It is essential to find an approach which can be adopted in housing policies and design regulations, which can satisfy the needs of everyone, be it healthy or otherwise. Three models for housing for special needs are adopted. They are
The Historical medical model for housing for special needs where the emphasis was on dependence and the focus on the nature of the impairment. The result was that disabled people and their families have been isolated from their communities and mainstream activities. Dependency on state assistance has disempowered people with disabilities and has seriously reduced their capacity and confidence to interact on an equal level with other people in society.”
The new medical model assumes that the human being is flexible and alterable, whilst society is fixed and unalterable.
On the other hand: “The social model is based on the belief that the circumstances of people with disabilities and the discrimination they face are socially created phenomena and have little to do with the impairments of disabled people. The disabled rights movement believes, therefore, that the “cure” to the “problem” of disability lies in restructuring society.” The focus is now on creating non-segregating and ‘enabling’ rather than ‘disabling’ environments, socially and physically.
When designers create environments or products for disabled people, people with a specific disability use the product, along with a few others. It reinforces the way that the disabled people become separated from the main stream society and are seen as a distinct group, having to use various adaptations and specialised equipment. Hence the social model has more relevance for creating a non-segregating and ‘enabling’ environment. Some specific features are mentioned below;
Entrance door: vision panel to check for visitors
Visual/tactile alarm for emergency egress/entrance
Participants