Section IV: Housing Features
Persons with disabilities often require specialized features within and around their homes. These features can include: ramps or street level entrances; automatic or easy to open doors; widened doorways or hallways; elevator or lift devices; visual alarms or audio warning devices; grab bars or a bath lift; and lowered counters in the kitchen.
Magnitude and Nature of the Requirements
Nearly half a million adults with disabilities (15% of the adult population with disabilities) have some requirement for a specialized housing feature. Just over half of these individuals (56%) are seniors (Chart 1.30).
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Seniors —vs- Working-age
In addition to comprising a slightly larger proportion of those requiring specialized housing features, seniors also have a higher rate of requiring such features (19% compared with 11% among working-age individuals).
Gender and Severity Level
Women (17%) are slightly more likely than men (11%) to require specialized housing features. As well, the likelihood of requiring specialized housing features increases with level of severity of the disability. As indicated in Chart 1.31, 8% of those with a mild or moderate disability reported a requirement for specialized housing features; this increased to 19% among those with severe disabilities and to 36% among those with very severe disabilities.
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Type of Disability
Persons with mobility disabilities contribute most overall to the requirement for specialized housing features (464,570 of them reported some type of requirement). Persons with agility disabilities also contribute a great deal to the overall requirement for specialized housing features (448,430). It is important to note, however, that a high proportion of people have both mobility and agility disabilities. Similarly, there is a high degree of overlap with these two disability types and pain-related disabilities (also contributing highly to the requirement for specialized housing features with 381,110 people).
| Table 1.12 | ||
| Percentage and Number of Persons Requiring Specialized
Housing Features by Type of Disability |
||
% |
Number |
|
| Agility | 20% | 448,430 |
| Hearing | 16% | 172,900 |
| Learning | 16% | 70,390 |
| Mobility | 19% | 464,570 |
| Sight | 23% | 138,870 |
| Speech | 25% | 89,320 |
| Memory | 22% | 92,460 |
| Developmental | 11% | 12,780 |
| Pain | 16% | 381,110 |
| Psychological | 17% | 90,820 |
| Source: PALS, 2001. | ||
While agility, mobility, and pain-related disabilities (and, to a lesser degree, hearing and sight) contribute most to the overall need for specialized housing features, the greatest rate of requirement (i.e., the proportion of those with a particular type of disability who have the requirement) is found among those with speech (25%), sight (23%), and memory (22%) disabilities. (Table 1.12)
Which Specific Specialized Housing Feature is Most Required?
The most required specialized housing feature is the 'grab bar/bath lift' which is required by 353,580 adults with disabilities. 'Ramps or street level entrances' are the second most required specialized housing feature with 210,610 people reporting a requirement. Table 1.13 summarizes the requirements for specific specialized housing features from most required to least required of those covered in PALS, 2001.
| Table 1.13 | ||
| Requirements for Specific Specialized Housing Features
Number and Percent of all Adults with Disabilities |
||
Number |
Percent |
|
| Grab bars/bath lift | 353,580 | 10% |
| Ramps/street level entrance | 210,610 | 6% |
| Other | 138,640 | 4% |
| Elevator/lift service | 135,040 | 4% |
| Automatic door | 122,930 | 4% |
| Widened doorway/hallways | 100,610 | 3% |
| Visual alarm/audio warning device | 67,680 | 2% |
| Lowered counters in the kitchen | 39,560 | 1% |
| Source: PALS, 2001 | ||
What is the Gap between Requirements and Reality—What is the Unmet Need for Specialized Housing Features?
Of those who do require some type of specialized housing feature, 63% report that their needs are fully met; another 11% report that they have some of what they need, but require more (needs partially met); and 26% report that their needs are completely unmet. When we look at specific features, we see that there is a high unmet need for lowered kitchen counters and "other" specialized features not specified in PALS (45% and 43% unmet need respectively).
Specific Specialized Housing Features
| Table 1.14 | ||||
| Met and Unmet Needs for Specific Specialized Housing Features | ||||
| % Needs Unmet |
% Needs Met |
% Total Need |
Total Need Number |
|
| Grab bars/bath lift | 25% | 75% | 100% | 353,580 |
| Ramps/street level entrance | 25% | 75% | 100% | 210,610 |
| Other | 43% | 57% | 100% | 138,640 |
| Elevator/lift service | 29% | 71% | 100% | 135,040 |
| Automatic door | 23% | 77% | 100% | 122,930 |
| Widened doorway/hallways | *21% | 79% | 100% | 100,610 |
| Visual alarm/audio warning device | *20% | 80% | 100% | 67,680 |
| Lowered counters in the kitchen | *45% | 55% | 100% | 39,560 |
| Source: PALS, 2001 | ||||
| * Figure should be used with caution due to low sample size. | ||||
Gender and Age:
Little Difference by Gender -but-
Non-seniors More Likely than Seniors to Have Unmet Needs
Men and women are equally likely to have an unmet need (11% partially unmet and 26% completely unmet for both genders). However, working-age individuals are more likely than seniors to have an unmet need. Of those who require some type of specialized housing feature, nearly three-quarters (73%) of seniors have their needs fully met compared with half of working-age persons with disabilities. A fairly high proportion (36%) of working age persons who require specialized housing features report that they have none of what they need (compared with 18% of seniors). (Table 1.15)
| Table 1.15 | |||||
| Met and Unmet Needs for Specialized Housing Features by Age Group | |||||
% Partially Met Need |
% Fully Unmet Need |
% Fully Met Need |
% Total Who Require |
Number Total Who Require |
|
| Working age |
14% |
36% |
50% |
100% |
218,030 |
| Seniors |
9% |
18% |
73% |
100% |
280,800 |
| Source: PALS, 2001 | |||||
Severity: Those with More Severe Disabilities Less Likely to Have Needs Met
As the severity of the disability increases, so does the likelihood of requiring some type of specialized housing feature (refer back to Chart 1.31). Among those who do require such features, increasing levels of severity are also associated with a greater rate of unmet need. We can see that 69% of those with mild/moderate disabilities who require specialized features have their needs fully met compared with 58% of those with very severe disabilities. This means that the total unmet need for those with very severe disabilities is 42% compared with 31% for those with mild/moderate disabilities. The greatest difference, however, seems to be in the rate of partially unmet/met need. (Table 1.16)
| Table 1.16 | |||||
| Met and Unmet Needs for Specialized Housing Features by Level of Severity | |||||
% Partially Met Need |
% Fully Unmet Need |
% Fully Met Need |
% Total Who Require |
Number Total Who Require |
|
| Mild/Moderate | * |
25% |
69% |
100% |
153,020 |
| Severe | 11% |
26% |
63% |
100% |
173,280 |
| Very Severe | 15% |
26% |
58% |
100% |
172,530 |
| Source: PALS, 2001 | |||||
| * Percentage cannot be released due to low sample size. | |||||
Disability Type
Some disability types are associated with a higher rate of unmet need. Among those with a psychological disability who require some type of specialized housing feature, for example, half have an unmet need (31% have a completely unmet need). Similarly, among those with a developmental disability who require some type of specialized housing feature, 45% have an unmet need. (Table 1.17) As summarized in Table 1.12 earlier, neither of these types is associated with the highest rates of requiring such features to begin with; and neither contributes in a particularly large way to the overall requirement in terms of sheer numbers. However, these findings tend to suggest that there may be some type of barrier facing individuals with these disabilities types when they do require something.
| Table 1.17 | |||||
| Met and Unmet Needs for Specialized Housing Features by Disability Type | |||||
| % Partially Met Need |
% Fully Unmet Need |
% Fully Met Need |
% Total Who Require |
Number Total Who Require |
|
| Agility | 11% | 25% | 64% | 100% | 448,430 |
| Hearing | 9% | 24% | 67% | 100% | 172,900 |
| Learning | *15% | 25% | 60% | 100% | 70,390 |
| Mobility | 11% | 25% | 64% | 100% | 464,570 |
| Sight | 13% | 25% | 62% | 100% | 138,870 |
| Speech | *16% | 23% | 61% | 100% | 89,320 |
| Memory | *9% | 23% | 68% | 100% | 92,460 |
| Developmental | *20% | 25% | *55% | 100% | 12,780 |
| Pain | 11% | 28% | 61% | 100% | 381,110 |
| Psychological | *19% | 31% | 50% | 100% | 90,820 |
| Source: PALS, 2001 | |||||
| * Percentage cannot be released due to low sample size. | |||||