As If They Needed Convincing

If you’re not convinced that universal design could come in handy, just ask the Leibrocks, who have both been the picture of good health. Around six months after the ranch was completed, Frank, 67, slipped while playing racquetball and tore his Achilles tendon. He’s temporarily dependent on a device called a Roll-A-Bout, which prevents him from putting any weight on one leg. Two weeks later, Cynthia, 60, had hip replacement. The avid biker found herself using a walker to get around.

The two of them would have ended up recovering in a nursing home if they hadn’t done the modifications to the ranch, she said. Before, there were stairs into and throughout the house, and the garage was not attached (which really matters when snow depths hit three feet, as they did this winter). The doorways were narrow, counters and toilets were too low, there was no seating with arms, and area rugs and thresholds were tripping hazards. And, of course, there were no grab bars.

“I can’t tell you how much we’ve appreciated these products,” she said. “I have the most comfortable toilet seat for hip replacement, and it is at just the right height!” She’s grateful for the walk-in aromatherapy steam shower—“it’s just heaven”—and it’s the only shower her husband is able to use with his leg in a cast. “All sorts of things we’re using in the house are making it more comfortable to heal.”

Which proves another one of her philosophies, that “if you’re going to do something, you’ve got to do it right,” she says. “We have taken a high-end approach, but universal design can be done at any price point. It doesn’t have to be super expensive or dirt cheap.”

Though she’s clearly proof of the benefits of universal design, she knows she can’t convince anyone of its merits by emphasizing negative what-if scenarios. Her approach is positive, empowering, and health affirming. And it’s based in something deeply personal.

“I find a sense of mission by what I’m doing,” Leibrock said. “My mission is to eliminate disability through design, not just accommodate disability after the fact. Disability can be prevented by design, but even if an injury occurs, we are not disabled by our physical differences. Everyone has physical differences. We are only disabled when we can’t do what we want to do. That’s the power of design—it allows you to do what you want to do for life.”