June 24, 2006
Points of Light Foundation Conference
The Points of Light Foundation coordinates local & national volunteer initiatives in the US. The 2006 conference was held in Seattle.
Inclusion was one of the themes running through the week. The National Service Inclusion Project made several presntations. The topic of inclusion was raised in disaster preparedness workshops. Ability Awareness was there to let everyone know about Universal Design, Visitability, and service through its Ability House project.
http://www.abilityawareness.org/resources.htm
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has identified people with disabilities as one of the primary populations experiencing worst-case housing needs.In response, ABILITY Awareness created the ABILITY House project. Built in partnership with Habitat for Humanity affiliates, each ABILITY House is an accessible home built for a family where one or more members have health conditions or disabilities. Additionally, the ABILITY House project reaches out to volunteers with health conditions and disabilities to help build the homes, demonstrating to the community their skills, talents and potential as volunteers and employees.
“The ABILITY House will remove the barriers that keep people with disabilities from owning their own homes,” said Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity International, at the launch of the first ABILITY House. "This build will send a powerful message: People with disabilities can make a house into a home.”
Source:
http://www.abilityawareness.org/programs.htm