Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters!

In today's episode, I welcome Jan Garrett, Program Manager at Pacific ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Center. She is on a mission -- to enhance understanding of disability rights laws and accessibility standards as well as to ensure that individuals with disabilities are an integral part of diversity and inclusion efforts.

But are federal housing laws helping with this effort? Let's dive in on why federal housing laws don't go far enough, and what is being done about it!

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 04:34] Opening Segment

• I welcome Jan Garrett to the show
• • Bio
  • How the law is relevant around accessible housing
• Overview of what federal law speaks to within accessible housing
• • Only touches housing remotely
  • Fair Housing Act
  • What the ADA requires

[07:02 - 13:31] The Fair Housing Act

• How Fair Housing applies to townhouses and single family homes
• • The definitions that are exempt
  • What applies
• Deep dive into multi-unit dwellings, what does it mean?
• Explaining current housing trends under Fair Housing
• Overlays on Fair Housing from other States
• Public and private entities

[13:32 - 25:20] Why Federal Housing Laws Don't Go Far Enough

• Legislation for non-physical disabilities for private housing
• • Physical and communication units
• Must allow 'reasonable modifications'
• • Modification vs. accommodation
  • How the HOA is associated
• Jan talks about the enforcement of the law
• What Jan would change in the housing law area
• • More accessible housing stock
  • Single Family Home regulations

[25:21 - 30:20] Closing Segment

• Where to go for more information and resources
• • Info from ADA Pacific
  • • Link below
  • How to get something enforced
• Why Jan does what she does
• See links below to know more about Jan Garrett
• Final word

Tweetable Quote/s:

"I feel like people NEED the ability to keep their property if they want it and age in place ,and have that basic accessibility…" - Jan Garrett

"We make a difference at the ADA national network, to be able to help people understand what their rights are." - Jan Garrett

Resources Mentioned:

• https://www.hud.gov/

You can connect with Jan through LinkedIn, or you can visit https://www.adapacific.org/ for more info on accessible housing as it applies to the law.

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 attorney Stephen Dale. Stephen and I discuss Special Needs Trusts and how they can be beneficial for people with disabilities. Stephen's law firm has helped countless families achieve control over their lives and live more independently through legal options like special needs trusts. As a long-time advocate in the disabled community, Stephen will walk us through how we can navigate these tools and find better solutions for our housing challenges.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 07:01] Opening Segment

• I welcome Stephen Dale to the show
• The Dale Law Firm
• • Focusing on the quality of life
• What is a special needs trust?
• • Third-party trust
  • Self-settled trust

[07:02 - 21:16] The Special Needs Trust

• Benefits of having special needs trust
• • Trustees having the power to use the money
• The difference between revocable living trust and special needs trust
• • The government couldn't take the money upon death
• How the special needs trust helped in housing accessibility
• • Stephen shares some examples

[21:17 - 27:41] The ABLE Act

• Allows a person of disability to save their own funds without losing government benefits
• • Belongs to the beneficiary, not the trustee
• How these vehicles are not just for savings
• • Mode of distribution
• Stephen talks about the big issues for people on SSI around housing
• Stephen shares how many families they help with special needs trust

[27:42 - 29:59] Closing Segment

• See links below to know more about Stephen Dale
• Final words

Tweetable Quote/s:

"The word 'simple' and 'disability' are two words that don't go together. The ABLE Act and the Special Needs Trust are neither good nor evil...they are just tools." - Stephen Dale

You can connect with Stephen Dale through YouTube, or you can visit www.DaleLawFirm.com and www.SpecialNeedsAlliance.org. Check out his videos about Special Needs Trust, Prop 19, and much more on www.AchievingIndependence.com.

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!

On today's episode, I welcome Steve Brown to the show. Steve is a historian, professor at the Center of Disability Studies, and the author of numerous books and articles about disability rights.

Steve will share what disability culture is and how it relates to accessible housing in general. At the end of the day, the issue of providing accessible housing in our communities is clearly related to the way society manages its relationship with people with disabilities in general.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 06:40] Opening Segment

• I welcome Steve to the show
• What is disability culture?
  • People with disabilities infusing experiences into the creation of culture
• Disability culture and accessible housing
  • The lack of laws that require homes to be accessible

[06:42 - 16:02] Disability Rights and other Cultural Issues

• Steve talks about how disability is still an issue since the 80s
  • Being forced to settle for less
• Access issues leading to more radical behaviors
• The issue of housing at large

[16:03 - 24:44] Accessible Housing is An Ongoing Fight

• Steve shares how we should consider housing issues
• What to do about the anxiety around housing?
  • Having a network of support systems

[24:45 - 28:43] Closing Segment

• What Steve is working on now
  • A book about the disability culture
• Final words

Tweetable Quote/s:

"People with disabilities have been discounted and devalued forever...but, society as a whole doesn't see that as an issue." - Steve Brown

Resources Mentioned:

• Eleanor Smith, Visitability Expert
• What Can A Body Do? By Sarah Hendren
• At Home by Bill Bryson

You can connect with Steve by visiting www.instituteondisabilityculture.org

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 the Executive Director and founder of East Bay Innovations, Tom Heinz. Tom helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live independent lives. He shares with how his agency has helped people find accessible homes, as well as the government programs that support their efforts.

Listen to find out more about:

[00:01 - 7:26] Opening Segment

• I welcome Tom Heinz to the show
• East Bay Innovations and its involvement in accessible housing
  • Helping provide affordable housing for over 400 people

[7:27 - 12:36] Affordable Housing Programs

• Tom talks about housing prices then versus now
• Alameda County Measure A1 Housing Bond
• HUD 811 Project Rental Assistance program

[12:37 - 19:35] EBI's Secret Sauce for Success

• Maintaining a good relationship with the entities that provide the subsidies
• Serving people with and without families
• Tom shares how they help teens with special needs

[19:36 - 24:46] Moving People from Nursing Homes into their Own Homes

• Other agencies with the same cause
  • Independent Living Services
• California Community Transitions Project
• Medicaid's Money Follows the Person
  • Gives the flexibility to spend more on housing costs

[24:47 - 27:12] Closing Segment

• Having a roof over our heads is a basic human right
• See links below to see more of Tom Heinz

Tweetable Quote/s:

"The way we get people affordable housing is that we really are conscious of being very very good partners with the entities that provide the subsidies." - Tom Heinz

"It's really all our responsibility to advocate to try and motivate policy makers to make sure that there's resources so that people have a roof over their heads. To me, that's just a basic human right." - Tom Heinz

You can connect with Tom through LinkedIn, or you can visit https://www.eastbayinnovations.org.

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 the show! 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!

We don't have enough accessible housing. Today we speak with RJ Adler about his new idea to help solve the problem.

RJ will share with us today how WheelPad's innovative approach will create a new option for people to add more space to their homes, while maintaining accessibility and affordability!

With that, let's jump right in!

Listen to find out more about:

[00:00 - 09:10] Opening Segment

• I welcome RJ to the show
• WheelPad
• • As the cross between a tiny house and a mobile home
  • Safe and cozy space for people with mobility challenges
  • Add PAD and what it offers
• Add PAD as a modular structure
• • More of a guest house!
  • RJ talks about how his structures hold up in harsh conditions

[09:11 - 21:21] The Problems that WheelPad Solves

• Accessibility
• RJ shares the cost of opting for WheelPad
• WheelPad being born out of an architectural company
• Buying back and refurbishing used WheelPads

[21:22 - 27:45] WheelPad's Happy Customers and their Future Plans

• The couple from Brattleboro, Vermont
• • Read about their story on our website!
• Solving America's economic crunch with WheelPad
• WheelPad's plan to take over the world!
• • Widening the market

[27:46 - 31:01] Closing Segment

• See links below to know more about RJ Adler
• Final words

Tweetable Quote/s:

"Once you're scrambling an egg to make one omelet, it's not that hard to make a slightly bigger omelet." - RJ Adler

"A lot of what we're doing is starting a business. But there is a greater movement here of helping folks build more space in America, driving more private financing towards building more housing." - RJ Adler

"Your job satisfaction is going to put you in between the triangle of meaning in your work, control over your time, and financial stability." - RJ Adler

Resources Mentioned:

• Backdoor Revolution by Kol Peterson

You can connect with RJ by visiting www.WheelPad.com, or you can email him at [email protected].

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 the first-ever episode of Accessible Housing Matters!

Today, I am here with Christine Malec, an arts and culture consultant in the blind community and the Co-Host of the podcast "Talk Description to Me". Christine will help me share what this podcast is all about. We will explore the mission and the goals of this podcast, and what I have planned for listeners in the future. So let's jump right in and find out what's in store for you!

[00:00 - 06:19] Opening Segment

• Welcome to my first episode with Christine Malec!
• What's this podcast about?
• To create an intersection between accessibility and housing
• Featuring a wide range of guests that share the same goals

[06:20 - 15:37] The Mission and the Vision

• Creating a community and channel for issues
• I talk about how my journalism background will help the podcast
• The relevance of having a disability to the podcast
• Helping people is my spiritual mission and moral obligation
• Helping people make connections

[15:38 - 25:53] Volunteering and Community Building

• Being on the board and Development Committee of East Bay Innovations
• Serving on The Alameda County Developmental Disabilities Planning and Advisory Council
• What qualities make a good podcast?
• I share my dream guests and future content for this podcast!

[25:54 - 28:55] Closing Segment

• See the links below to find out more about Christine
• Final words

Tweetable Quote/s:

"Although there's a lot of focus in the media around affordability, I don't think there are enough people paying attention to the issue of accessibility." - Stephen Beard

"Always remember that there is more diversity within a community than between communities." - Christine Malec

"Sure, we wanna make money as a real estate team. But the goal is to help people. The joy, the satisfaction, and the sense of fulfillment that one gets when you truly help people is profound." - Stephen Beard

Listen to Christine's podcast by visiting www.talkdescriptiontome.com.

Learn about East Bay Innovations by visiting www.eastbayinnovations.org

Learn about the Alameda County Developmental Disabilities Planning & Advisory Council https://acphd.org/ddc/

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.

Hi! I'm Stephen Beard. Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters!

Listen to find out more about:

• How I started as a real estate agent for people with disabilities
• How I met advocates, agencies, and organizations doing incredible work in the community
• How Accessible Housing Matters is designed to raise awareness about all issues in the intersection of accessibility and housing
• How we will have new guests each week, including disability advocates, planners, lawyers, politicians, past clients, and many others!
• And how our first episode drops on May 24!

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

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

Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and to spark creative thinking about better housing solutions.

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 private one-on-one call.