Safe and sleek: ADA-compliant products are in vogue for bathrooms.

Rosemarie Rossetti was an active, healthy woman until a 3 1/2-ton tree crushed her spinal cord in 1998. Before then, she never dreamed that the simple act of getting in and out of the shower would be so complex.

Now the public speaker/writer is a self-appointed spokesperson for mainstreaming universal design, the concept of maximum accessibility for all people, regardless of their abilities. She and her husband are constructing a house in Ohio loaded with universal design features and products compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Times have changed since Rossetti began conceiving her super-accessible house six years ago. "There was a minimal awareness of universal design when I first started to think about this project," she comments.

These days not only are hundreds of ADA-compliant products on the market, they're fashionable, too. Although Rossetti's needs are extreme, bath product manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon to meet an untapped client base.

"Years ago, universal design products were specifically designed to aid people who had a physical disability. But with 75 million baby boomers--almost one-third of Americans--entering retirement, we're now emphasis on easy-to-use products designed to work for a broad universe of customers," explains Diana Schrage, an interior designer at the Kohler Design Center in Kohler, Wis.

Surveys conducted by manufacturer Moen show that 58 percent of Americans older than 65 are limited by a disability, and that more than 3 million Americans of all ages survive serious auto accidents, sports injuries, strokes, and heart attacks every year.

"People are realizing they need to plan for getting around their homes in the future yet make them visitable now so that spaces are equitable for aging or disabled guests," summarizes Barbara Murphy, a design consultant at Neil Kelly Designers/Remodelers in Lake Oswego, Ore.

ABUNDANT ACCESS

In the past, the ADA-compliant bath products category consisted of little more than institutional-looking grab bars, which were repugnant to many homeowners.

However, during the past decade, stylish products debuted, including sleek moveable shower towers and hand-held showers; comfortable chair-height toilets; easy-to-operate faucets including hands-free models; unobtrusive shower seats; easy-to-install, easy-to-clean modular shower/tub units; and grab bars in a variety of finishes that complement the latest decorative bath hardware.