Having the opportunity to live independently is an exciting step for individuals with I/DD. This can be scary for them as well as for their families in making sure the individual feels welcome, supported, and safe within their community. A…
The Associated Press published a wonderful article highlighting two residents of Luna Azul and its origins - and media outlets across the country took note! The article has since been published nationally both with major news networks and smaller, local…
Group homes are homes in the community where a disability service provider both maintains and controls a household as well as coordinates the supports for those who live in the home. (Learn more about this and other models by watching…
Bill, a charming 56-year-old Southern gentleman sits proudly under the lifetime’s worth of taekwondo medals and the sashes from being crowned the “Annandale Village [homecoming] King.” Bill has an intellectual disability and lives in a nursing home at Annandale Village,…
Tiny home skeptics are asking, “Who would ever want to live in a 350 square-foot space?” As evidenced by the 40,000 attendees of the last Tiny House Jamboree in Colorado Springs, a lot of people! I am a host home provider…
We are honored to feature the following article on accessory units by guest author, Catherine Boyle (pictured above). Boyle is the president of Autism Housing Pathways, a Massachusetts non-profit that works with families to find or create housing options for their…
The following hypothetical situation is based on observations from a recent visit to an Independent Apartment Community, Casa de Amma: Imagine walking into your apartment lobby after a long day ... Your neighbors greet you by name as they sift through…
When I give presentations or consult for emerging housing options, I often hear that individuals with I/DD want to live in a supportive and affordable neighborhood. Walking to a friend’s home, having regular opportunities for activities, being recognized as a…
In 2013, in the middle of a New Jersey suburb, a small apartment building was built to offer a supportive housing options to about 40 residents with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD). Those who live there choose from either a one bedroom…
Driving through rural Texas, I didn’t know what to expect from a “farmstead.” There are mixed opinions in the autism world about whether farmsteads are isolating and segregating; or if they give access to a lifestyle otherwise not available to…