Derby City Area Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
The Derby City Area Chapter of the N.S.C.I.A. is a membership organization for individuals with spinal cord injuries, their families, and health professionals. Founded in 1984 as a Charter Member of the N.S.C.I.A., it was incorporated under IRS Section 501 (c) 3 as a not for profit organization. The Board of Directors consists of the Officers, Past President and the Board Members At Large.
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OFFICERS
PRESIDENT David Allgood - (502) 589-6620
VICE PRESIDENT Adam Ford - (502) 425-2206
TREASURER Tom Stokes- (502) 957-5865
LIAISON TO FRAZIER INSTITUTE Dr. Bill Kraft – (502) 582-5865
FUNDRAISING CHAIR Betty Perry—(502) 647-0368
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY/WEB MASTER Michael Feger- (502) 647-0368
PAST PRESIDENT Adam Ford- (502) 425-2206
BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE- Mike Perry Kelly Young
NSCIA DERBY CITY CHAPTER NEWSLETTER
Editor- Barbara Davis
Contributor- David Allgood
VISITABILITY, CONT'D
conference in September and received the most votes cast by other municipal officials as the most innovative program in the showcase.
Bolingbrook 's Visitability Ordinance requires all new single-family homes to be built with features that allow a person in a wheelchair to visit without any special assistance.
"It just makes sense, because they are minor modifications that should be just normal business practice throughout America ," said Roger C. Claar, Mayor of Bolingbrook.
What now is law in Bolingbrook unfortunately remains on the back burner in many communities, despite efforts by national and local organizations representing the disabled to change the landscape of home building codes.
" Bolingbrook has taken a proactive role, and is setting an example to communities all over the country regarding home design features needed to make residences more accessible to everyone." said Nancy Starns, Vice President and Chief of Staff for Washington, DC-based National Organization on Disability.
"We have a long way to go when it comes to legislation to make these features standard all over the country, but Bolingbrook has stepped up and is taking a leadership role. Other communities need to take notice," Starns said.
Early on in the process there was some initial reluctance on the part of homebuilders to jump on the bandwagon, fearing that implementation of these changes in home design might reduce their profit margins.
"Everyone tends to fear change a little, and area builders just need to sit down and look at it in detail," Claar said.
"It was important that we didn't simply enact a law without consulting everyone the law would affect, because no one wants to be forced into anything.
"But once we met individually with the builders active in the Village and went through the educational process, they warmed to the idea. The builders learned that the financial impact was minimal and the only real costs were the altering of architectural design. Costs associated with an increase in labor or materials were nominal," Claar said.
In 1998 Village staff began meeting to review potential ordinance changes, and conducted a survey of single homebuilders to obtain their input. Once a cost analysis was
