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City adopts construction guidelines for accessible homes

The City of Rochester has adopted new, accessible construction guidelines.

Stephanie Woodward is the Director of Advocacy at the Center for Disability Rights in Rochester.

"It was certainly a windy road to get here, but the point is that we got here."

Woodward says the CDR has been working tirelessly with the city in order to make sure people with disabilities have access to accessible, affordable, and integrated housing in Rochester.

And it’s seems it’s working. The city has officially adopted construction guidelines that would make new one and two family homes "visitable."

"So visitability means that you have one no-step entrance, you have a bathroom that is accessible on the accessible floor, and then you have hallways that are wide enough for a person’s mobility device to get through. That means not only could that type of person live in that home but, someone could come visit. It also allows people to age in place as well."

Woodward says these new guidelines are crucial in creating a more inclusive community for people with disabilities.

This story is reported from WXXI’s Inclusion Desk.

Veronica Volk is a senior editor and producer for WXXI News.