Accessing Design: With, Not For

Accessibility isn’t just about ramps, layouts, or features. It’s about the process — about who gets to shape the decisions from the start.

 

Too often, housing is designed for people without ever being designed with them. Professionals decide what “works,” and the people who actually live there are left to adapt. That’s backwards.

 

At Little Haven, we want our homes shaped by the people who will live in them. That means listening to people with disabilities, single-income households, and working families who’ve been shut out. It means asking what really works in daily life — or doesn’t.  We refuse to assume we already know the answers.

 

But here’s the practical truth: in our first phase, we’re starting with stock plans. That’s the reality of starting a new home building company with limited resources. We will be making modifications — things like adjusting layouts and including accessibility features — but the base designs will come from proven plans. That’s how we build affordably now, proving the model works and laying the groundwork for deeper customization later.

 

This isn’t a compromise of values. It’s a strategy. Starting with stock plans lets us reduce costs, avoid delays, and focus our energy where it matters most: making sure those homes actually work for the people moving into them. And as Little Haven grows, we’ll move closer to true co-design — shaping homes with input from the communities of people who need them.

 

Accessibility isn’t just a checklist. It’s a way of working. And for us, that means being honest about constraints while never losing sight of the bigger promise: housing designed with, not for.