ASID Appoints Council on Design Issues for an Agin

Washington, DC, October 19, 2006-- Recognizing that the majority of Americans want to remain in their homes as they age, the American Society of Interior Designers has established a volunteer council of noted experts to look at how design solutions can enhance and support residents throughout the life span. The Council will draw upon its vast experience and networks of professionals to provide the ASID Board of Directors with recommendations on information, research and education efforts that the Society should undertake to better prepare designers and consumers to meet the challenges that come with the normal process of aging. “It is inevitable that we will all age,” says council member Leslie Shankman-Cohn, ASID, an award-winning designer from Memphis, Tenn. “Whether we do so gracefully or otherwise, we all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and to ‘age in style.’ We should not be isolated from the day to day activities that make our lives worthwhile. It is essential that designers continue to learn all they can about age-related changes and social and psychological needs to create better environments for older adults. It is equally as important to look beyond the immediate needs of one sector of the population and provide a smooth transition for living needs throughout one’s life and physical abilities.” The Council members come from a variety of backgrounds and practices. Collectively, they cover a broad spectrum of experience and expertise in designing interior spaces for older persons. Says nationally recognized independent living specialist and Council member Louis Tenenbaum, “The opportunity to work with this group of dedicated and talented professionals to solve the critical problem of housing and care for the growing population of older citizens was not something I could pass up.” The members of the ASID Aging in Place Council are as follows: Truth Camina, ASID has worked for production builders for the past 22 years and is currently the director of interior design services with Centex Homes in San Antonio, Texas, where she has worked for the past 12 years. Prior to joining Centex Homes, Camina owned an interior design and space planning company for five years with her sister , a commercial architect, and later worked for the Galveston Historical Foundation on the restoration of the Elissa, a square rigged sailing ship built in 1877 in Aberdeen, Scotland. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where she was in the first class to receive a B.S. in interior design. In her current position, she is involved with changes that are made to accommodate physical challenges, many of which are due to aging. She works with the new home sales person or homeowner to determine needs, get pricing and facilitate installation of these changes. Drue Ellen Lawlor, FASID is a certified interior designer in the state of California, where she now specializes in design consultation for “aging-in-place.” Lawlor is a principal in education-works, inc., a Dallas-based professional development seminar group that both independently, and in partnership with companies and organizations, develops and delivers programs for those in design-related professions, as well as seminars structuredfor their specific markets. Lawlor, who is currently serving as Chair of the ASID Aging in Place Council, is an NCIDQ certificate holder and a Fellow of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), having served as an ASID volunteer leader in a variety of positions for a number of years. She also has been a college instructor at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, and has co-authored and co-produced, with another local interior designer, a series of design seminars for the public that has been offered around the country. Patricia Rowen, ASID, CAPS, is a certified interior designer in the state of California.

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