My House Is Fabulous!

 
April is Fair Housing Month. It is the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act's signing by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1968. Disability was not specifically included at that time, and people who lived with disabilities were far from the minds of the public and Congress. Fair Housing was available based on race, religion, sex, and national origin, and that was a good start.  Reading that the Fair Housing Act was signed forty years ago made me think about my own living arrangements - before and after disability came into my life.

In 1974, when I was looking for housing for my two young boys and me, I selected a nice, affordable two-bedroom apartment in a nice part of town. It was not too far from the bank where I had just been hired. I told the woman that I would take it, and she responded that she could not rent it to me. A couple of questions came to mind. First, why did she show it to me? Second, why couldn't I rent it?

She showed me because I was looking alone.  She did not rent to me because she said each child needed a room.  I needed a three-bedroom.  The apartment I liked and could afford was only two bedrooms, and I had two children. The boys were one and three years old, and they shared a room It would not work.

I looked at several apartments after that who were willing to rent to me, and I ultimately rented a two-bedroom a little further from work. The boys shared a room. No one else had the rule that said each child must have a separate room. That apartment discriminated against me, not because I was a woman, but maybe because I was a single mother, or maybe just because I was a mother.  I was not covered under the Fair Housing Act.

The Fair Housing Act was later updated, expanding the list of protections to include familial status and disability. I would have had a case against that apartment building, but we enjoyed the apartment we were able to rent. Today, if I face possible discrimination, as a woman with a disability, there is a now law to support me. My own recent experience has been rather favorable.

In 1995, after the ADA was signed, I rented a house, and the landlady replaced the bathroom door to accommodate my scooter. When I moved to another rental home a couple of years later, the management company allowed the bathroom door to be enlarged, but at my expense. They gave me permission with the caveat that I replace the original door when I leave. Maybe they didn't tell the owner they had allowed construction on his house. Anyway, I was not denied access.

My limited experience is not necessarily typical. The American Institute of Architects posted an entry Reacting to Violations of the Fair Housing about inconsistencies. The most interesting points in this post are the comments, mainly from architects trying to comply with only vague direction in design regulations. With continued confusion among the designers and the many differences in disabilities, the perfect house is still beyond reach unless we design our own.Sights that offer help, such as Adaptive Access in Houston.  For apartments, there is National Accessible Apartment Clearinghouse which maintains a national database of accessible apartments. 

Are there still discriminating rental situations? Of course there are.  There is still work to be done, but it is getting better.  Maybe one day, all housing will be fair and fabulous!