design101 BY PATRICIA ST. JOHN APLD
I
t took only one moment to completely change my outlook on life and landscapes. As I landed on my right leg, after taking a giant step to avoid stepping on plants in a parking strip, I knew something was dreadfully wrong and that things would not be the same again for a long time.
That thought was confirmed after an agonizing 14-hour stay in the emergency room and subsequent surgery. Breaks in both of my lower-right leg bones required ten screws and a stainless steel plate. Recovering from surgery meant learning to maneuver first in a wheelchair, followed by four weeks on crutches and ultimately a cane. My perspective in regards to mobility, airport security, and garden design was changed forever.
Just One Step
Just one or two steps, no matter how wide or anticipated, are a showstopper for wheelchairs and crutches
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Perhaps the biggest lesson for me was that it takes only one step to render an area inaccessible to anyone in a wheelchair. The slight elevation change that looks so cool on the design drawings or that interesting transition from one material to another became my nemeses in several gardens and can be equally hazardous for the sight impaired. A woman sporting a leg cast called me about five years ago because she had tripped on her one stair leading from the driveway to her back door. That accident compelled her to commission a redesign of her backyard with the goal of eliminating that pesky stair.