Amber's Home

Despite the unique challenges Amber faces, her parents try to make sure she has the same opportunities as her sisters. Going to school. Participating in extracurriculars. And most of all, enjoying home, where family unity and togetherness is paramount.

Amber is a sweet, happy seven-year-old girl who is a true miracle and blessing to her family. She enjoys spending her time with her two older sisters and many, many friends. Amber was born with a condition that affected her brain. Because of this, she requires 24-hour care, and she uses a wheelchair for mobility.

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Living in a split-level house, Amber could not access key areas of the home on her own. So every time the family entered the home or moved from room to room, they had to carry Amber up or down the stairs..AND someone had to lug the wheelchair behind them. It was exhausting.

It was easy to lift and carry Amber as a baby and toddler, but as Amber continued to grow, it became difficult for caregivers—especially for her mother, who recently sustained a back injury. Family togetherness became encumbered, and caregiving became much more difficult.

Her parents knew that their home wasn’t “working,” but they weren't sure how to address these difficulties and barriers. They really wanted Amber to be able to move more freely and safely throughout the entire home—and still provide a cute, fun atmosphere for their little girl. They turned to Accessibility Design for help.

Improving the whole family's quality of life

Accessibility Design proposed a new design and space plan that enhanced the home’s beauty and added access solutions without adding additional square feet. Knowing that creative space planning is the foundation of all great home access projects, Accessibility Design used our expertise and skills to guide the family toward a solution that allowed flexibility for the future and thus met both the current and future needs of Amber and her family.

Amber's family and Accessibility Design emphasized features that would eliminate the need to carry and lift Amber. These not only included an elevator and a ceiling-mounted lift system, they also included raising the height of Amber's bed and providing a raised changing/dressing table. Due to these changes, Amber's mother no longer fears further injury to her back.

While the roll-in shower is used for day-to-day bathing, a thermo air tub was installed for a special benefit. Previously considered a luxury, the therapeutic features of this tub relax Amber's tight muscles and improve her flexibility and range of motion.

And for the first time ever, Amber is able to sit at the bathroom sink, stretch out her arms, and place her hands in the water—not to mention catch her look in the mirror!

By working together, Amber's family and Accessibility Design were able to create a dynamic, user-friendly design. The new access features dramatically and positively changed the lives of Amber and her family, and Amber now has a bedroom that is every little girl's dream.