Accessibility Solutions
Gene was diagnosed with polio in 1939 when he was 14 years old. He got along on crutches for most of his adult life until the year 2000 when he started using a wheelchair. His wife also died that same year, so Gene could no longer depend on her for assistance. He and his wife bought the house in which he currently resides in 1970 (Fig. 1). Gene made several modifications to his home and his car to be able to get around easier.


Entrance: Gene added a mechanical lift to the back entrance from the garage to the house (Figs. 2 & 3). He pushes a button (red circle, Fig. 4) to raise or lower the lift. Figure 5 shows the safety flap that automatically raises when the lift is in motion to keep him from rolling off the end (red circle, Fig. 5).

The front door to Gene’s house has a no-step entrance (Fig. 6). The sidewalk also gently slopes up to the front door (Fig. 7). However, he seldom uses this entrance because he usually enters the house from the garage.


Vehicle: Gene continues to enjoy driving his own car to check on his farms and other business operations. He purchased a car topper carrier to make it easier to transport his wheelchair (Fig. 8). The roof-mounted system mechanically loads the wheelchair (Figs. 9 & 10) and then stores it in a waterproof compartment (Figs. 11 & 12). When Gene arrives at his destination, he can push a button located near his steering wheel (red circle, Fig. 13), and the device slowly lowers the wheelchair out to the driver’s side of the car so he can transfer from the driver’s seat to the wheelchair.

Whole House: The open floor plan in his home (Figs. 14 & 15) makes it easy for Gene to move around in his wheelchair.


In 1998 he had a little work done in his bathroom. He removed the pedestal sink and replaced it with a sink that is open underneath (Fig. 16). The cut out allows Gene to be able to roll right up to the sink in his wheelchair (Fig. 17) which makes it easier for him to reach the faucets and use the sink (Fig. 18). Gene also thought about installing a roll-in shower, but decided he did not want to make extra modifications until he needed them.

Financing the Project
Personal Funds

Lessons Learned/Advice for Others
Gene’s advice for others was to “keep modifications to a minimum, but make sure you’ve made enough modifications to live independently. You can always add, but you would have a hard time eliminating things.” Gene also said that he wouldn’t change anything because he is happy with his lifestyle.

What Difference Did It Make?
The modifications that Gene made to his home and his car have helped him maintain his independence. Even though he uses a wheelchair, he can come and go as he pleases. The lift gives him easy access between the house and the garage. The roof-mounted carrier on his car does the hard work of lifting and storing the wheelchair when he wants to travel. He said of the carrier, “I think this is the greatest thing since chopped liver! I’ve driven in 13 states with it.”