Glenn and his mother Marjorie could not be happier with the transformation to Glenn’s accommodation from the tiny ill-equipped bungalow in a corner of the back yard to a spacious self-contained unit.

Glenn's independent living unit design includes a living area, kitchenette, accessible bathroom and toilet, and the construction of a garage and covered accessway to the ramp. A wide level deck now connects the family home to Glenn's unit allowing him easy access to the house, as well as an nice space he can enjoy together with his family.

When the Glenn and Marjorie were informed they could spend some insurance money to build Glenn a bigger room, they didn’t really know what to ask for, and left most of the detail in the hands of Home Modification Victoria.

“Its over thirty years since Glenn came home after his accident and we’ve managed, but this is really terrific,” says Marjorie. “When the Mary from Home Modification Victoria brought us the plans, we didn’t know anything about buildings. We said alright, but we didn’t know what to expect.”

Glenn and Marjorie were in safe hands with project manager Mary Younger, a qualified architect with over 20 years in private practice and senior roles providing architecture and home modification services to people with disability. In designing and delivering Glenn's independent living unit, Mary also drew on the expertise of the wider team at Home Modification Victoria including access consultants, occupational therapists, landscape and interior designers.

The deck has made a big difference by connecting the unit to the house and providing a covered outdoor space for the Glenn and Marjorie to enjoy together. A garage with an undercover connection to the ramp was also installed.

“The garage is something we didn’t have before, but Mary suggested it would be a good idea to get Glenn in and out of the car,” says Marjorie. ”Glenn likes to sit out in the garage now, watching the gate to see who’s coming and going. He's put a pot belly stove in – making it his man shed.”

“Glenn especially loves his bathroom because he can take care of his own showers,” she says. “Before this, we’d have get up him into the house and into our little bathroom, get everything ready and help him get done in a hurry before we flooded the place.”