A building contractor is leading the way in constructing homes and kitchens based on universal design, a home construction concept that creates attractive spaces that anybody, regardless of ability, can live in. Martin Watters and his partner Daniel Szalai have formed ADA Lifestyles, which constructs and renovates homes with kitchens that are easy to navigate for the disabled. An example of universal design is constructing lower kitchen counters with no cabinets below so that a wheelchair-bound person can move their wheelchair and feet underneath the worktop. We also designed the sink with the drain at the back so if somebody is in a wheelchair and they have problems with getting burned with pipes, all the pipes are out of the way, said Watters, 52, who himself became a paraplegic after a motorcycle accident in 1987. Universal design and compatibility with the Disabilities Act is already a hallmark of complexes that are used for the elderly or disabled. Tappan Zee Manor in Nyack has ramps and elevators as well as other modifications to its former hotel site. Bathrooms at Tappan Zee Manor have grab rails, wide doorways and sinks with no cabinets below so that the 80 residents can navigate up to the basins to wash their faces or brush their teeth. There are also lower kitchen-style sinks and counters in the Tappan Zee Manors rooms.