Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: cohousing for children with disabilities

[John Gear (catalyst]

>Some of the ideas included special staff available (such as speech therapy,
>occupational and physical therapy, medical, etc.) and handicap access to all
>buildings.  I personally would like to see a school and community where these
>children are really integrated - and not increasingly isolated as the years
>go by.

And the wonderful part is that life is a circle--our needs as very little
people often tend to be our needs as very old people.  Some thought reveals
that the same accomodations you make for special needs children are the same
ones that will make *your* life better later in your dotage -- wide
doorways, barrierless showers for chairbound folk, nurses rooms (caretaker's
rooms) etc. etc.

I am increasingly uncomfortable with associating cohousing with construction
but if there's one reason to build that I find compelling it's making the
structure accessible for all of us, for all the stages of our life and
physical abilities.

(Some) schools used to do an awareness thing where a kid had to wear a
blindfold for a day or use a wheelchair or wear hearing mufflers ... seems
like a brilliant thing to do before you build a house/community, if building
is definately in your future.  You really learn fast how intolerant most
design is to human frailty.  This becomes even more apparent as cost
increases drive size decreases.  Stairs alone can mean the difference
between moving into a nursing home or being able to stay in community.
John Gear (catalyst [at] pacifier.com)

The thing about Rush Limbaugh is that when he says "feminazi" I can't tell
if he means it as a putdown or a compliment.