Submitted by David Allgood, Director of Advocacy at the Center for Accessible Living in Louisville, Kentucky.
People with disabilities make up the largest minority in Kentucky and in America. One of the greatest barriers that people with disabilities face when attempting to live in the community is the lack of affordable and accessible housing. In many instances, the emphasis is on the accessible aspect especially if you use a mobility device. Unfortunately, the majority of older homes were usually built with steps, narrow hallways, and inaccessible bathrooms.
One of the greatest barriers that people with disabilities face when attempting to live in the community is the lack of affordable and accessible housing.David Algood, Director of Advocacy at the Center for Accessible Living in Louisville, Kentucky
One solution to this incredible need for accessible homes would be to have builders of new homes incorporate universal design or visitability aspects while the new home is being constructed. These design features are extremely inexpensive when incorporated as the house is being built and are usually undetectable as a feature of the home.
If you want to make an effort to try and correct this problem, we need to reach out to the homebuilder’s associations, architects, and our local, state, and federal elected officials and explain the issue to them. If this problem affects you directly, nothing is more impactful than a personal story to these individuals to show the real need for accessible housing availability in our state and country.
Note: This post originally appeared on the Avocado Press Facebook page on February 22, 2021. Reprinted with permission.
