The Citizen, 2017-10-26, Page 21THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017. PAGE 21.
Sawchuks begin work on new, accessible home
Changing needs
Two years ago, Julie Sawchuk didn't need a ramp to get into
her family's 100 -year-old farm house near Blyth. After her
accident, however, her needs have changed, just like they
do for so many every day. Julie and her husband Theo are
now hard at work on a new, accessible house and say it's
easier and cheaper than you might think. (Photo submitted)
Upgrades could spruce
up your aging kitchen
Continued from page 20
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By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Casey Boven of Blyth will soon
begin work on a house for the
Sawchuk family that will look a little
different than most houses inside,
but will be accessible to all.
Julie Sawchuk was paralyzed from
the chest down when she was struck
while cycling just over two years
ago. Since then, she, her husband
Theo and children Ella and Oliver
have been living a different life.
Living in a 100 -year-old farm
house with a second floor, there was
no way to make it accessible for
Sawchuk to reach the second floor.
She and Theo moved their room
onto the main floor and she now
makes her children take pictures of
their room with her phone so she
knows whether or not they cleaned
them.
It hasn't been perfect, she says, but
the Sawchuks have made it work.
They've made small alterations to
the bathroom and the kitchen so that
Julie can use everything, but soon
they'll be in a new house in which
everyone can use everything.
Sawchuk has been working on a
one -floor design for a new house,
that will be ready for the family next
year. It will be on their same Blyth -
area property, just in a different spot
on the land.
As the Sawchuks have been
working with architects and Boven
to design the house, one theme kept
coming up. It is the same theme
Sawchuk has been hitting home with
her monthly column for The Citizen
and the same point that was made at
this year's International Plowing
Match (IPM): accessibility doesn't
have to complicated and it doesn't
have to be expensive.
Including everyone in events and
the ability to access buildings is
becoming more and more important,
Sawchuk said. She was a member of
the IPM's accessibility committee,
an IPM first. What she, Chair
Charlene O'Reilly and other
members of the committee worked
towards and were able to accomplish
was making a 100 -acre field
accessible to everyone. They
accomplished this by designing
accessible people movers, accessible
washrooms and a number of aid
stations for those who are
differently-abled.
The big takeaway for the members
of the committee was that while the
task seemed daunting when they first
set out, it was actually easier than
they thought it would be.
That revelation has carried over
into work on the Sawchuks' new
house. When Julie and Theo first
thought about what kind of design
and construction work would go
into building an accessible house,
they thought it would be difficult,
but it proved to be simple and
clean.
The house will all be on one floor
and include a drive-in garage, so that
Sawchuk can drive in, get out of her
car and into the house without
having to traverse a wet, snowy or
icy ramp.
They have been careful to leave
room for exercise equipment. Often
an afterthought in the house,
especially with someone who has
had a life -changing accident,
exercise equipment is so important.
For someone with reduced
mobility, Sawchuk says that being
healthy and not gaining weight due
to inactivity is a definite concern and
room for exercise equipment should
Continued on page 23
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