Disability Technology & News

Universal Design in High School

Its great to hear that Universal Design is being taught at the high school level. They should make a elective course in construction using UD prinicples.

Technical, career students demonstrate skills with latest house
By: Kellie Houx, Assistant Editor
Sun-News of the Northland
June 23, 2005

The Career and Technical Education Center carpentry program students presented their third “Home for a Lifetime” concept house. The house, at 4901 N.E. Parvin Road, is built by students in the North Kansas City School District.

For the third year, carpentry instructor Art Sweany has taught his students about the “Home for a Lifetime” concept which has also been called universal design. The house is designed to serve people of all abilities. Students learned how a house can hinder or help a disabled person.

Sweany said his students are more sensitive to the needs for a comfortable, usable living space. The concept includes a no-step entry, raised electrical outlets, wide doorways with lever-action hardware, rocker-type switches, roll-in master shower, blocking installed for grab bars, height-adjustable shower heads, multiple cabinet heights in the kitchen, raised dishwasher, main floor laundry, and disposal and range hood switches on the front of the cabinets. The home is framed for a future elevator and stair lift.

School-to-Career Counselor Larry Blackwell said the accessibility provides comfort for all the stages of life.

“The home has also been outfitted for cable, phone and data lines by our information technology class,” he said.

The true ranch-style home with a no-step entry has 1,620 finished square feet. It includes three bedrooms - all with ceiling fans, two full baths, a great room with gas fireplace and a two-car, finished garage with insulated doors. The home uses a mix of carpeting for the bedrooms and hardwood flooring in the living and dining rooms and kitchen.

Students framed the walls, laid floors, nailed roofing, painted and have trimmed the woodwork. They did the concrete work and landscaping, as well as tiling. Independent contractors poured the foundation and installed the plumbing.

Winnetonka junior Chris Bland worked in the dining and living rooms.

“I have realized that I received training to go into the work force,” he said. “I enjoyed framing the house. The structure of the house was fun to build.”

Chris said the “Home for a Lifetime” concept appeals to him.

“Anyone can buy this house, whether they are in a wheelchair or not,” he said. “It is a good deal to know that no matter what life throws at you, you can stay here.

“We all added an extra effort to this house.”

Oak Park senior Ryan Clevenger worked on the garage.

“Last year, I worked in the restroom which had a lot of detail,” he said. “This year, it is not as much, but we knew the garage needed to be designed for a van that could have a wheelchair lift. If the car angles in correctly, a person can be dropped off at the ramp.”

Ryan said not many high schoolers gain the experience he did with the carpentry program. He said he wants to work as a team member for a framing crew or drywall installing group.
“It is a feel for a possible career,” he said. “We are all excited to know that someone will live here and we can all take pride that our work is good enough.”

The students from the Information Technology Academy made the house a “Smart House” when they installed a low voltage wiring system for cable television, telephone and computer networking.

North Kansas City High School interior design teacher Connie Neal’s students have worked cooperatively for the past several years with the carpentry program - selecting interior and exterior colors, and choosing floor and wall coverings.

Students do the rag rolling, color washing and other custom finishes seen in the house’s interior.
Sophomores Kelsey Strange and Kenra Winkler painted the master suite.

“We picked out the colors and the technique that we wanted in this room,” Kenra said. “We tested them with the class, but it takes putting the colors and technique in the house to see if we really liked it.”

Kelsey said she learned more by the hands-on experience. “We learned from our mistakes and we can use the lessons in our own houses,” she said. Both sophomores have an interest in interior design work.

Kenra said the green is called “apple green.” Kelsey said these colors flow throughout the house.
Student Participants: The Carpentry Class of 2005 is seniors Trent Dalton, Andrew Holloway, Brad Thurston, and juniors Jason R. Wright and Josh Hart, Charles K. Jones and Matt Tuso, North Kansas City High School; seniors Ryan Clevenger, Tyler Fenton, Rafe Joiner, Kyle Livingston, and Ron Martin, and juniors Eric Bradshaw, John Edman, Markus English, Jason Hyde, Travis Jones, Eric McCormack, Austen Ryan, Richard Scheetz, and Anthony Vick, Oak Park High School; and seniors Catherine Cunningham, Gabe Pinon and Clinton Whitney, and juniors Dan Bartlett, Chris Bland, Billy Hass, Brett Janssen, Loy Lombardo, Josh Luffman, Kyle Waisner, Josh C. Walker and John Wiseman, Winnetonka High School.

Interior design students who worked on this year’s “Home for a Lifetime” are: sophomores Diane Dornhoffer, Jennifer Johnston, Gabrielle Pulliam, Sara Rodriguez, Brandon Spencer, Kelsey Strange, Lakesha Warren, Jessica Wetzel and Kenra Winkler; juniors Whitney Blythe, Jessica L. Brown, Kristina Calumpong, Lauren Carey, Laura Clark, Michelle Cooper, Sarah Gibson, Shayla Howell, Ashley Irving, Kaitlin Kilgore, Audrey Landers, Jamee Maples, Melody McQuerry, Ann Ngo, and Heather Pate; and senior Jennifer Tulipana.

The second-year IT Academy are seniors David Engel, Brandy Rich, Tim Fetterling and Matt Monson, North Kansas City High School; Daniel Lamaster and Josh Zimmerman, Oak Park High; and Michael Clark, Jason Rich, Jordan Richards and Charles Sherman, Winnetonka High School.

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