If it's raining or too cold outside, Nyra Miller, 52, of Marietta simply cannot visit her sister in Belpre.

"I have to stay outside when I go to see my sister because I can't get into her house," said Miller, who was born with cerebral palsy and has been in a wheelchair since she was 12 years old.

Most of the time, her sister comes to Marietta to visit her.

Marietta resident David Long, a tireless advocate for individuals with disabilities, believes all new houses should be accessible and hopes to encourage "visitability" legislation in Ohio toward this goal.

Visitability has been a growing trend nationwide since 2003 and is now the target of Ohio advocates like Long. It would involve the introduction of legislation requiring that all new single-family housing be designed and built in such a way that it can be lived in or visited by people with disabilities - or by anyone with mobility issues.

"My hope is that I can encourage a state senator to sponsor a bill, that if passed, would make it mandatory that new residential construction have visitability," Long said.

Long, project coordinator of the Washington County Developmental Disabilities Council of Ohio, also has mobility issues.

"Marietta is an old town, with old houses, and most all the houses have multiple steps to the entrances," Long said.

The house that has "visitability" must meet three basic requirements - at least one no-step entrance (does not have to be in front), doors and hallways wide enough to navigate a wheelchair through and a bathroom on the first floor large enough to get into in a wheelchair and close the door.

"Oh yes," Nyra Miller said. "It's a very good idea."

Columbus Councilwoman Charleta Tavares is working toward the goal of visitability.

At the present time, there is no federal or nationwide legislation, but a number of states have adopted their own standards toward the goal, Tavares said.

"An individual city cannot adopt this legislation. It must be adopted at the state level," she said. "A number of organizations and individuals throughout Ohio are working on this now. We don't know whether it will be by petition, phone survey, letters, but work is under way."

Tavares became involved on a personal level.

"In 1994, I fell and broke one ankle and severely injured my other ankle," she said. "My husband had to carry me into the house. Inside, my doorways were too narrow for my wheelchair. I went from wheelchair to walker to crutches, but it was a difficult time."

Her experience proved to her that legislation would help far more people than just those with permanent disabilities.

"It teaches all of us that we could be in this position at any time," Tavares said. "Every month, 12,000 people turn 60 years old. Our society is aging. Many times a person has to be placed in a nursing home because of mobility issues. They cannot get in or out of their home or navigate inside the house."

If the house was accessible, more elderly people could stay home - where they want to be, Tavares said.

"This would also allow them 'visitability' so they could go to the homes of others," she said.

Tavares is helping launch an education and awareness campaign throughout the state.

"We want to be equitable and fair for everyone," she said.

Steve Thomas of Marietta, who is legally blind and serves on the Rehabilitation Services Consumer Advocacy Council of Ohio board, favors the idea of mandatory accessibility standards for new home construction.

"I do have mobility issues, especially when I am visiting someone," Thomas said. "Marietta still has a lot of public buildings that are not compliant with standards. We also don't have very many rental homes accessible to individuals."

Even a person with a temporary problem, such as a broken leg or ankle, or recovering from hip replacement, could eventually benefit from such legislation, according to Jan Powell, director of WASCO in Marietta.

"What a great idea," she said. "When I bought a house for my father, who had mobility problems, I had a ramp built into the front porch and extended the downstairs bath into the living room and added a roll-in shower."

The fully accessible house later sold very quickly because it was redesigned in a helpful way.

"There is also the plus that people with disabilities could visit friends and family where now, they may not be able to," Powell said.

Proponents of the "visitability" concept say it is not logical to build new homes today that block people out when it is so easy and inexpensive to build homes that allow people access for generations to come.