The document summarizes a forum held by the Kitchener-Waterloo Task Force on VisitAble housing. The forum aimed to provide an overview of VisitAble housing standards and lessons learned from building such housing in Waterloo Region. It also invited key stakeholders to explore how they can apply these lessons. VisitAble housing involves basic accessibility features like zero-step entrances, wider hallways and doors, and accessible bathrooms. The task force discussed the benefits of VisitAble housing and next steps like encouraging municipalities to recognize it as a basic accessibility standard. In the afternoon, stakeholders discussed actions their groups could take to promote building VisitAble homes.

1. From Concept to Reality
Kitchener-Waterloo Task Force
March 23, 2016

2. Purpose of Today’s Forum
 To provide an overview of VisitAble housing and what
has been learned about building VisitAble housing in
Waterloo Region in work done by the K-W and area
VisitAble Housing Task Force
 To invite key stakeholder groups to explore how they
can apply what has been learned.

3. Objectives
 Increase understanding of VisitAble housing as necessary
to an inclusive community
 Increase knowledge about the requirements and potential
challenges to building VisitAble housing in Waterloo
region
 Inspire commitment and creative solutions within and
between key stakeholder groups
 Wrap up the current phase of work toward VisitAble
housing

4. VisitAble Housing Project
Purpose: To develop awareness
and commitment to
building VisitAble Housing
Coordinated by Canadian Centre on Disabilities Studies
Local Task Force is one of six (6) across Canada

5. Local VisitAble Housing Task Force
Develop awareness and commitment to
implementing VisitAble Housing
in Waterloo Region

6. What is VisitAble Housing?
Three basic features to make a home accessible to anyone:
• One no-step entrance on the main, visit-able level, exterior
threshold not over 13mm (1/2 in.) in height
• Wider doorways (36 in.) and hallways (43.25 in.) on the main,
visit-able level
• Minimum half bath with turning radius to allow mobility
devices such as a walker or wheelchair (1500 mm/5ft radius)

7. One No Step Entrance
 Front, side OR back
entrance
 Also provide barrier
free path of access to
the entrance

8. Wider Doorways & Hallways

9. Half Bath With Turning Radius
 A bathroom that can be
accessed by visitors who use
mobility devices

10. What VisitAble Housing Is/Is Not!
 VisitAble Housing is the minimum standard
for accessibility
 Ensures a home can be visited by friends and
family members who have mobility
limitations
 Does not define all possible accessibility
features

11. The Accessible Design Spectrum
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
VisitAble Housing Adaptable Housing Accessible Housing
Total#ofFeatures
Level of Accessibility
Minimum Standard:
Basic features to
make main level
accessible.
Additional
features to make
is easier to
renovate if
needed.
Specific accessibility
features in all areas of a
home – inside and out

12. Who Benefits?
 Aging in place
 Disabilities – permanent or temporary
 People with disabilities can visit their
friends/family
 Generally helpful to anyone– moving,
baby strollers, groceries, etc.

13. Societal Benefits
 Social inclusion
 Human rights
 Aging population
 High cost of care – health and housing
 Building basic accessibility features less costly than
renovations

14. Local Task Force
 Members reflect different perspectives
 Role:
 Planning stakeholder engagement
 Input and testing of research and education materials
 Engagement stakeholder groups e.g. making presentations

15. Planning: Identify Stakeholders
 Real Estate Professionals
 Builders and Developers
 Planners and Regulators
 Service Providers and Advocates
 Consumers

16. Local Work
 Established task force and planned stakeholder engagement
 Website and education – numerous newspaper articles, social
media, Personal testimonials to document experiences
 Local examples of visitable housing – in progress
 Information session for planners and builders – Oct/14
 Realtor professionals workshop and Guide & checklist to provide
common terms for VisitAble, Adaptable and Accessible
 Created a checklist for home seekers to assess accessibility needs
 Completed a service provider survey
 Submitted request for Building Code revision
 Published report on regulations and policies and how VisitAble
housing fits with building requirements
 Hosted follow up session with planners and builders – Nov-15
 Presentations to municipal councils to enable VH to be built
 Organized community forum and workshop on March 23-16

17. Personal Testimonials
 How would our lives or those close to us
benefit if we lived in a visit-able home?
 How would our community benefit?

18. Accessibility Assessment Tools
 Understanding Accessibility Features to Meet
Housing Needs: A Guide for Real Estate
Professionals and Home Seekers, February 2015
 What is VisitAble Housing? Realtor Workshops
March and June 2015
 Looking for a new home? Assess Your
Accessibility Needs, February 2015.

19. Regulatory & Technical Research
• October 2014 Planners, Building Officials; Builders and
Developers Information session
• November 2015 Follow up session to address questions
raised in October 2014
• Published report: Building VisitAble Housing in Waterloo :
Region: Regulatory & Technical Analysis Report, March 2016
• February-March 2016 presentations to municipal councils –
strengthen policies to encourage and consider ways to
enable building of VisitAble homes.

20. Task Force Next Steps
 Compile a record of today’s presentations – post on website
 Keep this topic alive at the Disabilities and Human Rights
Group
 As resources allow:
 Respond to requests for workshops and information sessions
 Encourage local municipalities to recognize visit-able housing as a basic
standard for accessibility and enable these homes to be built
 Create technical guidelines to assist builders
 Provide incentives to builders
 Ensure affordable housing is visit-able as a requirement of funding
 Encourage the Government of Ontario to strengthen VH as a basic
standard for accessibility in the Building Code and for affordable housing
 Compile an inventory of local and Ontario examples of visit-able homes to
be used as a guide

21. Panel Presentations
 Allen Mankewich, Canadian Centre on Disability Studies
 Jamie Shipley, Canadian Mortgage and Housing
Corporation
 Charlotte
 Tanja Curic, City of Waterloo Planner
 Rick Martin,
 Trudy Beaulne, Social Development Centre/Local VisitAble
Housing Task Force
 Q&A

22. Morning Wrap Up and
Preparing for the Afternoon
 Thank you panel members – each will have a small gift to show our
appreciation
 Those who are not staying for the afternoon please complete and hand
in your evaluation form
 Thank you for attending this morning
 Those staying for the afternoon workshop, here are the question for the
stakeholder group discussion:
 As a member of your respective stakeholder group, what can you do as an
individual, or as part of your organization to ensure visit-able housing is built in
your local community?
 What will help you to be more successful?
 What would you need from other stakeholders or stakeholder groups?
 We encourage you to mingle over lunch
 We will start back at 1:00 pm

23. Thank You
For more information about the local VisitAble Housing work:
Trudy Beaulne, Executive Director, Social Development Centre Waterloo
Region
Email: trudy@waterlooregion.org
Phone: 519-579-1096 X *3006
www.waterlooregion.org/visitable