Rebuilding creates opportunity;
Coast can be more disabled-accessible

Copyright 2006 The Biloxi Sun Herald
All Rights Reserved
The Sun Herald
The Biloxi Sun Herald (Mississippi)

November 1, 2006 Wednesday

SECTION: A; Pg. 8

LENGTH: 239 words

HEADLINE: Rebuilding creates opportunity;
Coast can be more disabled-accessible

BYLINE: DAVID GIALANELLA, SUN HERALD WASHINGTON BUREAU

BODY:

Rebuilding along the Gulf Coast provides a "unique opportunity" to make housing, transportation and health care more accessible to the disabled, the National Council on Disability said Tuesday.

"By adopting universal design standards, individuals with disabilities should be a part of the decision making process," said a report released by the independent federal agency Tuesday on Creating Livable Communities.

"With the power of tax incentives and other federal resources, there is the opportunity to improve the quality of life for all individuals in the impacted region," the report said.

It also contained several other recommendations on how to make communities more livable for people with disabilities.

"If you build for accessibility from the get-go, you won't shut people out from coming back from other states" if they left after Hurricane Katrina, said Martin Gould, director of Research and Technology for the agency.

The Gulf Coast area was mentioned specifically in the 160-page report because there is a disproportionate number of disabled people in the area, about 25 percent, he said.

Improving infrastructure will also improve disaster response and evacuation preparedness, he said. But disaster-preparedness and accessibility don't always go hand-in-hand. Rebuilding structures 18 inches off the ground can help prevent them from flooding, but can in turn make them less accessible for those in wheelchairs or who use canes.

LOAD-DATE: November 1, 2006