Design Thinking for Inclusive Housing

Design thinking achieves two goals: it opens our minds to what’s possible free from constraints and ensures that we think about needs at the margins.

In Conversation with Vinita Goyal, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

We sat down with Vinita Goyal, the Program Officer in Housing and Transportation for the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, to discuss the SVCF’s work in housing and transit, their support of The Kelsey and our project in San Jose, and the importance of affordable housing to create thriving communities in the Bay Area and beyond.

Reflecting on our series with SPUR

This summer, The Kelsey collaborated with the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, SPUR, on a three part series about inclusivity and cities.

What does it mean to be an “Inclusion Native” and why does it matter?

At The Kelsey, we talk a lot about inclusive communities and the type of people who would want to live in them. We often use the term “Inclusion Natives” to describe people with and without disabilities who grew up in inclusive settings. We want to take a moment to explain what we mean when we talk about Inclusion Natives and why they are so important to our work.

What’s the problem anyway?

We’ve looked at stats around disability and homelessness, disability and poverty, and disability and housing discrimination. We’ve researched service and support issues, drivers of isolation, the importance of inclusion, and the changing preferences of individuals and families.

Disability Housing: Institutional Avoidance

Avoiding being institutional isn’t enough. Defining rules of what people can’t do isn’t enough. Limiting the size, activities, or structures of a home isn’t enough. Stripping away “institutional-alities” does not a meaningful home make.