In recent years enormous progress has been achieved in the design and creation of barrier free environments in both commercial buildings and public housing. For individuals with restrictedmobility, hearing or vision, the physical environment can either facilitate or reduce their independence. But in a barrier free surrounding, a person with a disability is allowed to live more independently within their home and enjoy greater access to public buildings and even participate in physical activities. Rooms with barrier free designs, especially kitchens, not only assist those with disabilities, but aid even the elderly and other individuals whose physical attributes restrict them from experiencing easy access to kitchens and other living quarters.

Fortunately, there is a vast number of high-tech and cutting edge companies like Home Depot, Lowes, Inc., Barrier-Free Environments and the National Association of Home Builders, to name just a few, involved nationwide in the design and manufacture of barrier free kitchens and other facilities for the disabled. And while every space in a barrier free home is vitally important to the disabled homeowner or resident, the focus here will be on barrier free kitchens and what is required in their design and construction before comtemplating contracting or purchasing a new or old kitchen.

First off, we know that the average kitchen, no matter how well designed, has numerous impediments that make it difficult for use by anyone with a physical disability. Creatiing a kitchen barrier free requires specific planning and design features that are different from the average remodeling or retrofitting project. When designing barrier free kitchens, four vital issues need to be considered:

1. Safety: which includes non-slip floor surfaces, lighting, and non-protruding, rounded-off corner surfaces;

2. Mobility: is there sufficient space to manoeuvre a stroller or wheelchair?

3. Accessibility: can the kitchen be easily accessed from one or more adjoining rooms and/or hallways, or are there steps or other barriers to impede access; and

4. Function: are the appliances, counter tops, cabinets, sinks and fixture facilities able to be used by a person with a disability?

Generally speaking, wheelchair access requires wider door openings — 36 inches minimum, with 42 inches to 48 inches preferred — as well as greater clearance between all cabinets. Grab bars may also be necessary for additional support, and these should be near appliances and primary work areas. Of course, grab bar designs need to be discussed with the contractor before work can begin, so that support blocking can be added in the walls and other partitions.The primary access consideration is that hallways and doorways need to be at least 1200mm wide to allow sufficient space to enter the kitchen.

Light fixtures and power switches should be located where a wheelchair user can reach them, at least 1m from the floor. Consideration should be given to using rocker or touch switches which are easier to turn on and off. The kitchen should also have benches (with rounded off corners) which are around 850mm from the floor. Providing a continuous bench between preparation area, microwave, stove and other appliances will assist with the safe handling of hot food.

Cabinet access can be established by using cabinets 2 inches lower than standard height. The toe-kick space under cabinets also needs to be higher — 6 inches instead of the standard 4 — to allow the wheelchair to positioned closer to both cabinets and countertops. Sink cabinets and cooktop areas should be designed so a wheelchair can roll all the way under them. This is achieved by using doors that open out and then slide back into grooves on the sides of thecabinet, such as those on an entertainment center; or the doors of cabinets can be left off to provide easy, continual access. Drapes or vertical blinds can be used here instead of doors to cover the cabinet openings.

Appliances and their locatoin also are important to a barrier free kitchen. Most experts suggest that appliances be electrical to eliminate having to reach over an open flame and to avoid thedanger of carbon monoxide poisoning. For anyone with an impaired sense of smell, electric appliances will eliminate the danger of being unable to detect a gas leak. Appliances with controls positioned in the front are best for simple access. For persons with impaired vision, there are appliances that come with Braille lettering as well as knobs and push-button controls provided in various sizes and dimensions to assist those who experience difficulty usingconventional ones.

Ovens with doors hinged on one side, lower table-top stoves and side-by-side refrigerators with freezers are far more accessable to wheelchair users especially when it is necessary to reach the lower shelves in these appliances. Another innovative device that can be installed to facilitate accessing shelves in cabinets and appliances, are carousel shelves and shelves mounted on smooth rollers which make it easier to reach objects stored on the back part of the shelf. Such carousel shelves are also handy to use inside the refrigerator for storing small items.

It is best to remember that the issue of safety should first be addressed when designing a barrier free kitchen. And such safety issues should specifically relate to or answer the individual needs and requirements of the disabled person in question. Therefore, an experienced contractor or designer will viisit the disabled person at his current dwelling to learn firsthand what unique design features should be installed to meet these specific needs and requirements.

When complete accessibility is established, mobility is no longer a problem for the disabled person who must use a wheelchair or stroller. Electrical and gas-free designed appliances, non-slip and adhesive floors, easy to reach fixtures and cabinets, and wide enough entrances and surface spaces are of course major concerns for a barrier free kitchen. And while appliances, counter tops, cabinets, floors, and sink and fixture facilities are all crucial to designing and constructing a barrier free kitchen, those with disabilities (and their families) first need to know where to go whom to contact before design and/or remodeling concerns and costs become a consideration.

A good place to start is with the family doctor or an occupational therapist. Occupational therapists, along with real estate contractors and designers can be found under both local and State listings in the phone book or by contacting one or more of the many sources listed at the conclusion of this article. On the Internet a search for “barrier free kitchens” via any of the major search engines will provide an almost inexhausible list of local and regional companies actively involved in the business of designing and manufacturing barrier free rooms and kitchens.

For now and more than ever across the United States and Canada, real estate planners and contractors, architects, appliance manufacturers, plumbers, carpenters, cabinet makers and others in the construction industry are working and innovating at high speed to design, construct and retrofit better barrier free rooms and other access facilities for both public housing and commerical real estate.

Ever since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 and the notable aging of the United States population an awareness for facilities that are accessible to people with disabilities has become more than just a social or political concern. Barrier free environments benefit everyone, and their increase in construction has been an economic boon to thousands of communities across the nation.

Specifically, the design of barrier free kitchens in homes for the disabled and the elderly has provided both dignity and livelihood to these citizens, and moreover has provided a reciprocal windfall in both jobs and improved economies for local housing commuities and the construction industry alike. No longer does the disabled or elderly person have to endure limited access and restricted mobility at home or in public. Today, the answer to greater access and almost unlimited mobility is only a phone call or email away!

Only two bird watchers in history have ever seen more than 8,000 of the approximately 9,600 species of birds found on our planet. Phoebe Snetsinger, of Missouri, was one of the two. Her father, Leo Burnett, was the ad exec who helped bring the Jolly Green Giant, the Marlboro Man, Toucan Sam, Charlie the Tuna, Morris the Cat, the Pillsbury Doughboy and Tony the Tiger into our lives. Why is that important when discussing a birder? Easy: money! Only 900 species are found in the US and Canada, so a serious birder needs to have enough dough to travel around the world.

To give you some perspective on just what an fantastic accomplishment seeing 8,000 birds is, consider this:

Only 250 or so people have ever hit the 5,000 mark. Only 100 people have made it to 6,000 and only 12 or so have seen more than 7,000. In addition to money, serious birding requires time and strict adherence to the rules. There are birders who’ve been blacklisted for cheating and others that have fought over what actually constitutes a sighting (some birders say if you “hear” a bird, you’ve seen it.)

Phoebe Snetsinger (with a name like that, you’re a born birder, eh?) only became a serious bird watcher after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given six months to live. It’s quite possible that counting, or listing as it’s sometimes called, actually helped her beat that diagnosis; she lived not just another year, but another 17 years! And she would have lived longer, no doubt, were birding not such a dangerous hobby. Yes, on top of the financial independence and time, one also needs a certain amount of courage to trek into the wild, deep into jungles and forests of enormous size.

In 1999, on a birding trip to Madagascar, as she prepared to see her 8,500th bird, Snetsinger was killed in a freak car accident in the middle of nowhere. So, in the end, cancer didn’t do her in, but her obsessive hobby did.

Not that many moons ago, if you asked an ornithologist how many species of birds there were, s/he would have said about 6,000. Five years from now, they expect there will be more like 18,000. It’s not that birds are evolving, it’s more that we’re changing our definitions of what we call a species. Who knows how many of those 18,000 Snetsinger could have crossed off her list.

Any serious birders out there? How many have you counted? What’s your best birding story?

Back for another year of reviewing American Idol. Since this is Simon's last it's probably mine too. Maybe next year I'll focus on House Husbands of Hollywood 2.

Season 9 of Idol began with an acknowledgment of all the changes. Paula left the series to pursue obscurity. We were told nine guest judges would appear on the audition rounds vying for Paula's spot and they must've all done fantastic since Ellen DeGeneres got the job.

First up guest-judge wise was the painfully thin Victoria Beckham. My droll daughter Annie, who watched with me, shouted out, “Give her a sandwich! You'd think David Beckham could provide!“

Victoria's musical credentials are impeccable. She was Posh in the Spice Girls. And now Ryan refers to her as a “Fashion Icon”. Oh really? I don't think those doily-laced headbands are going to catch on other than for tying your garbage bags. Here's an example of her expert assessment of a singer's performance: “I love the jeans, the shirt.“

Posh offered nothing in the way of insight or personality, which still made her better than Kara. How the hell is she back for another year? Kara Dioguardi and Jeff Zucker - the two people who can't get fired. I'm reminded of that great line — “Who do you have to fuck to get off this picture?”

Randy Jackson is also back - wearing more make-up than Kara, Victoria, and even Ryan. And what was with the Playskool watch? Did “Fashion Icon” Posh suggest that? Randy unveiled some exciting new meaningless catch-phrases for the season. “Doin' it big!” and my personal favorite, “You're a cool guy. Great hang!“

The show started out in Boston. 9000 delusional guttersnipes getting drenched in a pouring rain. And not one of them I'm sure could appreciate the metaphor.

They started right off with a classic nut. Some whacko girl who kept auditioning to the American Idol video game. And when the animated Simon said she was good enough she entered the real competition. She was horrendous. Annie said they should recall the game if it put her through. Her idea of rehearsing, by the way, was to practice jumping.

There was the obligatory parade of idiots — girls who dressed like Diablo Cody if Diablo Cody was blind and guys decked out like Michael Jackson, the Marlboro Man, and the Burger King. This year's atrocious William Hung Asian kid massacred Eric Carman's “All By Myself”. And we had two or three lunatics who mistook grand mal seizures for dance steps. One cretin actually still thought Paula was there.

All of the losers broke down crying. “Simon's wrong!” “I'm a great singer, I know I am.” “I just took the steroids to heal faster.”

There were heart-tugging stories galore — cancer and down syndrome and dying grandmothers with dementia. All of these contestants got through to Hollywood of course. You're never going to hear, “Well, you have only one year to live and you can't sing.“

Ryan said one contestant got a “One-way ticket to Hollywood.” Uh, does that mean he has to pay his own way home? I guess the economic crunch has even caught up to American Idol.

My favorite aspirants: the drummer who broke both wrists after falling out of a tree, some Clark Kent-looking guy who was pissed he had to wait all day (this really irked Kara who intimated that if you're going to make it in the music industry you better have a talent for waiting), and finally - a blond stoner with horrible skin (I love my HD) who said he was going to try to sound like his idol, Chris Brown. Why Chris Brown? Because “he touches young kids all over the world.” Yeah, he sure touched young Rihanna. He beat the crap out of her. Stoner Boy was rejected but he was satisfied with his performance. As he said, “I did what I had to do. I hit really loud notes.“

More auditions tonight but I'm skipping those because, well, it's the same show as this one. Only the sob stories and costumes will change. Oh, and the guest judge. Not sure but I think it's Captain Beefheart.

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