Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1533577
The director and I did meticulous research by gaining access to incredible families and members of the CP community who offered their suggestions and experiences to educate us. For example, we learned that coffee tables and other furniture in the center of rooms are major roadblocks to mobility. Ideally, a motorized wheelchair user needs at least a 5-foot turn radius to complete a 360-degree turn without hitting walls or doorways Also, kitchen or desk drawers are hard to access for people in wheelchairs. However, by removing the face of a drawer and even adding a simple string attachment, our character could get direct access. Story-wise, it was important to treat Melody as an equal member of the family. As a teen, she had chores to do too! Giving her access to the silverware drawer, for example, meant that she could contribute to the family by setting the table. These are some of the details we wanted to integrate into the design of the house. To enhance realism, Amber and I agreed that their house should have stairs and a second story, spaces that are clearly inaccessible to Melody. We imagined that, as a young couple, the parents had no idea that their first born would have CP. Since they are a middle-class family and can't afford to move, they would need to adapt the house to the needs of a child growing up in a wheelchair. They would have to widen doorways, open walls, and reconfigure a family room downstairs into Melody's bedroom. Location manager Malcolm McCulloch found a great cul-de-sac street and we scouted many A. BROOKS' FAMILY HOME. KITCHEN BREAKTHROUGH. SET PHOTO. B. BROOKS' KITCHEN WITH OPEN-FACE DRAWERS. SET PHOTO. C. & D. BROOKS' FAMILY OPEN-PLAN LIVING ROOM. PRODUCTION STILLS BY DISNEY/MICHAEL GIBSON. C A B D