Introduction
 Elements of Visit-ability
 Contemporary Housing Design
Advantage of Visit-ability
 Why Hasn't visit-ability Gained Wider Acceptance?
Costs of Visit-ability
 Case Studies
Advocacy Strategies
Recent Visit-ability Initiatives
Conclusion
Source Cited/Appendix/Acknowledgement

Recent Visit-ability Initiatives

City and State Visit-ability Ordinances
Federal

City and State Visit-ability Ordinances
Many of these advocacy strategies have resulted in Visit-ability ordinances. While in some municipalities, Visit-ability is enforced by ordinances that cover new housing built with public funds, it is important to stress that for the most part, Visit-ability is still a voluntary standard that can be used in any type of housing not yet covered by accessibility regulations.

Despite the lack of a federal or unified mandate, Visit-ability has gained acceptance and popularity in many local areas. While some local ordinances already exist, others are in the process of gaining support and being established. Even though all of these places passed Visit-ability ordinances, each differed in the specific elements required and concessions needed in order to be passed. For example, while all of the cities require a step-less entrance, they do not all require a 32 inch exterior door. Some ordinances go beyond the three conditions to include outlet and switch heights, reinforced bathroom walls and lever handles. In addition to these discrepancies, some initiatives faced more opposition than others and had to make their ordinances voluntary and incentive-based. For instance, the efforts in Pima County faced intense opposition from the Southern Arizona Homebuilders Association and the National Association of Homebuilders. Therefore, they had to settle for a voluntary ordinance instead of one which was mandated. Illinois has an Illinois Builders Charity Fund whereby the state grants $5,000 to builders who incorporate Visit-ability into their plans. Although it has not been a successful strategy, it reflects the various methods used to increase implementation of Visit-ability.

Visit-ability Ordinances Across the Country: * Please note that these may not be complete lists.

visit following links for updated information on:

Existing State Visit-ability Laws and Programs

Exisiting City Visit-ability Ordinances and Programs

Even though Visit-ability ordinances lack consistency, there are signs that Visit-ability is continuing to gain popularity. The following lists initiatives being pursued in different cities and states.

Proposed City Initiatives:

Santa Monica, CA
Long Beach, CA
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Toledo, OH
San Antonio, TX
St. Petersburg, FL
Onondaga County, NY
Springfield/Eugene OR
Dearborn, MI

Proposed State Initiatives:

Massachusetts
Missouri
Nebraska
New Hampshire
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Utah
Wisconsin

Federal
There are currently no federal laws mandating compliance with these Visit-ability requirements. However, a new bill, H.R. 2353: The Inclusive Home Design Act of 2003 was introduced in the House of Representatives on June 5, 2003. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) initially introduced the bill before the end of Congress' last session in order to get some initial feedback from legislators and the community. Now that the bill has been formally reintroduced, time will be spent responding to any feedback, amending the bill’s language and getting letters of support from organizations, the development community and other parties. This will help ensure that the bill has a strong supportive network. The bill already has two co-sponsors.

Letters of support can and should be sent to your local House Member of Congress asking them to cosponsor HR 2353, the “Inclusive Home Design Act of 2003.”