HL20: Michael Graves—Patient Experience From the Patient's Experience

"These houses are terrific; they've got very wide corridors. In fact, two wheelchairs can pass each other in a corridor. You can turn around. You've got roll-in showers, tables that go up and down so that you can slide your wheelchair under the table," says Graves.

These wheelchair-accessible homes were not designed solely for physical disabilities. They're also meant to help heal the emotional scars of returning home from war. Graves says surroundings are crucial when learning to adjust to a new normal.

"There are so many things that lift the spirit in architecture," says Graves.

Indeed, the sense of playfulness that Graves is known for in his design shows up in both prototypes. One house is sunny yellow. A nearby white picket fence completes the picture-perfect exterior. The other house, red with white trim, has several small round windows and a wide front porch that is equally charming.

Graves says his dream is to design an entire hospital, rooms and all. With all that he's accomplished in healthcare product design after nearly 10 years as a patient, it wouldn't be surprising at all if one day his trademark slate blue markings are on a hospital door.