UCP Home Access Wheelchair Ramps
About the Program
Prior to
the development of the Home Access Program, representatives from Tennessee
agencies serving persons with disabilities consistently heard stories about
wheelchair users who could not get in and out of their homes because of steps
and other barriers. Some people had
been injured in falls. Others were
isolated in their homes for years.
Many were getting in and out only because someone was lifting them,
which is dangerous for both the person being lifted and the person doing the
lifting. Because of the lack of a modification so simple, but so important,
people with disabilities could not access their own communities. They could not get jobs, transportation,
visit friends, or go shopping. In some
cases they had to use an ambulance service just for transportation to
doctor’s visits.
Utilizing
volunteers and donated lumber, a few agencies had constructed a limited
number of wheelchair ramps for persons in emergency situations. However,
because of the lack of a stable funding source, it was difficult to create a
formalized program of service.
Representatives
of Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) learned about the need in 1999
when they attended a presentation by UCP Executive Director Deana
Claiborne about ADA compliance and ongoing challenges to the Tennessee disability community. Soon thereafter, THDA approached United
Cerebral Palsy with an idea: to create
a joint venture to address the problem in Tennessee.
Since the initiation of the collaboration, over 1200 wheelchair ramps
have been constructed across the state of Tennessee.
Mission
During
the initial planning process, THDA posed the mission, the goal, and the
challenge for the program in a simple mission statement:
“To ensure that no individual with a disability in Tennessee goes without a wheelchair ramp on
their home because they cannot afford it.”
Thus was
born the Home Access Collaboration for Tennessee. The collaboration has been
extremely successful because the combined resources of many agencies bring
unique strengths and skills to the program.
Lumber and supplies for low income applicants to the program are
funded by THDA. Applicants who do not
meet the THDA household income criteria may receive ramps if they pay for the
cost of the lumber. Partner agencies across the state supply human resources
for ramp construction.
Eligibility
The
program serves Tennesseans with any disability that results in mobility
impairment and the need for a wheelchair ramp. There are some restrictions on
numbers of THDA funded ramps that can be built in urban areas, as THDA would
like to ensure that services are adequately distributed to rural areas of the
state. Applicants for THDA funded
ramps must also meet the THDA household income criteria.
Download Application -
PDF
For more
information about the Home Access/Wheelchair Ramp Program,
or to
request to have an application mailed or faxed to you
call 615-242-4091
and ask for John Pickett, Program Director
|
