[Visitaccess] this list;ProUrb list

[Eleanor Smith]

1) This list.   I posted several times to this list during the past
month and did not receive the messages.  On inquiring to CNU staff, it
turned out there was a technical problem and the list had been non
functional for several weeks.   Now it is functional again.
2) ProUrb list serve.   The ProUrb list, while not an official CNU list,
has hundreds of New Urbanists as members.    Members of the
Visitability/Accessibility Initiative need to be aware that a
several-week discussion on disability access took place on the ProUrb
list recently, adding up to more than 500 emails on that subject.  Many
of these posts showed an appalling lack of information, and an emphasis
on "why we can't" rather than "how can we."

If basic access in single family detached houses and rowhouses  is to
become the norm in New Urbanist projects, as per our mission statement
below, we have a large amount of work ahead of us.

For several reasons, I believe this year is a turning-point year for
this issue.   

Eleanor Smith
      

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"New Urbanism, by emphasizing density, mixed-use development,
pedestrian mobility and public transportation, offers an ideal
opportunity for people with disabilities and seniors to be an integral
part of communities.   Homes that permit people with disabilities to
visit neighbors, and permit remaining in one's home if disability
occurs,  are essential.  

The Visitability and Accessibility Task Force works to make basic
access the norm in residential design, focusing especially on housing
types not covered by the Fair Housing Amendments Act:  single-family
detached houses and row houses."