Amy Marks had to wait for hours on the floor of her "inaccessible" Melbourne apartment after she fell while reaching for a glass.
Marks lives with cerebral palsy and is one of many Australians with a disability who are unable to find accessible housing in Australia's intensifying rental crisis.
She told 9news.com.au she had to settle with an inappropriate home or face being forced into a retirement home at the age of 26.
Marks can't reach her kitchen cabinets and has to keep her plates on the floor. Even getting an Uber has become a nightmare as there's no accessible parking nearby.
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Change to come
Peak bodies, including the Summer Foundation, have petitioned state governments to ensure newly-built homes meet mandatory accessibility standards, by adopting an opt-in section of the National Construction Code (NCC).
Building ministers met last month and voted to adopt the changes from October 2022, with a 12-month transition period.
The code means newly built homes will include features like step free entry, step free showers, ground level accessible toilets, structural reinforcements to support grab rail installation in bathrooms and doorways, along with transitional spaces to allow ease of movement.
"We called on all government's to make a decision in the building ministers meeting to increase the number of accessible houses in the community," Naughtin said.
While other states, including Victoria, have adopted the opt-in section of the code, New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia said they will opt out.