Lesson 10: UD POLITICS: VISIT*ABILITY AND FAIR HOUSING



TITLE ROW: Viz logos with Aactive@ new international wheelchair icon

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After this last mission, you Expert Visitors can:

  1. Make a convincing public presentation that effectively describes the need for and importance of basic access (VIZ) and fair housing.

  2. Debate the following statements, being able to take BOTH sides:
    Proponents: VIZ/basic access is a long overdue and relatively INexpensive trio of features that should be MANDATORY in ALL new AND remodeled housing.
Opponents: Legislating expensive access requirements for new housing violates home buyers' rights to make their OWN spending decisions AND makes those homes less affordable.

WORD BANK: Visit*Ability, basic vs. full/fixed access, temporary vs. permanent disability, safety and maneuverability, home resale value, para-/quadri-plegic, architectural and attitudinal barriers, social isolation, 0-step/stepless entry, 32" clear passage doors, legislated VIZ vs. voluntary programs, Fair Housing Amendments Act Accessibility Guidelines (FHAAAG).

CONTENT HEADINGS:
Who's NOT At The Party and Why Not?!
          Even Some Celebs Have to Miss Parties
VIZ: The Bottom Rung on the UD Continuum
Minimum, NON-Negotiable Visit*Ability Requirements
          Most Residential Interior Doors are Too Narrow
Accessible, Fair Multi-family Housing (4+ units)
Advanced Option: Legislated vs. Voluntary VIZ Programs

IMAGES:
Party couple, from PB Teen
Habitat for Humanity homes with INvisible VIZ in Atlanta
Step-less birdhouse
How to make a home Visit*Able (3 line drawings)
Signs for visitors (use main entrance, park here, and thank you)
Eleanor Smith's Visit*Ability poem/poster

LINKS:
Target Stores' Design for All marketing campaign
http://www.target.com/designforall/homes.jhtml

Concrete Change web site (group formed by Eleanor Smith, VIZ founder):
http://www.concretechange.home.mindspring.com

Easy Living Homes (program moving into nationwide use)
www.easylivinghomes.com

Analyses of existing and proposed VIZ regulations and laws:
http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/visitability

Fair Housing FIRST website (Awesome and DHUD-funded)
http://www.fairhousingFIRST.gov

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

  • The http://www.fairhousingFIRST.gov is as important as the list of features....These barriers cause daily, draining drudgery; physically unsafe conditions; social isolation; and undesired institutionalization (Smith).
  • Visit*Ability: It's your PATRIOTIC duty! Who could argue that our disabled vets deserve access? (Peters).
  • The dozens of homes I've tried but been excluded from while house hunting...I had to crawl on the floor every time I used the bathroom. Many have it worse (Smith).
  • Developers in the East market...'Lifestyle Design,'...builders in the South call it 'Easy Living.' Universal designers...a usable, comfortable home for ANYONE. But in some cities, counties, states, and perhaps soon, the nation, IT'S THE LAW!
  • Able-ism is...exactly like racism and sexism (Smith).

    LESSON 10 LEARNING ACTIVITY CHOICES:

    1. WHAT IF YOU MISS THE PARTY? Visualize yourself just home from the hospital with a broken leg (or worse), standing or sitting in front of your home on crutches or in a wheelchair.

      (How) do you think you would enter your home? How might you feel once inside? Would you feel safe being left alone at home? (How) could you get out in case of fire or flood? How would you feel if your Mom or Dad had to help you use the bathroom?

      Also, think of people you know (family, friends, and other people important to you) who live with the problem of getting into and around in the mostly INaccessible homes in your town.

    2. UD AWARENESS CAMPAIGN OR VIZ ORDINANCE?? Consider the idea of mounting a community-wide UD Awareness Campaign vs. proposing a local VIZ ordinance that requires basic access for ALL new 1-3-family housing in your community.

      What seems to make most sense, proposing a VIZ ordinance first, followed by an Awareness Campaign, or the reverse? Would the methods of achieving either goal be about the same, or different? If you only had time, funds, or energy to do ONE, which is better and why? Re-check the Lesson 10 Links for useful, up-to-date info.

      Start with these thought questions: How much government control do you as a citizen need or want? Why don't more home builders provide basic access and/or readily accept the UD concept? (Is it cost? Choice? Lack of need? Independence? Demand?)

      Hey there's a great lead-in thought! Consider your own relationship with your parents. How much control and involvement do you think parents should have in your life? How much independence should you have as a teen? Believe it: This DOES relate to your critical thinking about legislated VIZ vs. homebuyers' rights vs. needs of people with mobility limits.

      Maybe by the time you're doing this lesson, the proposed federal Inclusive Design Home Act will have been enacted by the U. S. Congress. OR something else may occur to make such a law unnecessary. What might that be? Take a look at local or statewide building codes or the model International Residential (Building) CodeBbut that's a bit far to go. Consider it a noble option!

    3. Community UD Awareness Campaign Notes: