While most of us face daily life with confidence, our advancing age increases the number and severity of our physical and sensory limitations.

AS WE DEVELOP one or more physical or sensory impairments, we look to our homes and household products to help us maintain independence and support our activities of daily living.

Whatever our age, many products and environments that once provided years of enjoyment and stimulation become less supportive and useful; their insensitive design forces us to curse at an unyielding design that becomes increasingly frustrating and, at times, even dangerous.

TOO MANY TIMES a product's promised service and comfort gradually morph into pangs of annoyance and pain, thwarting our efforts, eroding our self respect, and robbing us of our precious independence. We increasingly experience:

• instructions and directions that are confusing or unreadable
• handles we can't grasp or twist
• controls we can't reach or operate
• counter tops that are too high or too low
• products full of confusing detail
• lighting that is too bright, too dim, or glaring
• push buttons that are too small or too close together
• furniture that doesn't fit our bodies
• doors we can't open or close
• operations that are "sophisticated" instead of intuitive
• features that confuse and frustrate us
• floors and stairs that cause us to trip, slip, or fall
• shelving we can't reach or adjust
• alarms that are too loud or inaudible
  

MANY DESIGNS TURN "HOSTILE.' Bruises, burns, sprains and broken bones are visible testimonies to the frequent misfits that occur between a product's in-store promise and its undelivered performance.

And, it happens more frequently as we age; our declining vision, hearing, tactile sensitivity, and movement capabilities intensify the environmental challenge and prevent us from living a more normal lifestyle.

THE SOLUTION is developing safe, comfortable and easily used products and environments designed for a transgenerational population of diverse ages and abilities. Not only does such a strategy make sense, it also addresses society's concern for diversity, equality and human rights.

Shouldn't a fire extinguisher, bathroom fixtures, a microwave oven, kitchen cabinetry, wireless phone, or ironing board be as easy to use by an arthritic septuagenarian, a teenager with a sprained wrist, a Baby Boomer in a wheelchair, or a 20-something pregnant housewife with poor eyesight?

We think so!

Transgenerational Design provides the answer. It's an idea whose time has arrived. And we can help!

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