PAPERS

In addition to my presentations at various conferences, I have written numerous papers that describe the results of my work in much greater detail. Some of the papers contain similar information, although aimed at different audiences.

Please email or call me at 757-625-0969 for more information or to make comments.

So You Want to Start Your Own Business
Okay, you have an idea, a concept, something to sell. It might be a service, it might be the development of a unique gadget, or it might be a profession. Working for yourself might be the only way for you to enter the work force. Whatever the reason, the first thing you have to do is make sure you know as much or more than your competition. Market research will guide you on the demand of your business. You must be fully convinced that you can do it. Beware that once you’ve committed yourself there is always going to be someone out there to test your perseverance, your integrity, your abilities and your resiliency.

Cohousing In America
A history of co-housing projects in the US. Describes the various types of co-housing. Discussion of a new project involving co-housing for persons with disabilities.

Improving the Design Process
Communication, understanding and respect for the client’s need should be the prime motivation for design. This paper discusses how the process of good design goes deeper than the paper, pencil and creative juices of planner, designer, or the architect.

Design for Dementia
Dementia, in any form, is frightening, for both the person with dementia and the family caregivers. Design parameters that create safe environments, offering support systems for safety, security and comfort, without neglecting the caregiver, are critical.

Introduction to Inventive Design
Inventive Design (ID) is breaking the paradigm of "standards" and conventional practices that we have become too comfortable with. Brainstorming with others, or by yourself, giving time to see all aspects of a design problem, will very often result in more satisfying creative solutions.

Mediation for Accessibility _ Attitude + Communication = Solutions
Everyone has the right to equal access to the maximum extent possible. The American With Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines (FHA)are the tools being used to ensure that legal and ethical right. The court system has become a playground for accessibility issues that could be settled more intelligently by using the process of mediation, a form of alternative resolution.

Mediation for Accessibility - An Opportunity to Make a Difference
Resolving accessibility issues through mediation is a different process than what we are used to. In the process the mediator’s responsibility is to level the playing field and use the law as a guideline for resolution.

Interior Design - Another Path, Mediation for Accessibility
Listening and learning from the language as it is used in the courtroom, I have become very sensitive to the way language is used and how people speak to each other. I decided five years ago to become a mediator and to learn the art of legal communication to help resolve issues that might take place in my working and social relationships.

Looking Homeward
Most designers and architects are convinced that they are on the cutting edge of future planning and design. As I travel around the world and listen to different presentations on global changes and human need for housing, I am convinced that there is only a handful of people who really are the leaders in design. And they are not necessarily the ones who walk away with awards, recognition and large contracts. They are the ones who have learned to listen to the experts, the consumer, have changed their attitude about what is really important in the living environment and have accepted the challenges that Universal Design and accessibility are creating.

Planning Today for Tomorrow
In America, the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Rehabilitation Act address accessibility in public and government buildings, and the Fair Housing Guidelines (FHA) are written for multifamily houses, but there are no national codes for single-family homes. The public has to depend on sensitivity, common sense and the designer, and a handful of advocates around the country to be watchdogs over the way specifications are written for single-family homes, homes that can often become prisons if a disability strikes the family that occupies it. Why do we find it so hard to recreate the standards so that future homes could be easier to age in place and everyone could find it easier to visit?

History Continues to Rewrite the Future – Safety Design and Codes
Safety issues in the workplace have always been the focus in building and labor codes. Since September 11, 2001, building codes, architectural and industrial design, educational courses, are changing and being developed throughout the world focusing on human safety, prevention of disasters, anti-terrorist attacks, and biometric warfare.

Tactile Tour for the Blind - Opening the Doors to People with Disabilities
Despite the passing of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), there are still many museums that either avoid, or cannot fit inclusive programs and architectural accessibility in their shrinking budgets. This discussion will help overcome the barriers of frustration and fears common at many museums.