Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters!

In today's episode, I welcome Alex Krem

Alex Krem has been actively involved with the special needs community since 1957. He is co-founder and chair of Living Unlimited. Alex is also chair and interim executive director of Camping Unlimited for Developmentally Disabled, established in 1957. In summer of 2019, it will hosted more than 800 children and adults and provided more than 6,000 camper-days and nights of recreation and independence-building to this wonderful population. Alex has been an active Rotarian since the late 1980s and was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship in recognition of his fund-raising work for the Anna Kegan Appeal providing $800,000 to send Anna to France for two bone marrow transplants and a Telethon by which his club raised more than $1,000,000 to build the Ronald McDonald House at Auckland Hospital.

Alex is also an investment banker, lawyer, and serial entrepreneur. He is the founder and managing director of Admiralty International, founded the Worldwide School of English and is investment manager for First Global Venture Capital AG of Germany. He has more than 35 years' legal, banking, investment and financial experience in over 70 countries. He holds multiple degrees (BA, MBA, and JD) from the University of California at Berkeley. He also studied industrial psychology at the Ph.D. level at the University of Minnesota. He consults regularly for the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences, the US Congress, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the Asian Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 01:10] Opening Segment

• I welcome Alex Krem to the Show
• • Bio

[01:11 - 08:10] What is Living Unlimited?

• A Delaware Charitable Corporation
• Addressing every parent's nightmare
• Five Years of Progress and Impact
• Hijacked by their Own Director!
• Intellectual versus Developmental Disabilities
• Patchwork Quilt: A Financial Model
• • "We do not look at public assistance for housing."
• Co-Owners of the Property

[08:11 - 22:34] Developing Housing for People with IDD

• What are neurotypical people?
• Living normally together
• Services offered by Living Unlimited to their residents
• Institutions are a good thing
• What did you call homeless people before Ronald Reagan was governor?
• Alex talks about their housing
• The Residency Rate
• Living Unlimited's Future Developments
• The Biggest Lesson Learned
• How Alex found himself in disability projects

[22:35 - 26:04] Closing Segment

• See links below to know more about Alex Krem
• Final word

Tweetable Quote/s:

"We want houses where our children can age gracefully in place." - Alex Krem

"Everybody has got their own idea." - Alex Krem

"Nothing that we're doing or that other people are doing hasn't been done before… You don't have to do it yourself." - Alex Krem

You can connect with Alex through [email protected], 510-610-3555, or visit their website https://living-unlimited.org/ and be one of them in believing 'faster, alone, further together.'

To learn more, share feedback, or share guest ideas, please visit our website, or contact us on Facebook and Twitter.

Like what you've heard? Please review us! That helps let other people know about the podcast.

Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and getting conversations going. I'd love to learn more about what's on your mind, and get your feedback about the show. Contact me directly at [email protected] to share your thoughts or arrange a call.

Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters!

In today's episode, I welcome Mark Feinman

Mark was born in 1953 and grew up in New York. He has been tinkering, inventing and building since childhood. He connected with the Berkeley disabled community in 1976 and has been working continuously with the Berkeley Center for Independent Living (TheCIL) since then. His company Complete Access provides custom accessibility solutions allowing people to live barrier-free in their homes. The majority of his firm's projects involve stair access, wheelchair access and bathroom access. Mark lives and works in Berkeley, California, and people visiting his shop there can go for test rides on stairlifts.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 04:42] Opening Segment

• I welcome Mark Feinman to the Show
• • Bio
  • Mark talks about what he works with Complete Access Construction
  • When Mark first started in accessible housing
  • Always wanted building and cooking

[04:43 - 26:13] Modifying Homes for Access… a 45+ Year Legacy

• Helping hundreds of people
• Accessibility modifications that Mark work with
• Ramps versus vertical lifts
• Nonconstruction Solutions to Try
• Accessible housing contractor versus general contractor
• Consulting, sharing knowledge and experience
• Are there contractors hired by people with disabilities?
• How Mark's industry has changed
• Get in a Wheelchair: A Masterclass on Housing Modifications
• Mark's Greatest Creative Effort
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADEA)
• • Why Mark does not like commercial
• What Mark will do with a magic wand to make the world better
• Creating a Standard Around Accessibility Housing

[26:14 - 28:02] Closing Segment

• See links below to know more about Mark Feinman
• Final word

Resources Mentioned:

• Just One Step

Tweetable Quote/s:

"I really like my access to not look like access." - Mark Feinman

"There's no way you could build for everybody." - Mark Feinman

You can connect with Mark through [email protected], Complete Access Construction, and Documentary about Miya Rodolfo-Sioson.

To learn more, share feedback, or share guest ideas, please visit our website, or contact us on Facebook and Twitter.

Like what you've heard? Please review us! That helps let other people know about the podcast.

Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and getting conversations going. I'd love to learn more about what's on your mind, and get your feedback about the show. Contact me directly at [email protected] to share your thoughts or arrange a call.

Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters!

In today's episode, I welcome Nicholas Love

Nicholas Love is the Community Inclusion Director at the World Institute on Disability (WID). WID strives to eliminate the barriers to full inclusion of people with disabilities by addressing and influencing policies, systems, and tools. Nicholas' work at WID focuses on the identification, creation, and utilization of technology, training, technical assistance, and tools that drive and respond to US policies that direct systems change. One of Nicholas' main projects at WID is the management of Housing Benefits 101 (www.mn.hb.101.org) and Disability Benefits 101 (www.db101.org).

Nicholas's passion is education on diversity and equality. He has been speaking on and fighting for disability issues as a national speaker and advocate for diversity and social justice for over 25 years. He is a Certified Work Incentive Coordinator and a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner with a degree in Holistic Healthcare. Nicholas likes to combine knowledge and entertainment to change cultural perceptions.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 01:45] Opening Segment

• I welcome Nicholas Love to the Show
• • Bio
  • Nicholas shares what he does at WID

[01:46 - 26:20] One-Stop Web Portal

• What is HB 101?
• Helping people with where they want to live and how they want to live
• Disability Benefits 101 (DB 101)
• How HB 101 deals with your housing needs
• Your one-stop web portal in accessible housing
• Is HB 101 replacing one-one-one personal conversations on housing needs?
• Minnesota's support and The Hub
• Just how many users are using HB 101?
• Early challenges and the relationship building
• Why Minnesota is exceptional
• What is The Hub?
• Helping people understand they have a right to live the life they want
• The aging society's impact in accessible housing and HB 101
• Influencing the country
• Nicholas talks about universal design in housing verus the medical model
• Where Nicholas' passion comes from
• • "My disability is part of who I am."
• What's next for HB 101 and for inclusive housing?
• Now is the time for people with disabilities to step forward, roll forward, move forward

[26:21 - 29:09] Closing Segment

• See links below to know more about Nicholas Love
• Final word

Tweetable Quote/s:

"Housing isn't just about the four walls, it becomes the true community integration." - Nicholas Love

"When we have people moving out of congregated settings into true community inclusion, we have such a better community. It's a full, whole community." - Nicholas Love

"You can't have the perfect accessible house in the middle of a desert where you can't do anything but stay within those four walls." - Nicholas Love

You can connect with Nicholas through [email protected] or LinkedIn.

Visit the following:

• The World Institute on Disability
• Housing Benefits 101 (HB101) helps people in Minnesota who need affordable housing and supports to maintain that housing. It helps them to understand the range of housing options and support services available. HB101 can help people make choices about where they want to live. It can also help people figure out a long-term housing plan that works for them, and the steps to move toward their housing goals.

To learn more, share feedback, or share guest ideas, please visit our website, or contact us on Facebook and Twitter.

Like what you've heard? Please review us! That helps let other people know about the podcast.

Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and getting conversations going. I'd love to learn more about what's on your mind, and get your feedback about the show. Contact me directly at [email protected] to share your thoughts or arrange a call.

Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters!

In today's episode, I welcome Shamon Blue

Shamon Blue is a first-time homeowner in California. She bought her home last year in the city of Antioch California, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. She lives there happily with her 12-year-old son, Demoriae.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 02:34] Opening Segment

• I welcome Shamon Blue to the Show
• • Bio
  • Shamon's and Demoriae's journey to homeownership told backward

[02:35 - 23:25] Adventures in House Hunting

• What got Shamon interested in homeownership
• • "This has been a long-time dream!"
  • An experience that made them feel like prisoners in their own home
• Why it Took 3 Long Years to Find the Perfect House
• Credit challenges that Shamon needed to overcome in the process
• The biggest lesson from crediting
• Key Tips in Home Ownership
• Just being afraid and other roadblocks
• Why the word "home buying" was terrifying for Shamon
• "I was very stubborn in the beginning."
• Scared of not making the best choice
• What kept Shamon to continue being a homeowner
• Finally writing an offer and being overwhelmed with joy
• Shamon shares the biggest lesson she learned as a homeowner

[23:26 - 26:15] Closing Segment

• See links below to know more about Shamon Blue
• Final word

Tweetable Quote/s:

"As you get older, you make better decisions." - Shamon Blue

"Just the fight, just knowing that I could do this. That just kind of diminished the fear." - Shamon Blue

"Just stay encouraged. If this what you want to do, stay focused on that goal and you will become a homeowner." - Shamon Blue

To learn more, share feedback, or share guest ideas, please visit our website, or contact us on Facebook and Twitter.

Like what you've heard? Please review us! That helps let other people know about the podcast.

Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and getting conversations going. I'd love to learn more about what's on your mind, and get your feedback about the show. Contact me directly at [email protected] to share your thoughts or arrange a call.

Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters!

In today's episode, I welcome Steve Robinson

Steve Robinson is the Director of Community Services at the Regional Center of the East Bay. The Regional Center of the East Bay (RCEB) is one of 21 Regional Centers that is a community-based, private non-profit corporation under contract with the California Department of Developmental Services. RCEB works in partnership with many individuals and agencies to plan and coordinate services and support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, family members, and community leaders in the Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Steve has worked in the regional center system since 1998, beginning as a social worker at Golden Gate Regional Center then coming to RCEB in 2004. At RCEB he has held multiple positions including case manager, case management supervisor, and senior resource specialist/quality management specialist for the Agnews Developmental Center closure In 2015, he became the Director of the RCEB Community Placement Plan leading RCEB's work in the current developmental center closures from acquiring new homes, developing providers, and shepherding the complex transitions so that individuals could safely move to their community homes. Steve is a licensed Clinical Social Worker and earned a Master's in Social Work from Yeshiva University. He has a B.A. from the University of Delaware in music with a minor in psychology. Steve lives in the East Bay with his family.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 04:06] Opening Segment

• I welcome Steve Robinson to the Show
• • Bio
  • The Regional Center of the East Bay
  • What is an intellectual/developmental disability?

[04:07 - 26:13] The Regional Center Model

• The Role of the Regional Center in Housing
• • Who are its stakeholders?
  • What are the options available?
• Independent Living Skills and Independent Living Services
• There is always an opportunity.
• How the Regional Center Funds their Projects
• The Community Resource Development Plan
• Steve shares about their partnerships with developers
• • A multi-Unit model in place
  • Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA)
• A Unique Long-Term Investment for People with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities
• We're in the Bay-Area: A Challenge on Affordability
• Why There Has to be New Development
• It's on us to communicate for the people we serve.
• Addressing end-of-life planning in a subtle manner
• An Affordable Housing Success Story

[26:14 - 27:16] Closing Segment

• See links below to know more about Steve Robinson
• Final word

Tweetable Quote/s:

"People do want to live independently." - Steve Robinson

"Finding affordable housing is the main obstacle." - Steve Robinson

"It's important to advocate for housing so that people with developmental and intellectual disabilities get counted." - Steve Robinson

You can connect with Steve through [email protected] or LinkedIn. Visit the following links: Regional Center of the East Bay, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, California Department of Developmental Services.

To learn more, share feedback, or share guest ideas, please visit our website, or contact us on Facebook and Twitter.

Like what you've heard? Please review us! That helps let other people know about the podcast.

Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and getting conversations going. I'd love to learn more about what's on your mind, and get your feedback about the show. Contact me directly at [email protected] to share your thoughts or arrange a call.

Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters!

In today's episode, I welcome Architect Erick Mikiten

Erick Mikiten, AIA, started Mikiten Architecture in 1991 to elevate multi-family affording housing to a higher level of care and design. As a wheelchair-rider and hard-of-hearing architect, Erick has been sought after by clients around the country to bring new, creative levels of design to mixed-use, library, museum, global corporate workplace, and single- and multi-family projects, and appointed by the California Governor to the CA Building Standards Commission.

30 years later (and 30 years after the ADA took effect), seeing that the profession was still just barely meeting the ADA threshold - and rarely striving above it - Erick created another firm to advocate for radical new levels of Universal Design (UD) and inclusion, intended to demonstrate that great UD is not a compromise that has to make buildings look institutional, or that limits creativity. Instead, great UD opens new opportunities for user-centric, comfortable design that treats everyone well. This new business - and rallying call for the profession - is The Art of Access.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 04:40] Opening Segment

• I welcome Erick Mikiten to the Show
• • Bio
  • I needed to talk with Erick Mikiten, here's why
  • Erick shares his journey in finding his way to architecture and housing

[04:41 - 27:44] Designing Accessible Spaces

• Did the ADA help?
• An insane experience at the place for people in wheelchairs
• Commercial designs and their accessibility designs
• Open to go beyond the code, do better, think broadly
• Erick talks about universal design and architectural modality
• Changes in universal design concepts
• Working with global high tech firms and young people
• • "Well, of course!"
• Erick's project: One's a building, one's not
• "How can we move the architectural profession?"
• Not just "How?", but "Why?"
• • Erick speaks about his firms and his hope for accessible architecture
• Excitingly groundbreaking, conceptualizing and building Shinsei Garden in Alameda

[27:45 - 29:25] Closing Segment

• See links below to know more about Erick Mikiten
• Final word

Tweetable Quote/s:

"... It's sort of like, you know, in order to get to or in order to use the accessible feature, because it's not in a primary location. It's like being told to go to the back of the bus." - Erick Mikiten

"I wanted to make more of a difference." - Erick Mikiten

"If you make it a universal design with a capital D for design, then there's an opportunity to make it really shine and make something special for everybody." - Erick Mikiten

You can connect with Erick through [email protected] or you can visit the following links Mikiten Architecture, Art of Access, and Shinsei Gardens and join him in his craft and passion in designing accessible spaces.

To learn more, share feedback, or share guest ideas, please visit our website, or contact us on Facebook and Twitter.

Like what you've heard? Please review us! That helps let other people know about the podcast.

Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and getting conversations going. I'd love to learn more about what's on your mind, and get your feedback about the show. Contact me directly at [email protected] to share your thoughts or arrange a call.

Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters!

In today's episode, I welcome Dianna Willis, Jeremy Maxand, and Erik Kingston

Dianna Willis is a co-founder and Board President of the Idaho Access Project, a 501c3 non-profit organization advancing equality for people with disabilities. She worked in public health for eight years and has a diverse educational background. In 2013, she earned a M.Ed. degree. She holds an M.A. from Georgetown University in Applied Demography (1999) and a B.A. from Boise State University in Political Science (1993). Dianna consults on creating spatial justice in the built environment. In 2020, Dianna served on the Boise Mayor McLean's Movement for Everyone committee and recommended programs and policies to improve transportation and walking options for all. She loves to explore pathways and hiking trails with her current guide dog, Teegan.

Jeremy Maxand is the Executive Director of the Living Independence Network Corporation, one of Idaho's three Centers for Independent Living serving people with disabilities. Jeremy grew up in a small island community in Southeast Alaska and has used a manual wheelchair since 1989. Jeremy has twenty years of nonprofit management experience, and 10 years in executive leadership. Jeremy currently serves on the Valley Regional Transit Regional Advisory Council, the Ada County Highway District ADA Advisory Committee, the Idaho State Independent Living Council, the Idaho State Building Code Board, and the Idaho Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster board. He is a founding board member of the Idaho Access Project.

Erik Kingston is the Housing Resources Coordinator for the Idaho Housing Finance Association. He created the association's Housing Information Referral Center and Housing Hotline in 1998 and has since contributed to statewide programs, strategic planning and outreach initiatives. Erik teaches Housing as a Second Language each year through the NW Community Development Institute and coordinated the association's 2020-2021 Fair Housing Initiatives Program-Education Outreach Initiative (FHIP-EOI) grant to promote greater awareness of rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act. He created and provides content for RampUpIdaho.org and FairHousingForum.org with input from stakeholders, and manages housingidaho.com. He is certified as a Professional Community and Economic Development professional. He joined the Idaho Access Project in 2020 as a Board Member and serves on the statewide ADA Recreation Committee.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 13:23] Opening Segment

• I welcome Dianna Willis, Jeremy Maxand, and Erik Kingston to the Show
• • Bio
  • Dianna, Jeremy, and Erik about The Idaho Access Project
  • Facing challenges on a daily basis
  • What is a Neighborhood Access Review?
  • Visitability of Housing and The Visitability Project
  • How they work with the developers and builders

[13:24 - 28:36] A New Approach to Building Accessible Communities

• How they make The Idaho Project happen
• Thousands of doors in Blackfoot, Idaho
• That's Not True: Stereotypes and Myths that Have to be Debunked
• The Idaho Project's Partnerships
• Making homes accessible and smarter
• • What's available?
• A powerful moment everyone should experience
• The Unique Thing About The Idaho Project
• Inclusive Planning Design and Connections

[28:37 - 30:22] Closing Segment

• See links below to know more about Dianna Willis, Jeremy Maxand, and Erik Kingston
• Final word

Resources Mentioned:

• Aira

Tweetable Quote/s:

"There had to be a better way to address barriers in our community to access." - Dianna Willis

"It's really important that we start thinking not only about people with disabilities but people who are aging in place and want to stay in their home." - Jeremy Maxand

"Planning ahead is always less expensive and more interesting and profitable than planning behind." - Erik Kingston

"People are more willing to understand what your perspective is and what you're trying to accomplish and they are more willing to contribute and support that." - Erik Kingston

You can connect with Dianna, Jeremy, and Erik through https://idahoaccessproject.org/ and be part of The Idaho Project's vision and mission.

To learn more, share feedback, or share guest ideas, please visit our website, or contact us on Facebook and Twitter.

Like what you've heard? Please review us! That helps let other people know about the podcast.

Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and getting conversations going. I'd love to learn more about what's on your mind, and get your feedback about the show. Contact me directly at [email protected] to share your thoughts or arrange a call.

Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters!

In today's episode, I welcome Micaela Connery

Micaela co-founded The Kelsey with her cousin Kelsey, who continues to inspire and inform the mission and work today. Micaela has been working on inclusion in communities her entire life. She has seen firsthand the housing crisis facing adults with developmental disabilities and their families.

Micaela completed her MPP at Harvard Kennedy School and MBA as a Mitchell Scholar at University College Dublin. She was a Cheng Fellow at the Harvard Social Innovation and Change Initiative where she worked on designing The Kelsey. As a research fellow at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, she published leading research on housing and disability. She's a proud University of Virginia Wahoo. Prior to The Kelsey, Micaela was the founder and CEO of Unified Theater.

She lives in San Francisco and spends her free time biking around the city, camping, and cooking.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 03:27] Opening Segment

• I welcome Micaela Connery to the Show
• • Bio
  • Micaela introduces The Kelsey
  • Centering on better housing and community experience

[03:28 - 17:52] Making a Difference through Inclusive Development and Advocacy Model

• 200 units of housing starting from 2017
• A challenging industry for disabled persons and guardians alike
• Micaela talks about defaulting to parent-driven models
• The most important leadership in housing
• The step-by-step process of inclusive development for housing
• "This is the housing I prefer!"
• Micaela shares about their 2 ongoing projects

[17:53 - 29:03] Accessibility and Inclusion

• Accessibility of inclusive housing
• What The Kelsey wants to do and what they have done so far
• No two people have the same needs in housing!
• The Secret Sauce to Financing The Kelsey
• • All or nothing: The three phases Micaela and The Kelsey go through to fund their projects
• What drives Micaela and The Kelsey with their work
• Scaling Up: The Kelsey in 5 Years Time

[29:04 - 30:49] Closing Segment

• See links below to know more about Micaela Connery
• Final word

Resources Mentioned:

Tweetable Quote/s:

"Defaulting to parent-driven models could, not always, lead us to less inclusive, less disability-driven housing models and more what parents want for the housing versus what their children or what other people with disabilities would want." - Micaela Connery

"The most important leadership in housing is by people with lived experience with disabilities themselves." - Micaela Connery

"People with disabilities have diverse housing preferences." - Micaela Connery

You can connect with Micaela through [email protected] or visit the following links: The Kelsey, Accessible Design Initiative, and Raise the Roof to contribute to changing the housing system and policies.

To learn more, share feedback, or share guest ideas, please visit our website, or contact us on Facebook and Twitter.

Like what you've heard? Please review us! That helps let other people know about the podcast.

Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and getting conversations going. I'd love to learn more about what's on your mind, and get your feedback about the show. Contact me directly at [email protected] to share your thoughts or arrange a call.

Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters!

In today's episode, I welcome Kathrine Crowley.

Kathrine is the Ability Tools Program Manager for California Foundation for Independent Living Centers. Her role is to facilitate access and acquisition of Assistive Technology or "AT" to consumers across the state and provide technical assistance and training to Independent Living Centers, Device Lending and Demonstration Centers, Disability Disaster and Access Resource Centers and community members to improve programs, raise AT awareness, and ultimately improve outcomes for community members who use AT.

Kathrine attended University of California, Davis (UCD) and obtained bachelor's degrees in anthropology and English with a minor in psychology. Before attending UCD, her early life and career were spent participating in and advocating with the Disability community. At UCD, she was able to continue her passion by participating in various activities impacting marginalized communities. She studied and interviewed a wide scope of groups, ultimately studying abroad in Ecuador. She lived with indigenous communities and learned about their struggle for autonomy in the wake of government and corporate attempts to strip and mine their lands. This experience taught her much about the strength of community organizing and what a collection of determined individuals can accomplish together.

Kathrine enjoys traveling, with the goal of visiting all seven continents in order to beat her father's record of having visited six. She enjoys hiking, white water rafting, swimming, reading, solving puzzles, and playing board games with her husband, sisters, and nephew. She and her husband have adapted many of their board games in order to make family game night a seamlessly accessible event for her sister Becka, who has Down syndrome.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 04:15] Opening Segment

• I welcome Kathrine Crowley to the Show
• • Bio
  • Kathrine talks about Ability Tools
  • A brief overview of housing and technology

[04:16 - 14:29] How Assistive Technology is Making Housing More Accessible

• Then and Now: The development of technology in accessible housing
• Low Technology versus Smart Home Technology
• Game-changing products that will make life easier for all individuals
• Kathrine shares a story about how Amazon's Echo Show helps disabled individuals
• Facilitating independence and equity through assistive technology

[14:30 - 28:16] Accessing Assistive Technology

• How to get access to Ability Tools
• Making sure that all can have access to the technology that works best for them
• How Ability Tools gets their funding
• It's really about organization and communication
• Kathrine's and her sister's house in 5 years with assistive technology
• A goal to move forward with raising awareness about assistive technology with insurance companies

[28:17 - 30:51] Closing Segment

• See links below to know more about Kathrine Crowley
• Final word

Resources Mentioned:

• List of Assistive Technology Tools for Every State
• Keep the Wheels Rolling Fund
• The Disability Organizing Network: DOnetwork
• Youth Organizing YO! Disabled and Proud

Tweetable Quote/s:

"Low-tech is great but the future of accessible housing really lies with smart home technology." - Kathrine Crowley

"What we do is connect people with assistive technology that facilitates independence and equity." - Kathrine Crowley

"For us, the important part is determining the direction of your life having that autonomy." - Kathrine Crowley

You can connect with Kathrine through [email protected] or visit their website https://abilitytools.org/ and take part in the movement for equal access to assistive technology and accessible housing.

To learn more, share feedback, or share guest ideas, please visit our website, or contact us on Facebook and Twitter.

Like what you've heard? Please review us! That helps let other people know about the podcast.

Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and getting conversations going. I'd love to learn more about what's on your mind, and get your feedback about the show. Contact me directly at [email protected] to share your thoughts or arrange a call.

Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters!

In today's episode, I welcome Anna Wang.

Anna Wang is a mother, an advocate and the co-founder and vice president of Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN). Twenty-eight years ago, her son Lawrence was diagnosed with autism. In 1996, she became the co-founder and Vice President of Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN) which currently serves more than 1000 families and 600 individuals on a daily basis. Anna is well-known for designing innovative programs, building parents and community networks to support and advocate for the special needs community. She creates programs and opportunities to develop their abilities and talents. Anna spearheads the Dream Work and Housing Projects which empower individuals with special needs to lead a happy and healthy life as contributing citizens of society. This year she was appointed Human Relations Commissioner, City of Fremont.

Anna has received numerous awards and recognition, including "Profiles of Excellence" – ABC / KGO TV, "Hometown Hero, " – NBC Bay Area TV and News Group, "API Outstanding Leader Award", "Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Award for Excellence in Public Services" and Inspirational Woman Award from the California State Assembly, Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus Lifetime Community Service Achievement Award.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 03:59] Opening Segment

• I welcome Anna Wang to the Show
• • Bio
  • How Anna got into advocating for accessible and affordable housing
  • Anna talks about Friends of Children with Special Needs

[04:00 - 10:59] How a Group of Parents Created a Unique Community

• The Dream Project: A Family Project
• A piece of land bought by 26 families for people with developmental disabilities
• Investing for their Children's Future
• Success with zero-subsidy from external organizations

[11:00 - 28:41] Building a Sense of Community in Housing

• Scaling up, a second center in San Jose
• A Win-Win Situation for Clients and Direct Care Providers
• Forty units of housing and more in the making
• Anna shares FCSN's clients' feedback
• A Three-Step Advice from Anna
• Agencies That Support FCSN
• Anna talks about their strategies for the future
• Changing housing and development culture

[28:42 - 32:12] Closing Segment

• See links below to know more about Anna Wang
• Final word

Tweetable Quote/s:

"They are living a full and thriving life." - Anna Wang

"How can you just avoid what you're supposed to do and just pay a penalty?" - Anna Wang

"Don't underestimate the power of a group of parents." - Anna Wang

You can connect with Anna through [email protected] or visit their website https://fcsn1996.org/ and be one of the advocates for accessible and affordable housing.

To learn more, share feedback, or share guest ideas, please visit our website, or contact us on Facebook and Twitter.

Like what you've heard? Please review us! That helps let other people know about the podcast.

Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and getting conversations going. I'd love to learn more about what's on your mind, and get your feedback about the show. Contact me directly at [email protected] to share your thoughts or arrange a call.