We designed an Accessible Home. Most of my links are at home, but here's a few from memory
http://inspectapedia.com/BestPractices/Bathroom_Design_Accessible.php

http://inspectapedia.com/BestPractices/Kitchen_Design_Accessible.php

https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/66093.pdf

http://winnipeg.ca/ppd/Universal_Design/PDF/Access_Design_Standards.pdf

https://www1.toronto.ca/static_files/equity_diversity_and_human_rights_office/pdf/accessibility_design_guidelines.pdf

There's also a website for a couple that has designed a type of 'showhome' of their ADA home, that is now used for industry accessibility studies, but I can't seem to find it via a search.

You can find the ADA guidelines online too, but being Canadian I didn't use those 100%, and found them convoluted. There are other sites that are non-commercial and easier to read.

As well, consider that the home should be fit for able as well as less-able folk - things like varying countertop heights, adjustable shower heads, etc work well for this idea.

oh and PS - warn your friends to be careful of pre-made plans - many of them only design 1 bedroom as accessible, and other parts of the house may not be Accessible. If reviewing those plans, keep a copy of the best practices/guidelines handy, so that you can evaluate them appropriately.

The ADA is a US Federal law that sets rules for public access buildings for all kinds of disabilities so it can require a great deal of space and features not often needed. It applies to multi-family housing elevators and corridors but only to some of the units. The ADA does not apply to single-family houses. Therefore, it is best to pick what you think is the most likely accommodations for you since at some point you might move to where you will have greater support services. It is great to age in place but the downside is that you might outlive your friends and neighbors and want to move.

Keep in mind that if you need a wheelchair, you might use a motorized one that can maneuver in tighter spaces than a wheelchair. ADA standards assume the worst case which is a full sized wheelchair. That means you might not need a 5 ft turn-around space in every room, only a smaller radius turn or a 3 point turn. Scooters are long and usually for movement outside of a dwelling.

Allow space to get an ambulance stretcher/gurney through a master bedroom door and corridor in a horizontal position (they'll get you out but it might not be comfortable). IMO the hardest task is designing a kitchen for someone with unknown disabilities and who might have no assistance.

Wide doors are helpful but at some point they become more difficult to open and close because the longer radius requires more footwork; the key issues are the length of your arm and how agile you are on your feet. Higher door knobs can help a bit.

Look for an architect or builder with a CAPS designation.

Personally I'd recommend designing for the larger 'standard' wheelchair, as depending on what your future disabilities may be, you may end up spending money on pills, healthcare and other essentials, rather than the newest (and pricey!) motorized wheelchair. Technology may evolve, yes, but adequate space is not something you can add later. 5ft also allows space for a caregiver/helper in tight spaces, such as being put to bed, helped in the toilet, etc.

Things I did find handy in the ADA manuals were clear space for reaching (eg switches, door actuators, door knobs, sink handles), turn around space, guidelines for paths, landings and approaches, sloping of lots and ramps. The sample plans for bedrooms, bathrooms are great for economical use of space, while still providing for wheelchair access.

Overall, I didn't read the entire thing, but I definitely skimmed all of the pictures.

For the kitchen, I don't believe its too difficult

- multi-height counters (which double as an awesome baking counter!)

- select ADA appliances and fixtures where possible

- allow for adequate wheelchair maneuverability space

- consider raising dishwasher for ease of loading/unloading

- utilize an accessible sink cabinet, or custom-design one with removable/retractable cupboard doors

- choose resilient, low-maintenance flooring (eg vinyl) to eliminate issues with floors

- adequate lighting for cooking/chopping

- consider storing important items/food/plates in lower drawers

- microwave at accessible height

etc

Its not necessary to buy the latest motorized wheel chair. One can be purchased for as little as $1,000 more than a manual one. Even double that is not a bad investment since not everyone can operate a manual wheelchair without assistance. Designing for a manual wheelchair will add a lot of space to a house and could increase the cost by 20 times the cost of a motorized chair. And much of the added space will not increase the resale value which could be a critical issue if you need to leave the house someday.

But why tell people what to do, let the homeowners consider the options and decide if they want a powered wheelchair or waste a lot of space that they might never need.

A raised dishwasher would put the controls and counter too high for handicapped use. There are ADA compliant dishwashers that fit under a 32" counter. But a better solution for 2 people is a tall single drawer dishwasher.

many of them only design 1 bedroom as accessible, and other parts of the house may not be Accessible.

This is where personal opinion comes in to play -- and this is mostly for people planning retirement homes. Some people say they want 100% of their home to be on one level, all doors that're accessible, while others say that if everything needed for daily living is on the main level, it's okay for the secondary bedrooms to be upstairs.

Its not necessary to buy the latest motorized wheel chair. One can be purchased for as little as $1,000 more than a manual one.Insurance and Medicare pay for wheelchairs, if they're permanent needs. If you're talking about a short-term need (which is much more likely), wheelchairs can be rented. And "late model used" models are available for moderate prices. Pretty much no one's going to find himself using a manual wheelchair -- unless it's a choice.

Keep in mind, too, that few people actually need a wheelchair all the time. More people are able to get around the house but need them when they go out. My grandmother was in this situation in the last year of her life. She could get around the house just fine, but she needed the extra help of the wheelchair when she went out. Problems she actually had:

- The wheelchair had to be stored somewhere near the back door. Fortunately, she had a breezeway /enclosed porch on which it could be left, but it was always in the way. The rest of us could push it out of the way, but the thing "blocked" my grandmother from traversing the breezeway, and she'd have to call out for one of us to come move the thing so she could get to the other side of the house. Life would've been easier if we'd had a spot near the back door where the chair could've been "tucked away".

In my house design, I have a spot where I'm going to place a chest of drawers ... but at any point in the future, it can be removed, and that little spot will be big enough for a wheelchair to sit out of the way. We will have an outlet in this little spot in case anything needs charging.

- She had real trouble with any transition in flooring. For example, the spot where the kitchen linoleum met the carpet gave her trouble, even though it was a matter of less than an inch in height. She could walk all day long (with her walker) on a flat space, but a curb could keep her out of a store. The answer is obvious: Use one flooring throughout the whole house.

- I've read that bathrooms are the first place where people really have trouble. My grandmother could use her own toilet at home without any problem -- she had a sturdy hand rail next to a high toilet. But she couldn't get in/out of toilet stalls in stores and restaurants, and she actually bought Depends JUST to wear when she went out. A toilet-in-a-closet in a typical master bath is smaller than the handicapped stalls that gave her problems in the stores. Keep your toilet accessible -- and either install hand rails now OR place solid wood behind your tile in "appropriate places" so you can place hand rails later without destroying your tile.

- Likewise, she had an awful time in the shower, and it was the place where she least wanted help. She had real trouble lifting her foot to enter her walk-in-shower, and her shower was barely big enough for a shower stool -- she would've been better off with a large, sturdy hospital shower chair. My uncle installed a hand-held shower for her, and that was easy for her to use. A better designed shower would've made this task better for her, and it would've cost only a little more -- if it'd been done when the house was built.

Leaving wheelchairs behind and thinking about other items, here are a few things to remember:

- Plan one entrance that's protected from the weather, has as few steps as possible, and is easy to enter. Inside this entrance, have a sit-down spot where a person can stop and "arrive" home -- set down keys, purse, coat, etc. Remember, too, that older people have slower circulation; my grandmother wore long sleeves even in summer and a coat three seasons of the year when she went out -- definitely "coat hanging needs" are increased with aging.

Two other things that helped my grandmother getting in /out of the house: My uncle installed a small vertical grab bar both inside and outside the back door -- these things were absolutely wonderful for her as she made the "one step up" into the house. Second, she had two walkers -- her inside walker and her outside walker. This meant that she didn't have to maneuver the walker up/down the one step. She could just move herself ... and the other walker was right there waiting for her.

- High contrast between countertops and dishes are easier for aging eyes (i.e, white counter tops and dark blue plates).

- A good sized pantry is important for people who no longer drive. Between family members, my grandmother was taken out to lunch /light shopping 2-3 Xs a week, but she worried about running out of toilet paper or canned soup. She felt better knowing that she had plenty of "supplies" at the ready.

- My grandmother loved to look outside, and she spent most of her time sitting in her comfortable table by a large bay window. When my daughter worked home health, she said this was typical: All elderly people seem to like to sit and see a nice view outside. One lady with whom she worked didn't have such a spot, so she always sat crowded in the front door, looking out the glass door.

- Don't forget fire safety in the bedroom. My home health daughter says that one of the considerations in deciding whether an elderly person can stay in his or her house is whether the person could escape easily in case of fire. My current bedroom (in a typical ranch) is quite far from an exterior door; in our new house, we're going to have a slider straight to the back yard.

- Laundry was a huge problem for my grandmother. She could walk through the house just fine, but she couldn't walk carrying anything. For this reason, we wanted to keep the laundry room near the bedroom closet, and we're planning to buy a push cart (not unlike a small shopping cart -- my grandmother could walk easily while pushing a shopping cart) for transportation of dirty/clean clothes.

Yup, all very good comments MrsPete!

LIghting is another good thing to consider - for all rooms. Many of your solutions we've used in our build. (Though we are designing for larger wheelchairs as we intend on willing our home to charity as a youth centre or something similar).

We are installing sensor-based lights in exterior entryways, and in foyers/mudroom, so that we don't have to fumble for keys.

We are planning to use the ADA-height dishwasher, though for some people the raised-height one is preferred. Annoyingly Canada doesn't seem big on ADA appliances, so we'll likely head down south to grab ours.

We are stacking closets to allow for an elevator, as we want to be able to be able to use all floors of our home. (We're two storys, and even a bungalow would've had a useable basement) While we haven't put in a sprinkler system yet, it could be reasonaly easily added through the open-web floor joists in the future. (we are rural so no hydrants near us).

doorknobs and lightswitches at accessible height take some getting use to (and look RIDICULOUS on 8ft doors), but are easier for everyone to use.

If you have any 'accessible' or 'visitable' homes near you (a minimum percentage of new homes in our area have to be), I recommend going to take a look at them and see how it 'feels' for you. One thing that irritated us was walk-in pantries. While they can hold a lot, small ones with a door are near-impossible to enter, pick up what you need, turn around, and exit. We replaced ours with a pull-out pantry that is easy to open standing beside it.

We graded our garage to eliminate the step into the house, and also plan on having a grocery cart in the future. The driveway, walkways and landscaping around the house are similarly sloped to eliminate steep slopes and allow for meandering 'safe' slopes that blend into their surroundings, while a set of stairs may also provide a more 'direct' path.

Thank you everyone, some great information, links, and ideas. I really appreciate it!