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Just Below the Line: Disability, Housing, and Equity in the South
Korydon H. Smith, Jennifer Webb and Brent T. Williams
University of Arkansas Press
Interdisciplinary research by three professors — Korydon Smith, Jennifer Webb and Brent Williams — reveals social disparities in housing that will become increasingly evident as the first wave of baby-boomers enters retirement. The professors redefine conventional concepts of aging, disability and housing and offer ideas that could lead to change.
Disability should be considered an aspect of human existence that exists along a continuum. Design can enable or disable daily functioning. Out-of-date housing is a hurdle, especially in the South, where reverence for tradition makes change slow. Good housing design addresses everyone's needs, even as those needs evolve. Housing solutions outlined in the book maximize adaptability and efficiency.
The authors recommend changes in mindset, policy and practice. These housing solutions could allow people to live in their homes longer and reduce the more than $150 billion per year spent by taxpayers on nursing home care by providing more accessible retirement living options.