Mom who uses wheelchair shines light on accessible housing barriers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — For Domonique Howell, finding a place to live that she can afford and access with her wheelchair has been a lifelong struggle.

“It’s always been a challenge,” said Howell.

It’s a challenge that she says too often strips people of their dignity.

“In every house or apartment I’ve ever lived in up until this point, which is only the last five years, I’ve had to either leave my chair outside of the bathroom or leave it in a hallway or another room and either be carrying it in the bathroom or have a commode-like toilet in my room, which is inhumane,” said Howell.

Howell balances caring for her nine-year-old daughter at their home in Philadelphia and being a longtime disability advocate.

She was even named Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania for 2023.

On Thursday, Howell was in Washington D.C. to testify before the Senate Special Committee on Aging about her experiences.

“My entire life, I had to make the decision between accessibility and affordability as so many other Americans with disabilities do,” Howell testified.

Lawmakers on the committee discussed potential solutions.

A Democrat-backed bill called the Visitable Inclusive Tax Credits for Accessible Living Act, or VITAL Act, would increase funding for the Low-income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program and aims to ensure developers are building more accessible housing units.

Our Washington News Bureau spoke with Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), the sponsor of the bill in the Senate.

“What we want to do is take the existing low-income tax credit and strengthen it, add more funding so that we can up the dollar amounts for the credits and also to help developers in their efforts to develop more of these properties that have accessible features to them,” said Casey. “This hearing gave us a chance to spotlight the fact that sometimes as simple as having doorways that are wide enough for a wheelchair or other features in a home can provide that kind of accessibility that everyone should have a right to expect.”

Republicans on the committee argued the federal government should implement spending cuts and pass fiscal policies to help drive down inflation in order to make housing more affordable.

Republicans also cautioned against too much government red tape for housing developers.

“We ought to minimally have a guideline of regulations that are going to help, not make it even worse,” said Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN).

Disability advocates also pointed to housing barriers due to local zoning rules that sometimes stop developers from building more housing units accessible to people with disabilities.

They urged Congress to consider financial incentives for local governments to revise zoning rules in those instances.

Howell, meanwhile, said she’s grateful to raise awareness about an urgent need.

“I think it’s important to have people with disabilities at the table to understand our stories, understand what the lack of accessibility has done to our quality of life,” said Howell.

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