May is Visitability Advocacy Month
On May 14, 2010, several dozen people gathered at the newly-constructed Habitat for Humanity home at 227 Elliott Street on the West Side of Syracuse for a proclamation of May as Visitability Advocacy Month. Ann Rooney, Deputy County Executive for Human Services represented Onondaga County and Sharon Owens, Deputy Commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development represented the City of Syracuse as they read the proclamation aloud to the gathered crowd.
The new house was built with Visitability in mind. There is a ramp leading up to a side entrance, allowing visitors who use wheelchairs to enter easily. The bathroom is built with enough space for a visitor with mobility impairments to navigate. Habitat for Humanity even laid additional piping in the wall so a future renovation to allow a different bath or shower configuration could be made with little expense.
Visitable homes are homes for a lifetime. They help facilitate aging in place by incorporating accessible design features in the construction process, thereby saving expensive renovations later. Visitable homes are homes for everyone. Accessible design features that allow individuals with disabilities to visit also make moving large items in and out easier.
ARISE, Syracuse Habitat for Humanity, and the Fair Housing Council of Central New York sponsored the event.
Click here to view coverage on YNN (Channel 10)