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May 18th is Global Accessibility Awareness Day;  is to get everyone talking, thinking, and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than One Billion people with disabilities/impairments.

Ron Klein, the grandfather of possibilities, developed all kinds of inventions that impacted people with disabilities, including the braille, the TTY, and the MLS.  Listen to my interview. 

Cush Pocket, a proud sponsor, is a disabled owned company that sells wheelchair bags. Get $1 off by using code Angela Fox 

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      For Women's history month, this episode will talk about 2 SheHeros who made an impact on accessible housing and beyond for the disability community; Judy Heumann and Eleanor Smith.  Mrs. Heumann was considered the godmother of the disability rights movement and recently passed away. She along with Ed Roberts, helped initiated the Independent Living Movement; providing the foundation for an accessible environment and housing. I talk about the privilege I had in meeting her during the last six months of her life.
        Mrs. Eleanor Smith created the retired organization, Concrete Change which focuses on incorporating three elements into new home construction for accessibility. Her organization and efforts helped create the Visibility Movement; the idea that homes owned and homes visited, should be accessible for the disabled community.
There is much more to be done in private sector housing to increase accessibility, affordability, and homeownership for the disabled community. Listen for five things that you can do to be the next SheHero or SheHero alley!

Transcript, click here

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In this episode, Amazon to Go Stores and Wheel Under Stovetop will be examined regarding the accessibility features that may or may not exist. Amazon to Go Stores allows customers to buy products without using any type of checkout through smart technology sensors. Using an Amazon app, all products that are taken from the store will be billed to your account. But can this new Grab and Go process be accessible to all abilities? According to an article by one of my favorite websites assistivetechnologyblog.com it just might be. But I will also give you my own opinion that not in all circumstances. 

 In the second half of the episode, I will discuss how Wheel Under Stovetops provide accessibility for a wheelchair and children. Like Amazon to Go Stores, Wheel Under Stovetops does have its limitations but with a simple mirror, much can be resolved. Get the complete transcript by clicking here!

Resources:
Amazon Just Walk Out" article link.
Sammons Over-Stove Mirror link on AskJan.Org

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Outside of affordable health care, the second most important issue for the disability community is transportation! Transportation is needed for medical appointments, work, and life in general. The third most important issue is housing; so another way of thinking about access to transportation is not the second most important issue, it is the glue between health and the home. 

But what kind of transportation?

• Traditional Taxi; mini vans with modifications and wheelchair transfer board friendly Sedan model;
• Non-medical transportation; and 
• Para transit. 

I don't just tell you about transportation options if you are disable, I give you a real life experience of my bad trip with Barwood taxi of montgomery county, Maryland. You won't believe what happened to me and you will have an insight of how the transportation options became both a good and bad option when I tried to travel to Orlanda, Florida for the #Podfest conference. But you will also learn how to file a complaint and how to avoid trouble when ordering a handicap taxi. 

Cush Pocket, a proud sponsor, is a disabled owned company that sells wheelchair bags. Get $1 off by using code Angela Fox 

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April is always a month of the excitement because spring is starting. But April does have one single gloomy day - tax day. With all of the tax incentives, you may imagine that disability taxes are plentiful. While the disability community is diverse in the type of disabilities and abilities, federal tax breaks take an extremely limited view on defining a person with a disability.  In this episode the following questions will be addressed:

• What tax benefits does IRS provide because of your disability and why?
• Does my state provide a tax-exempt because of my disability? 
• What about modifications I did to my home to make it more accessible to me?

Cush Pocket, a proud sponsor, is a disabled owned company that sells wheelchair bags. Get $1 off by using code Angela Fox 

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The month of March has two important dates. March 1st is International Wheelchair Day. March 12th is the 34th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act amendment that made it officially effective that disabilities are a protected basis; no more grace year.  Making this month all about wheelchair housing. One of the most fundamental modifications for wheelchair users is ramps. Ramps are more than just for wheelchair users, ramps have been used by the able body community as well. 

One of the crucial pieces of information for anyone is how am I going to pay for a ramp? Health insurances, whether private or medicare, are focused on providing necessary medical services. The qualifications to cover ramps have changed in recent years for the better. In this episode, you will learn  the following about ramps:

• How to pay for your ramp either through your health insurance or financial assistance?
• What kind of ramps is available for a wheelchair user to gain entry to his or her home?
• How to select the type of ramp?
• How to build a ramp and resources such as Ramps.org 

Don't forget to visit my Pinterest account for examples of ramps!

Cush Pocket, a proud sponsor, is a disabled owned company that sells wheelchair bags. Get $1 off by using code Angela Fox 

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Today, for black history month, I will be talking about the impact on HOAs have on disable black individuals in homeownership.  60% of newly built single-family homes are part of a homeowners association and selling about 4% higher than those without an HOA, they are probably here to stay. Not only are HOAs here to stay, so is the continued discrimination.

Historically HOAs found their footing in the 1960s as a way for white neighborhoods to prevent people of color from moving in by creating illegal covenants and expensive cosmetic requirements to avoid HOA fines. HOAs continue to impose other ways to discriminate against homeowners of color.

For a person with a disability, HOA can discriminate when a request for an accommodation or modification is made. This episode will discuss what are the differences between accommodations and modifications. You will also learn how to make a request that will increase the chances of an HOA will approve.

For the transcript, please see the blog post on my website.

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Location, location, location. Those three words summarize how important location is when it comes to real estate. Understanding the connection between housing and the location within the neighborhood has always been the focus for the disability community because of what services are available in the community near housing and even a finer point; creating walkable sidewalks. Now real estate listings include some scores regarding walkability and other community-based scores. In fact, Redfin, Zillow, ReMax, and many others provide these community living scores because the methodology comes from the same source: www.walkscore.com . Walk Score's mission is to help promote and find communities with walkable neighbors. Walk Score receives grants for academic research that helps governments, urban planning, and real estate agencies to understand neighbors and their communities in the United States and Canada.

What is missing is a score that centers around the disability community.  While Real Estate listings have not created walkable or other community-based scores that include the disability community, it should not stop you from continuing your own research through a few good apps once you have selected the geographical location you hope to buy a home. There are three apps I recommend looking into OpenSidewalks, AccessNow, and Wheelmate. 

If you use any of these apps, please share your experience on my Facebook page which can be found on www.horizontalhouses.com .  Transcripts of this episode can be found in a blog post on same webpage.

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Kitchen renovations can be expensive between demolition costs and prices for top-of-the-line appliances. Rather than fight this fact, I am going to provide you with 7 non-construction and low-cost changes to make a kitchen universally designed and accessible for wheelchair users:

1.  Over the stovetop mirror
2.  Upper Kitchen Cabinets
3.  Food preparation station
4.  3 Features of sink faucet 
5.  Sink Clearance
6.  Floating Shelves 
7.   Kitchen handles   

At the end of the podcast, I will provide you with a platform, the Home Usability program, that can help walk you through if you want to make your entire kitchen and home more accessible if you have money to invest.  For links  of products discussed and transcriptions, look at my blog at www. horizontalhouses.com 

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