone is at this point, the focus tends to be on appearances because we are still entertaining and "enjoying" our space. As one ages or health declines, their concern for appearances goes out the window. It's all about what needs to be done to stay here - at all costs. This is also NOT the time you want to be putting in an elevator or doing any major remodeling. People need all the energy they have to simply manage daily activities of daily living and personal care needs. I only say this because as the debate over whether to add or not add an elevator due to the way it looks (and size) tends to be one of younger retirees or empty nesters, if you are truly planning for this to be your forever home, it may be important to fast forward to what life will really be like should you "need" this amenity. My advice, for what it's worth, if you have the means and you are building a multi-level house, DO IT. Don't settle for the small model either - unless it will accommodate a wheelchair and/or full sized walker. That's the point right - mobility regardless of your situation, whether temporary or permanent. All the best. Thanks for letting me join the conversation.

The formal living room will not be used very often. I'd like to have it a bit separate from the rest of the business of the house for a few reasons: 1-my husband sometimes has informal board meetings for non-profit organizations at the house. 2-my MIL stays with us for around 6-7 months every year and it's a nice place for her to sit and have tea with her friends 3-dads usually retreat to the formal living during gatherings when they want to have their serious discussions (ie: sports, politics etc...) The dining room is used mostly for: 1-older kids HW 2-projects 3-formal dinner parties So I don't really mind if these 2 areas aren't well-integrated with the rest of the house. The major bustling will be from the garage to family room, kitchen, game room, stairs and bedrooms. I also wanted the kitchen to be in the corner of the house so that I could open windows and air out after cooking. Also, we have a 15' easement in our backyard so we needed to pull the pool into the building line so that we could build a pool enclosure around it. My 4 daughters will have the 2 bedrooms to the left of the house and my 3 sons will have the 2 bedrooms at the center front of the house, and our master bedroom tucked away in the corner back. So this is how the floor plan played out keeping all those factors in mind.