The Rolling Rains Report covers issues affecting the ability of people with disabilities to fully participate in society while they are away from their primary place of residence. In general, that means issues impacting travel.
But what happens when a person with a disability is displaced by a disaster such as Katrina? And where is the distinction to be drawn between home and away...
...when one lives in a tourist destination -- and federal tax monies will be used to fund "one of the biggest bursts of federal housing development in United States history." *
Below is a position statement by the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Note the uneqiuvocal endorsement of Universal Design as Visitability:
PVA calls on Congress to enact HR 1441, the Inclusive Home Design Act, as a first step in broadening the inventory of accessible homes in the hurricane ravaged areas and throughout the nation.
Accessible Housing Now
The Issue
Housing – temporary and permanent – has begun to capture the attention of government officials and public planners in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] plans to open in the affected Gulf Coast areas some 30,000 temporary homes every two weeks with the number ultimately reaching 300,000 within a few months. At least three states will be rebuilding entire communities using considerable sums of federal money. Billions of dollars are beginning to pour into the region in "what urban planners are calling one of the biggest bursts of federal housing development in United States history."
Among the thousands forced from their homes by the storm are people with disabilities and elderly residents who may find themselves permanently displaced if actions are not taken immediately to ensure that replacement housing will meet their needs now and in the long term. Existing law requires that housing constructed or refurbished with federal funds have 5% of the units accessible to people with physical impairments. Yet that percentage is unrealistically low when census data indicate that almost 20% of people ages 16 to 64 have a physical disability that makes leaving the home difficult.
An unprecedented opportunity exists to build on a broad scale accessible or adaptable housing that will not only help thousands of Americans with disabilities live independently in their chosen communities but enable more people to age-in-place as they grow older. With a little foresight and planning, homes can be designed and built with 3 foot wide doorways and accessible entrances as easily as homes with narrow doorways and steps.
PVA's Position
Like other private organizations, PVA responded to Katrina by providing disaster relief grants to assist paralyzed veterans in need of food and shelter as well as transportation for evacuation. PVA is also acting as a resource to help displaced members find temporary accessible housing. However, these veterans and thousands of other people with disabilities will need permanent accessible homes if they are to return to their communities and avoid institutionalization. PVA asks that the Department of Veterans Affairs make its housing inventory immediately available to veterans and others displaced by the storm. In addition, PVA urges all federal agencies involved in the recovery effort to require accessibility features as a condition of any emergency or new housing construction contracts issued to relieve the housing crisis in the Gulf area. PVA also urges the Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development to ensure compliance with federal accessibility standards by developers using federal money to rebuild homes in the affected regions. Finally, PVA calls on Congress to enact HR 1441, the Inclusive Home Design Act, as a first step in broadening the inventory of accessible homes in the hurricane ravaged areas and throughout the nation.