Special thank you to Alpha One and the City of Bangor for partnering with AARP and Lifelong Maine to make this event possible.
View on You-Tube. Full 2-hour workshop
Whether you're an age-friendly leader, housing developer, architect, municipal planner, or simply someone passionate about creating inclusive communities, this workshop will equip you with practical strategies and real-world insights that benefit not just people with disabilities, but everyone in your community. After all, the curb cuts we install today help parents with strollers, delivery workers, and countless others navigate our spaces with ease.
The workshop brought together housing developers, architects, municipal planners, and individuals with lived experiences. Together, we identified barriers to accessibility and explored innovative solutions for creating welcoming homes and public spaces for everyone.
The panel explored the latest in universal design for homes, from adaptive technologies and flexible layouts to affordable multi-family units that prioritize accessibility from the ground up. The panelists described municipal approaches to encourage the development of inclusive housing and shared insights on creating living spaces that evolve with our changing needs while maintaining beauty, functionality, and cost-effectiveness.
Universal design principles should be incorporated from the beginning of projects
Municipal support and partnerships are essential for successful accessible housing projects
Public-private partnerships can help address housing shortages in rural communities
Cooperative housing offers an alternative ownership model that can prioritize accessibility and affordability
Facilitator: Anne Krieg (anne.krieg@bangormaine.gov), City of Bangor, Dir. Community & Economic Development.
Described Bangor's work on pre-approved housing plans and a 92-unit project (click here to view the plans)
Devin Cough (dcough@gtdarchitects.com), Gawron Turgeon Dillon Architects
Explained the seven principles of universal design (equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive design, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, size and space for approach and use) and how they benefit everyone.
Craig Saddlemire (craigs@raiseop.com), Raise-Op
Presented on Raise-Op Housing Cooperative, which built two 9-unit apartment buildings with accessible ground floor units. The cooperative model allows low-income residents to own and manage their housing collectively.
Resource - The architect was Evan Carroll Bild Architecture https://bildarchitecture.com/firm/evan/
Pro-Tip- Resources to help you start a cooperative housing model are available at no charge on the Raise-Op website; just click on the "learn tab" to explore cooperative housing models. You can even download plans for the Passive House Triple Decker!
Cheyenne Stevens (livingwellmadisonmaine@gmail.com), Living Well in Madison
Shared Madison's experience partnering with a developer (55 Weston Avenue LLC) to create 18 affordable, accessible housing units on town-owned land, with plans for expansion.
Pro Tip Randy Bliss shared links to the public meetings held before the Select Board approved the development. He told us that he learned a lot about advocacy and having his voice heard during the process.
Madison Planning Board Public Hearing. | Special Town meeting.
The panel discussed how cities, institutions, and businesses are reimagining public environments to welcome everyone. From transportation hubs and parks to retail spaces and cultural venues, learn about design strategies that enhance usability, navigation, and enjoyment for people of all abilities.
Partnerships between age-friendly committees, planning boards, and municipalities strengthen accessibility initiatives
Simple improvements like benches, accessible picnic tables, and shade structures can make outdoor spaces more welcoming
Providing detailed information about accessibility features empowers people to make their own choices
Accessible trails benefit everyone and often see increased usage after improvements
Facilitator Jill Johanning (jjohanning@alphaonenow.org), Licensed Architect, Alpha One
Noted that isolation is a common concern for Maine residents who cannot or choose not to drive, highlighting the importance of connecting housing with transportation and community spaces.
Maureen Booth (maureen.booth@maine.edu) , Age-Friendly Bowdoinham
Presented Bowdoinham's accessibility initiatives across five categories: adaptive equipment, public buildings, homes, public spaces, and events. Highlighted their personal adaptive equipment loan program, accessibility improvements to the Town Office/Library and waterfront accessibility improvements.
Pro-Tip - The Bowdoinham Universal Design Guide uses plain language so everyone can understand how to make homes more accessible. The Guide is free and can be adapted for your community. For example, Age-Friendly Saco partnered with their Codes Department to create a customized version for their area.
Enock Glidden (enock@outdooraccesssolutions.com) , Outdoor Access Solutions
Shared his work assessing and improving trail accessibility throughout Maine. Emphasized that providing detailed information about trail conditions allows people to make informed choices about which trails they can use.
A lively discussion covered how universal design creates spaces that are usable by everyone.
Devin Cough: Explained that universal design goes beyond compliance with ADA standards to create spaces that are intuitive, flexible, and welcoming for all ages and abilities.
Craig Saddlemire: Described the design process to establish cooperative housing welcoming to people of all abilities by going through a community engagement process to identify the needs that were missing in the community.
Noël Bonam: Noted that in countries like Denmark, universal design is offered as a standard rather than an option when building homes.
Lauren Forte: Described living in Europe, where housing development was frequently a public-private partnership, so less driven by profit and able to meet community needs.
Maureen Booth: Shared Bowdoinham's universal design guide created with an AARP Challenge Grant, defining universal design as "finding a simple solution that works for everyone."
Devin Cough: Observed that, in Maine, universal design principles are more likely to be included in codes for multi-family units than for single-family homes.
Take-Aways
Universal design benefits everyone, not just those with disabilities
Housing that welcomes all ages and abilities builds community.
Buildings designed with universal design principles are more adaptable, marketable, and future-proof
Communities can create and share resources like universal design guides to promote these principles
Panelists and participants enjoyed a robust discussion of strategies for engaging communities and addressing resistance to the development of affordable, multi-family accessible housing and to other changes to make the environment more accessible.
Maureen Booth: Mentioned resistance to a crosswalk installation in Bowdoinham, with one resident saying it would make the town "look like New York City."
Cheyenne Stevens: Noted there was pushback during the permitting process for the 55 Weston Avenue housing project in Madison, including recent opposition to awarding TIF funds for the next phase.
Randy Bliss: Shared his experience on Madison's planning board during the 55 Weston Avenue approval process, noting that the public hearing lasted 2.5 hours with "a little bit of screaming."
Anne Krieg: Mentioned that planning boards typically only hear from people opposed to projects, not those in favor.
Craig Saddlemire: Building attractive designs on standard city lots, with input from people in the community, helped to address concerns about new development.
Take-Aways
Community members should attend planning board meetings or send emails to express support for good projects
Developers can listen to community concerns and make changes to address them
Creating partnerships between age-friendly committees and municipal planning boards helps build support for accessibility initiatives
The panels discussed various funding sources for accessibility improvements in housing and outdoor spaces.
Enock Glidden: Shared numerous funding resources for trail accessibility, including the Maine Trails Program ($30 million available over 4 years), foundations like Onion Foundation and Quimby Foundation, and various federal and state grant programs.
Maureen Booth: Mentioned funding Bowdoinham's projects through AARP Challenge Grants, legacy gifts, rural health library grants, in-kind contributions, capital campaigns, and TIF grants.
Cheyenne Stevens: Described how Madison's 55 Weston Avenue project received funding through MaineHousing's Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program, with municipal support being crucial to the application process.
Take-Aways
Multiple funding sources often need to be combined for successful projects
Municipal support can help secure state and federal funding
Timing projects to align with funding opportunities is important
AARP Home Fit Guide provides tips and guidance for making homes safer and more accessible for people of all ages, especially those who want to "age in place". The guide focuses on universal design principles to create lifelong homes and covers topics like home modifications, energy conservation, and maintenance. It is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese and includes worksheets to help users assess their homes.
AARP Home Fit Ordinance, a model ordinance designed to help local governments create more accessible and affordable housing by streamlining regulations for the creation of adaptable homes.
AARP Walk Audit Toolkit a free guide that provides step-by-step instructions and worksheets for individuals or groups to evaluate and document the safety, accessibility, and walkability of their community's streets. By walking a route, observing features like sidewalks, crosswalks, and intersections, and using the provided worksheets to record their findings, users can identify barriers and advocate for improvements to local officials.
To access a list of other town and public adaptive equipment reuse programs throughout the state, go to Spurwink ALLTECH’s website page: https://spurwinkalltech.org/resources/, and click “Maine-DME-Reuse-List”. If you know of a program not listed, call Darren to have it added. 207-232-6421.
Requirements for a trail to be considered accessible are that it must meet requirements for having a firm and stable surface. Full details can be found at: https://www.access-board.gov/files/aba/guides/outdoor-guide.pdf
The Adaptive Outdoor Education Center (AOEC) in Brunswick has an Adaptive Gear Library where people can rent trail-access gear affordably: https://www.adaptiveoutdooreducationcenter.org/gearlibrary