I continue to hear calls for exempting rehabilitation of older buildings from the requirements of Vermont’s rules on accessibility for those disabled. The usual claims are that retrofitting older buildings is too expensive, that it discourages rehab projects and deprives the state of needed affordable housing.
But builders can request a variance from the Vermont Access Board if the rules cause undue financial hardship. I was told the vast majority of variances are granted. If denied, the board suggests changes and the builder can come back with a revised proposal.
Going forward, renovations will provide the majority of new housing. If these buildings aren’t rendered accessible, the housing available to disabled people will be severely reduced, at the same time our aging population will need more, not less, housing with wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, wider doorways, no steps or stairs, etc.
These complaints generally come from a builder’s perspective, ignoring, for example, the needs of young people who use a wheelchair, walker or cane and want to move into a home of their own. And old people who can no longer climb stairs to get to their apartment. And people suddenly rendered unable to function in their existing home due to car accidents, strokes or diseases like Parkinson’s.
Only 2 percent of housing is currently accessible. The access rules are in place to expand that by making access the norm, not the exception. I don’t think people who need accessible housing should always have to wait.
Charlie Murphy lives in Bennington, Vt.
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