SCI Superstar: Rosemarie Rossetti

“I have an active life with inactive feet” is a fantastic quote from Rosemarie Rossetti, one of the few people who was a motivational speaker before her injury. Injured at age 44 after being hit by a tree while riding a bicycle with her husband, she refused to stop living.

Rosemarie has always been a woman deeply involved in life, whether it’s in the business world as a communications coach, teaching oral communications at Ohio State University or speaking around the world on universal design. Read on for her story.

Why She’s Fearless

Waking up in the hospital, the possibilities of what Rosemarie would now do with her life flowed through her mind. A a talented speaker in the business and academic world, she knew speaking was something she could still do.

In fact, one of the first things she did was publish a book 2 years post-injury called, Take Back Your Life! (a compilation of her inspirational messages post-injury). She also went on to be a Winter Olympic torch bearer in 2002 and she was Ms. Wheelchair Ohio in 2004.

Speaking was just one thing Rosemarie wanted to do. She’s also a huge plant lover and has a degree in Horticulture and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Education. Once she returned home and faced the reality that 50% of her home was no longer accessible, as well as her gardens (she had a two-story home), she knew this was something she was born to tackle.

Soon Rosemarie was immersed in the world of universal design, and she and her husband came up with a great idea to not only help themselves but others with limited mobility. They built the Universal Living Design Laboratory; a home with the best universal design concepts available.

The 3,5000 sq. ft. home is located in Columbus, Ohio and was completed in 2012. It’s built with green building concepts and Feng Shui principals. And the gardens, both inside and outside, are accessible. She and her husband Mark live in the home, but it’s available for tours by appointment.

What’s Next?

Since moving into her home showcasing universal design, they’ve given thousands of tours. Rosemarie also co-wrote a second book with her husband on the concept of universal design, the Universal Design Tool Kit, published in 2017.

And when Rosemarie is not speaking, she gives inclusive meetings and events for corporations, informing and educating as a disability inclusion and accessibility consultant.

— Rosemarie Rossetti’s official site