Housing

  • Guiding People Home: The Role of Wisconsin’s Supported Housing Specialist (.pdf) (1999) by John O’Brien and Connie Lyle O’Brien with Marcie Brost describes the role of Wisconsin’s Supported Housing Specialist in creating effective relationships, relationships that not only bring people with disabilities along the path to their own front doors, but also lay a foundation for new housing possibilities for other people with disabilities.
  • Not Just a Place to Live: Building Community in Toronto (.pdf) (1997) by Pam Walker and Susan O’Connor describes the creation of two housing co-ops by people with and without disabilities, as well as a support organization, NABORS.
  • From a Community Residence to a Home of Their Own (1995) by Pam Walker describes how the Syracuse Developmental Services Office, in Syracuse, New York, facilitated the process of home ownership for two women previously living in a community residence.
  • Housing for People with Severe Disabilities: A Collection of Resource Materials (1995) is an update of the 1990 information package and provides an introduction to housing strategies and resources to promote home ownership by people with disabilities and parents, to make housing more accessible to all people, and to increase the development and use of integrated housing options.
  • Down Stairs that are Never Your Own: Supporting People with Developmental Disabilities in Their Own Homes (1994) by John O’Brien is a reprint of an article (Mental Retardation, 32(1), 1-6) that discusses the historical and current meanings and dimensions of “house” and “home” for people with developmental disabilities. For a copy of this journal article, contact the Center on Human Policy.

Outside Resources

  • Adaptive Environments Center, Inc.
    A non-profit organization, AE was founded in 1978 to address the environmental issues that confront people with disabilities and elderly people. Adaptive Environments promotes accessibility as well as universal design through education programs, technical assistance, training, consulting, publications and design advocacy. Its mission is to promote, facilitate, and advocate for international adoption of policies and designs that enable every individual, regardless of disability or age, to participate fully in all aspects of society.
  • The Center for Universal Design
    The Center for Universal Design is a national research, information, and technical assistance center that evaluates, develops, and promotes universal design in housing, public and commercial facilities, and related products.
  • The Center for Housing and New Community Economics (CHANCE)
    CHANCE was established in March of 2001. CHANCE’s mission is to improve and increase access to integrated, affordable, and accessible housing coordinated with, but separate from, personal assistance and supportive services. CHANCE’s purpose will be to offer alternatives to approaches that segregate, congregate, and control people with disabilities.
  • Concrete Change
    “An international effort to make all homes visitable. Visitability is a movement to change home construction practices so that virtually all new homes, whether or not designated for residents who currently have disabilities, offer a few specific features that make the home easier for people who develop a mobility impairment to live in and visit.”
  • The National Home of Your Own Alliance
    The National Home of Your Own Alliance is a partnership between the Federal government and nationally recognized advocates and leaders whose goal is to create housing and support opportunities that people choose and control.
  • Opening Doors: A Housing Initiative for The Disability Community
    Opening Doors is a housing initiative designed to provide information and technical assistance on affordable housing issues to people with disabilities, their families, advocates, and service providers across the United States.
  • The Center for an Accessible Society
    Funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, The Center for An Accessible Society is designed to focus public attention on disability and independent living issues by disseminating information developed through NIDRR-funded research to promote independent living. The Center for An Accessible Society is a project of Exploding Myths, Inc., a media enterprise company.
  • The Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement
    This web site developed by the University of California at Berkeley is a “rich collection of primary sources exploring the social and political history of the disability movement from the 1960s to the present.”
  • Independent Living Resource Centre
    Located in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, the Independent Living Resource Centre is a consumer controlled organization committed to providing supports, resources and opportunities for empowerment, which enable persons with disabilities to make informed choices about their lives.
  • Institute on Independent Living
    The Institute’s purpose is to promote the opportunities of persons with disabilities to gain more personal and political power, self-determination, full participation and equality, both in Sweden and internationally through educational activities. These activities may consist of the production and dissemination of educational materials and information, planning and organizing of courses, seminars and study visits.
  • National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
    The National Council on Independent Living is a membership organization that advances the independent living philosophy and advocates for the human rights of, and services for, people with disabilities to further their full integration and participation in society.
  • Research Information on Independent Living (RIIL)
    This database contains reviews of research materials concerning independent living issues. RIIL is a joint effort of the Research & Training Center on Independent Living (RTC/IL) at the University of Kansas and the Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) program of TIRR.