Housing Challenges

Mobility is always an issue when speaking about those who are disabled. This is especially true when trying to obtain your very first apartment.  Most apartment complexes are built on multiple floors.  There are usually steps leading up to the front door.   Once inside, there are stairs leading down to a basement of some sort while another set leads to the second floor.  Cerebral Palsy makes it difficult to traverse stairs when a walker is needed to maintain balance.  Carrying other objects up or down a set of stairs is also a challenge as well.  An activity such as laundry is a difficult task to complete outside of an apartment complex.  This would mean than an individual would have to carry laundry to a set of stairs and then have to maneuver a walker once he or she reaches the bottom.  Yes, there are walkers with baskets that are built into them, but those are usually quite small.  The walker would also be a hassle to get down steps. 

It is just rather sad that most apartment complexes do not have special entrances for those with disabilities.  It is almost the year 2017, and yet housing options remain stuck fifty years in the past.  Hopefully my inquiries will prompt change to apartment complexes in the future.  Only time will tell if changes are afoot, but people with disabilities are faced with the challenge of trying to do things in a way that will not serve them in the long run.