The Kelsey is one of several organizations committed to new solutions to the housing crisis adults with disabilities face in Santa Clara and beyond. We’re grateful for the advocacy of Housing Choices, the Lanterman Housing Alliance, and others who work to create more housing for this community.
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.
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.
For their commencement issue, The Harvard Gazette chose Micaela as the featured alumni from Harvard Kennedy School: Making Disability-Forward Housing Scalable and Sustainable
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.
Micaela Connery investigates the challenges adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities face when searching for a suitable home. Hundreds of thousands of adults with disabilities across the U.S. sit on housing “wait lists” for home and community-based services.
Individuals with disabilities and advocates have been fighting for thoughtful supports, inclusion in communities, and independent living since the 1960s “based on the premise that people with even the most severe disabilities should have the choice of living in the community.” The challenge isn’t new, but the solutions will need to be.