WHAT IS UNIVERSAL DESIGN? by Jan Cullinane When you retire from your primary career, will you relocate? More than 50 percent of homeowners between the ages of 45 to 64 plan to pack up and move entirely, purchase a second home, or buy an investment property, according to the National Association of Home Builders. With almost 77 million Boomers marching toward retirement, there will be lots of moving vans rumbling down the streets! But, whether you stay put, buy new, purchase a resale, rent, or remodel, you should know about a concept called “universal design.” According to the Center for Universal Design, the intent is “the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” Translated into specifics, it means 27-inch high electrical outlets to minimize bending, rocker switches to make turning lights on and off easier, nonslip flooring, wider hallways to accommodate a wheelchair, “comfort height” toilets that are two and one half inches taller than the standard 17 to 19 inch height, low-maintenance exteriors, and hand-held showerheads. In other words, universal design makes a home more accessible, no matter what your age or condition, and, in most cases, doesn’t require anything fancy or expensive. To access a handy list from Toolbase, a service of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center, go to www.toolbase.org, and put in “Aging-in- Place Design Checklists” into the search bar. No matter what your ultimate decision – will you stay or will you go - keep these principles of universal design in mind. For more detailed information on Universal Design, we invite you to read Jan Cullinane's full article at: http://www.activeadultliving.com/newsletter/universaldesign.html Jan Cullinane, B.S., M.Ed., is the co-author of The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life. Jan also gives seminars on the (primarily) non-financial aspects of retirement through her company, Retirement Living from A to Z. She can be contacted at jancullinane@gmail.com.