‘It’s Not You, It’s the House’

Leon Harper, Relentless in His Pursuit of Universal Design

By Denise Hofstedt

When he started his career as a public servant in California in the 1970s, Leon Harper never envisioned himself as one of the country’s leading experts on universally designed housing.  

Yet today, the one time parole officer is the “go to” guy for bringing universal design housing into communities, states and beyond. His relentless activism over the years has given him an opportunity to see the positive impact that universal design has on peoples’ lives and allowed him to build a vast network of colleagues interested in bringing universal design to residential settings.

His Start

After a brief stint as a parole officer in the early 1970s, Harper jumped at the chance to work in the newly created Los Angeles County branch of the state Office on Aging. He loved it and was good at it. He went on to become the President of the California Association of Area Agencies on Aging and eventually President of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging.