The LifeWise house is not a senior's house, at least not per se. In fact, it's 1«-story layout is not a traditional senior's design. But it is senior-friendly, and it is just what the doctor ordered, says Terre Belt, acting president of the Research Center a place that facilitates the ability of older adults "to live comfortably, safely and independently in their homes as they age."

William Stothers, deputy director for the Center for an Accessible Society in San Diego, is enouraged, too. "Hopefully," he says, "builders will begin to see this as a market whose time has come."

They'd have to have vision problems of their own not too. After all, over the next two decades, the number of persons 65 or older will increase by more than 50 percent, rising from 35 million in 2000 to 54 million by 2020.

Historically, builders haven't perceived a need for even the basic tenants of accessibility an entrance without a step, at least one accessible bathroom on the first floor and doorways that are 32 inches clear width on the main living level. In fact, Stothers claims, builders have been pretty much opposed to universal design, or "visitability," as the movement is becoming known, arguing that the market doesn't want it.

But Concrete Change, a Decatur, Ga.-based group dedicated to making all homes barrier-free, points out in its literature that the people who need these features "often have their need emerge suddenly after an illness or injury and are in no position to advocate for their needs on the market."

Even when buyers request accessibility features, the group maintains, they often are told no or charged substantial sums.

Concrete Change believes legislation is necessary to successfully affect the status quo. Not just measures like the one passed in Georgia in 1978, which encouraged builders to voluntarily make the necessary changes, but laws that force builders to do so.

"Once (basic accessibility features) are required, they will become routine," the group says.

Actually, some jurisdictions have already enacted such ordinances.

Normally, local accessibility requirements apply only to single-family houses subsidized with local funds. But Florida passed a law in 1989 requiring that main floor bathroom doors be wide enough to accommodate standard wheelchairs.

And last year, Pima County, Az., became the first place in the country to require a zero-step entry and certain other features in all new houses. The new rules apply only to the unincorporated area of the county and not to the city of Tucson. Even at that, though, an estimated 3,000 houses a year will be covered.

Similar laws are under consideration in Santa Monica, Calif., and Pittsburgh. And at the national level, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., introduced a bill last year that would require all newly-built homes receiving federal funds to meet the three basic standards of accessibility.

"It defies logic to build new homes that block people out," said the Illinois lawmaker, noting that three out of 10 people will face a disability before they are 67. But legislation may not be necessary, suggests Andrew Kochera, a senior policy advisor at AARP in Washington, who says builders are beginning to pay attention to the demographics.

"Overall," Kochera says, "builders are very cognizant of the large generation of baby boomers" that is approaching senior status. "And many are now trying to maneuver themselves to have a product that is attractive to this group."