Home Accessibility WebQuest

Overview

This lesson is designed to provide an interactive learning experience on the topic of home accessibility. The WebQuest is intended to foster problem solving and resource utilization for the technical level occupational therapy assistant student. Upon completion of this lesson, students will: 1. Demonstrate working knowledge of home accessibility

2. Identify ADA specific measurements for kitchen accessibility

3. Demonstrate appropriate use of medical abbreviations

4. Demonstrate use of technology to obtain informational resources

Introduction

Home accessibility is an important issue for people with disabilities. The inability to maneuver within the home environment can have devastating effects on our patients. Imagine returning from school or work to find that you can no longer use your bathroom, your kitchen, or can no longer get into your bedroom. From an OT perspective, this can greatly disrupt a persons ability to perform their ADLs, and can have an effect on their mental well being. Home accessibility, therefore, is an important aspect of an OT practitioners “bag of tricks”.

Task

Your task is to read the case study below, and answer questions related to creating an accessible home for this patient.

By the end of the lesson you will have:

1. Visited several web sites relating to home accessibility.

2. Identified accessibility guidelines related to this case.

3. Discussed findings and opinions with your group members.

4. Created viable options for increasing accessibility for this patient.

Assignment: Read the following case study:

Ms. G is a 27 year old female involved in an MVA ~ 3 months ago. At that time she sustained a C6 complete spinal cord injury. Ms. G is currently in acute rehabilitation, where she is receiving physical and occupational therapy. Ms. G is about to be discharged to her mother’s home. A home visit was performed, and several adaptations are underway. Because this patient was a chef at the time of her accident, her biggest concern is related to kitchen access for cooking tasks.

This patient will be discharged in a light weight manual chair, and you have determined that the 36” doorway to the kitchen will allow for entry by your patient. Your concerns revolve around counter height and access, stove top activities, access to the sink, access to the table, kitchen set up for item transport and general safety concerns.

Review the Links in the Resource Section to Answer the Following Questions:

1. Identify 3 adaptations to the kitchen that can be made for wheelchair users, and thoroughly describe their importance. If these adaptations create further potential barriers or issues please specify.

2. Identify accessible height measurements for all items including switches, counter tops, tables, oven and stove knobs, and describe options that can be used for both wheelchair users and ambulatory people.

3. Identify a safe method for the patient to manage stove top activities.

4. Describe 3 potential measures for the patient to access upper cabinets and rate them from most effective to least effective. Give reasons.

5. List 5 adaptive equipment items that could assist this patient with cooking tasks. Explain their relation to the patient’s diagnosis.

Rubric

Possible 3 points per Question for a total of 15 points

Question Scores

	1 Point	2 Points	3 Points	1	2	3	4	5
Information	Incomplete information, question not thoroughly discussed	Question answered with minimal explanation. Moderate details provided	Complete well constructed answers. Questions thoroughly discussed
Relation to diagnosis	Answers related to modification, but not related to patient function	Answers somewhat related to patient function. Some details not discussed	Well thought out. Recommendations Appropriate to patient and situation,
Use of Abbreviations	Did not use standard abbreviations	Partially used standardized abbreviations	Consistently used standardized abbreviations

Resources:

The following are links to sites that should be reviewed to complete your assignment

National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modificaiton - This group performs research, evaluation and education on home modifications. They also provide training, technical assistance and serve as an information clearinghouse on this subject.

www.homemods.org

Look at consumer guide and safety checklists

ADA Home Page – This site is the home page of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It offers information on all aspects of the Act, and for the purposes of this assignment, it provides the Accessibility Standards.

www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm

Look under housing / homes/ fair housing

American Occupational Therapy Association Home Page – This site offers information related to all aspects of occupational therapy practice. In terms of home modificaitons, it offers recent journal articles, continuing education courses, and general modification principles.

www.aota.org

Sammons Preston Home Page - This website is valuable to both practitioner and client alike. Through this website, any potential piece of equipment may be viewed and purchased. Practitioners will find this site useful in identifying options for their clients with varying diagnoses and abilities. Clients will find this website useful in purchasing equipment once they are discharged from treatment.

www.sammonspreston.com

North Coast Medical - This website is useful for both practitioner and client alike. As with the Sammons website, equipment is available for a variety of diagnoses. This website, however, has a nice feature. This site allows the client / practitioner to search for items through diagnostic categories. This feature allows someone to view items that they may not have realized were available.