Celebrate Memorial Day by remembering the heroes we have lost and honor those whose lives are changed forever by a lifetime disability. Remember those serving today and pray for their well being. There is a fundraising campaign to create a memorial for those Veterans who are Disabled for Life. Follow this link to their homepage to learn how you can help this cause.
http://www.avdlm.com/
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Senator Barack Obama on Disability
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Jon Weems sings his original song "I Know You Believe in Me"
To visit Jon Weems' website visit this link:
Monday, May 19, 2008
Access is not historically consistent, so arrest me?
On April 25, 2008, Mike Allen reported, in the Roanoke Times, that a judge in Roanoke, Virginia criminally convicted a woman for violating zoning ordinances because she made her private home accessible for her mother who uses a wheelchair. The battle stemmed from a pair of French doors that the local Architectural Review Board decided did not meet their standards. Never mind, that the window that the doors replaced were vinyl and did not meet the historic standards either. Never mind, that historically, the window was originally a door.
The neighborhood, deemed historic, has a few beautifully restored homes, but it has a higher number of rundown homes that lower income homeowners cannot afford to update, due to prohibitive ARB standards. The neighborhood also has issues with urban crime, so it is not a historic showplace by any stretch of the imagination. For decades, the ARB has tried to force this neighborhood into an upscale status with questionable progress. It also is littered with modern commercial buildings, hardly a poster child for historic preservation.
In the past, this ARB has prevented residents from building affordable wheelchair ramps and installing outdoor lighting for persons with vision loss, yet they permitted the new Art Museum to move a historic building facade because, obviously, art is a public benefit. The new building is an extreme example of modern architecture. Why would it benefit the community for a person with a disability to access their private dwelling? Why would a person choose to live at home rather than in an institutional setting? Certainly, independent living is a public good. Put a person with a disability on that ARB and you might find out it is more important than an building's appearance. In this case, it is not a centuries old Roman ruin we are talking about.
The Virginia Fair Housing Board weighed in, supporting the ARB. The judge convicted this woman, who dared to pursue access, because her doors did not meet the Americans with Disabilities Act standards for an accessible door. My phone call to the Virginia Fair Housing Board resulted in their stating that private home modifications are not held to ADA standards. The federal Access Board website clearly states that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not apply to private residences. So what standards did this judge use? Did he create a new precedent that a person with a disability cannot customize their own private home to meet their own access needs? Does a private homeowner have a social responsibility to increase the accessible housing stock by creating a universally accessible home, even if it is cost prohibitive or not their personal choice for their own needs?
Is it a crime to want to care for your own mother at home? Is it a crime to want your own life to be independent? What was the judge thinking? And when does history trump civil rights? After all segregated restrooms may be historic, but who would advocate that it is a good idea to "preserve" them? Even the historic lawn at Mr. Jefferson's beloved University of Virginia has temporary wheelchair ramps because even Mr. Jefferson knew that civil rights always matter first.
Related links:
Mike Allen's story in the Roanoke Times
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/159535
The Federal Access Board
http://www.access-board.gov/
The Virginia Fair Housing Office
http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/fho_index.cfm
City of Roanoke Architectural Review Board http://www.roanokeva.gov/85256a8d0062af37/vwContentByKey/N255CS4Z724FGUREN
The neighborhood, deemed historic, has a few beautifully restored homes, but it has a higher number of rundown homes that lower income homeowners cannot afford to update, due to prohibitive ARB standards. The neighborhood also has issues with urban crime, so it is not a historic showplace by any stretch of the imagination. For decades, the ARB has tried to force this neighborhood into an upscale status with questionable progress. It also is littered with modern commercial buildings, hardly a poster child for historic preservation.
In the past, this ARB has prevented residents from building affordable wheelchair ramps and installing outdoor lighting for persons with vision loss, yet they permitted the new Art Museum to move a historic building facade because, obviously, art is a public benefit. The new building is an extreme example of modern architecture. Why would it benefit the community for a person with a disability to access their private dwelling? Why would a person choose to live at home rather than in an institutional setting? Certainly, independent living is a public good. Put a person with a disability on that ARB and you might find out it is more important than an building's appearance. In this case, it is not a centuries old Roman ruin we are talking about.
The Virginia Fair Housing Board weighed in, supporting the ARB. The judge convicted this woman, who dared to pursue access, because her doors did not meet the Americans with Disabilities Act standards for an accessible door. My phone call to the Virginia Fair Housing Board resulted in their stating that private home modifications are not held to ADA standards. The federal Access Board website clearly states that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not apply to private residences. So what standards did this judge use? Did he create a new precedent that a person with a disability cannot customize their own private home to meet their own access needs? Does a private homeowner have a social responsibility to increase the accessible housing stock by creating a universally accessible home, even if it is cost prohibitive or not their personal choice for their own needs?
Is it a crime to want to care for your own mother at home? Is it a crime to want your own life to be independent? What was the judge thinking? And when does history trump civil rights? After all segregated restrooms may be historic, but who would advocate that it is a good idea to "preserve" them? Even the historic lawn at Mr. Jefferson's beloved University of Virginia has temporary wheelchair ramps because even Mr. Jefferson knew that civil rights always matter first.
Related links:
Mike Allen's story in the Roanoke Times
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/159535
The Federal Access Board
http://www.access-board.gov/
The Virginia Fair Housing Office
http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/fho_index.cfm
City of Roanoke Architectural Review Board http://www.roanokeva.gov/85256a8d0062af37/vwContentByKey/N255CS4Z724FGUREN
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