Visitability - History

History

In the United States, the Visitability movement was begun by grass roots advocates led by Eleanor Smith in an organization called Concrete Change, who originated and developed the concept in 1986, at that time using the term "Basic Home Access". In 1990, when US advocates learned that the term “Visitability” was used in the United Kingdom (UK) for a similar concept, they adopted the term to emphasize that the goal is not the traditional “more homes for the disabled” but rather a change in standard homebuilding procedure. Concrete Change continues to grow in number of participants and number of open-market houses built with the basic features.

The UK applies the most widespread application of the concept to date. In 1999, Parliament passed "section M", an amendment to residential building regulations requiring basic access in all new homes.

Advocates maintain that the philosophical underpinning of Visitability is as important as the list of features. They maintain that building homes with steps at all entrances and narrow interior doors is an unacceptable violation of human rights, given the harsh effects the barriers have on so many people's lives: physically unsafe living conditions, social isolation and forced institutionalization.