Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; these truths, enshrined forever in the constitution, are the birth right of every American citizen and while self evident, for millions of Americans with disabilities, they are far from self-fulfilling.

Many of our low income neighbors living with disabilities experience limitations to their mobility. All too often they must choose between their own homes and a nursing home, far away from friends and family.

In New York State, the Division of Housing and Community Renewal has found a way to help our disabled neighbors regain their independence through a program called Access to Home. In both teaming cities and remote rural areas, disabled New Yorkers are receiving assistance to help modify their homes to promote their independence through a variety of adaptations and modifications. Their reclamation of independence has kept them in our communities and made us all richer and New York stronger.

Ask them and they will tell you that the distance between confinement and freedom is often the length of a ramp.

Lorrie Pizzola:
Access to Home started several years ago when a group of independent living centers came to visit us in Albany and they identified a need for the consumers that came in to see them looking for services looking for housing opportunities, people that were looking to move out of nursing homes. We've allowed them to live in the community safely, comfortably and in many cases allowed people to enjoy the last years of their life in a very holistic way with their families and I think that's a real benefit. It's a gift to the community.

Bruce Darling:
Access to Home stepped in when there was no other program providing this very unique service so we had people who could setup the services at their home. They had actually a place where they could go to but they just simply didn't have the accessibility and we were stuck trying to "Jerry-rigg" a solution with volunteers or donated materials. Access to Home changed all that for people.

Resident:
It would be a great deal of assistance to me. I don't want to leave my house if I absolutely don't have to. I did look into other facilities; and other situations and I find that back to the same thing- I want to stay at my house as long as I possible can.

Chris Hilderbant:
Access to Housing is something and disability is something that could affect anybody at anytime. I heard it very coarsely said is basically you are a bump on the head away from disability, but even if its not you, it could be a family member, it could be the girl that you want to date is in a chair and how are going to get her into your place essentially.

Bruce Darling:
What people need is an affordable, accessible integrated housing. The accessibility piece for people who need the accessibility is absolutely critical.

Resident:
It made it easier because, well with the wheelchair I am running into things. Having the doorways widened helped me. Countertops lowered, so I don't have to reach up and cut things up here. They cut out the sink, is single basin and its lower, so I drive up right under it.

Joel Ziev:
Oh it's incredible. It saves the state a fortune. No one wants to go to a nursing home. I never met anyone that really wants to go to a nursing home. If someone falls, gets hurt and they will fall and will get hurt the odds are you will break something or fall. And you can't get back into your own home and people have been in their houses for 30 - 40 years would rather spend their later years in their own home, not going to another facility.

Beverly Neuhaus:
Mr. Mustapha is a 34 year old man with muscular dystrophy. He is in a wheelchair. The challenge here was to design and arrange the concrete, so that he would have access up to the back doors.

Ashraf Mustapha:
Like I said, it provides a tremendous service that you cant put a value on it. As a person who needs a tremendous amount of help and as a person who has shopped around there is no other program available of this type.

Bruce Darling:
One of the things we have in New York is a good service system where people could get services in their homes generally, but the fact that you can't get in and out of your home becomes a huge barrier here. And only is what people want actually ends up saving the state huge amounts of money in terms of long term care costs.

Sandy Altomere:
Doreen Peone and her two daughters were living here and their house burned down, they had a fire last year. They came to us for help and we put some grants together and a daughter, actually both daughters were injured, one of them very, very badly.

Daughter:
Well, especially the wheelchair ramp is going to be very useful because I am going to be in a wheelchair, confined to a wheelchair most of the time and it's going to be hard to walk up and down the stairs but I'll do. The shower is going to make it a lot easier everyday... everyday for me to use the bathroom.

Bruce Darling:
People wouldn't be able to make these modifications without a program like this. This program steps in and fills an incredible need for them. A need that they wouldn't necessarily be able to do (meet) on their own.

Narrator:
What do you think about the government doing things like this for people like yourself?

Resident:
I thinks it's a good thing because if you can't afford it... I mean this is your only way you can have it.

Narrator:
What do you think about the ramp?

Resident:
I like it. It's a real improvement. The average cost of a ramp that can run from 6 to 9 thousand dollars. I really don't know. I really don't know. It's expensive as things are and I realize how much the ramp costs in the bathroom I wouldn't be able to take out a loan to cover them.

Narrator:
So how does it feel to be outside?

Resident:
It feels wonderful. The sun is great. I really enjoy it, just being able to get outside.

Chris Hilderbant:
I can't speak too much of anything that is being don't nationally to do home modifications and improve existing housing stock. We have some initiative around building better new housing and even those haven't taken flight very well. I think in a lot ways Access to Home is a definitely, definitely ahead of the curve.

Frances Pizzola:
The name says it all: Access to Home. There is no place like home. We want to live at home. You know, we don't want to be separate. You know, lets think about stigma. People with disabilities have been separated and that was ok. It's not ok anymore. We need to be included with our families. That's the point. There is no place like home.

Commissioner Deborah VanAmerongen:
The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of New York and it also represents what we are talking about with the Access to Home program; liberty, independence, accessibility. Allowing people to stay in their home, to not have to go into institutions is about doing the very best we can for the people who need it the very most.

Last updated on 07/23/07

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