Design tricks to help the disabled

By PAUL YANDALL

A home designed to make life easier for the disabled has opened for public viewing in Hamilton.

The showhome, built by the Life Unlimited Charitable Trust and Lockwood Homes, is thought to be the first of its kind in the country.

It features sensor control pads that manage lighting, heating, television and drawing the curtains, all with the touch of a button.

It also boasts furniture and home appliances designed to help offset the effects of physical disabilities - such as a chair that lifts people who are sitting down into a standing position.

Life Unlimited's information consultant, Barry Hutchinson, who is confined to a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy, said the design features of the house could help disabled people live a normal life.

"Many of the things here are useful and they make life a lot easier for people like myself."

He said the home had taken four years to build on the trust's Palmerston St site, at a cost of $250,000.

Paul Kingsbeer, a director of Lockwood Homes, said there were plenty of problems to overcome in designing the house, such as its extensive electronics and the fact that it had to be built without a hallway.

"It's the first of its kind here. We're looking at doing a lot of work on similar designs for the aged as well," he said.

"There's a move away from having hallways. You don't want to be stuck in a hallway if you're in a wheelchair."

Mr Kingsbeer could not put a price on future designs of the house because they would change dramatically according to customers' needs.