A room-by-room worksheet for accessible lighting and blinds

Start with the rooms you actually use

Choose two or three frequently used spaces rather than trying to redesign the whole house at once. Note the activities that matter in each: getting dressed, reading, preparing a meal or settling into bed. Record which lights and blinds you use for those activities, including controls you avoid because they are awkward to reach.

Observe at different times if that is practical and comfortable. A room that works in the morning may present a different task after dark. Ask the person using the room what they want to change before a supporter proposes a solution. This worksheet is a planning aid, not a prescription for lighting levels, control heights or clinical needs.

Complete a task-based worksheet

Use the examples below as prompts and replace them with your own observations. Record what happens now before writing a proposed solution. Where a question needs professional assessment, mark it for discussion rather than guessing a technical or clinical answer.

Record access and preferences together

For each task, note whether a control can be reached, identified and operated from the position normally used. Include whether the person prefers a physical button, a handheld control or another method. A convenient control for one household member may be unsuitable for another, so avoid treating a shared preference as universal.

Ask what should happen when someone else uses the room. Would a labelled wall control help a visitor? Could a remote have a consistent storage place? Would an automatic action interrupt someone who wants the blind left open? These are design questions to resolve with the household, not assumptions about what accessible living should look like.

Turn observations into a shared brief

Home modifications are changes to the home that support access and use, and the NDIS identifies owner agreement as necessary where the participant does not own the home.^[1] Ask early whether proposed changes involve fixed fittings or wiring and who can approve them. A worksheet does not replace that permission.

For home modification requests, the NDIS uses assessment evidence, with minor and complex assessments completed by qualified occupational therapists.^[2] Share relevant observations with your OT and ask which outcomes need assessment. Then ask the electrician to distinguish feasible options, compatibility checks and unresolved questions in the proposed scope.

For a Sydney household planning with RE Electronics in Warwick Farm, a completed worksheet can make an initial electrical scope discussion more specific. Bring only information relevant to the work and agree who may receive it. RE provides electrical contracting, not clinical assessment; the aim is a clear conversation about tasks, controls and the installation questions still to be answered.

General information only. It is not clinical, legal or funding advice; confirm decisions with the relevant professional or the NDIA.