Re: Re: attached garages
From: Elizabeth Stevenson (tamgoddesscomcast.net)
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 17:12:56 -0700 (MST)
In my fantasies, there would be at least one vocal person with a mobility
issue in every cohousing group that's forming. That way, when the site was
designed, issues about which the non-impaired are ignorant would get
addressed before the community is built. I would suggest not making your
decision as to where to go based on the site plan, but on where you want to
live in general, and what groups feel most like "home" to you. Then get
involved in that group and resign yourself to doing some educating and
pushing. 

I know I was ignorant of all but the most obvious barriers for our
wheelchair-using member before she educated me. I became more aware of
disability rights and eventually an active agitator on the issue, both at
home and on this list. Little did I know that those skills (and the allies I
made) would be necessary to fight for my own child later on. You just never
know where your strengths and challenges are going to lead.

I guess my point is, don't make your mobility problems the gateway issue
that keeps you out of a forming community. You could end up being an
incredible asset to some community and start something that transforms a
community and its members into so much more than they would be without you.

-- 
Liz Stevenson
Southside Park Cohousing
Sacramento, California
lilbert [at] comcast.net

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> From: MiraShapir [at] aol.com
> Reply-To: Developing cohousing - collaborative housing communities
> <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
> Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 13:27:53 EST
> To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
> Subject: [C-L]_ Re: attached garages
> 
> Since we are on the topic..Are there other cohousing communities that are
> constructed so there is car access to one side of the houses and an inner
> portion 
> that is car-free?   My family (husband, 7 year old son and 10 year old dog)
> and I are very interested in cohousing.   We are not sure in what area as of
> yet.   I have looked at many of the websites and it appears that many of the
> site designs would not work for us since I have intermittent health problems
> that 
> sometimes make walking very difficult especially if it is snowy or icy.     I
> understand the concerns about building community, but I wonder if there is a
> way to include people like me and still provide oopportunities for the
> serendipitous conversations that help people get to know one another.
> 
> Mira Shapiro
> 
> In a message dated 2/16/04 1:00:50 PM, cohousing-l-request [at] cohousing.org
> writes:
> 
> 
>> Diana
>> I think you are referring to my recent post about the fact that Solterra was
>> design with the ability for owners to have garages as part of their houses.
>> In
>> the design stage, we considered whether we wanted a parking lot or a private
>> road leading to every lot. We decided on an oval road with the inside
>> car-free. Paths lead to every lot or house, to the common house and the
>> playgrounds.
>> Don Weil
>> Solterra Cohousing
>> Durham, North Carolina
>> 
> 
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