Promoting VisitAbility in Pennsylvania
What is VisitAbility
The concept of VisitAbility was inspired by Eleanor Smith, founder of an
initiative begun by a small local disability group in Atlanta, Georgia known as
Concrete Change. Concrete Change
drafted an ordinance to make homes visitable, which passed in 1992.
What makes a home visitable?
There are three main criteria:
a one no-step entrance into a home, doorways with at least 32 inch clear
space and a first floor powder room large enough to accommodate a person in a
wheelchair.
Concrete Change was the basis for VisitAbility in Pennsylvania.
VisitAbility in PA, begun by Life and Independence for Today (LIFT) in
St. Marys, PA, a movement to enhance user-friendliness of all homes to include
the needs of everyone through wise design choices and decisions.
VisitAbility features are good for everyone.
It allows people with disabilities to visit people in their homes, is
easier for people pushing strollers, moving furniture, and for people who want
to age in their homes. There are
other visitable features that are easy to include, such as installing light
switches no higher than 48 inches above the finished floor and including
blocking in the bathroom walls so that grab bars may be added at a later date.
The photo above is an example of a visitable no-step entrance
Pittsburgh Ordinance
A VisitAbility Ordinance was passed in Pittsburgh in 2004 that was modeled after
the Atlanta Ordinance. The purpose
of the Pittsburgh ordinance is to offer tax credits to encourage new, renovated,
single family homes, duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, row houses and adapted
reuses of industrial and commercial buildings that can be renovated or converted
for multifamily residential use, to build in VisitAbility features to enhance
both VisitAbility and usability for visitors and residents.
In Pittsburgh, in order to get tax credits, when applying for a building permit
the homeowner must indicate intent to install the visitable features and notify
the zoning officer, and submit drawings and specifications of the visitable
design. After the improvements have
been completed, the owner must notify the Bureau of Building Inspection in order
to get certification of completion.
At that time, the owner can apply for tax credits of up to $2,500 with the city
treasurer, which will be given toward property taxes assessed by the city on the
visitable residence. What happened
in Pittsburgh was the impetus for Senate Bill 1158, The Residential VisitAbility
Design Tax Credit Act, (the Act).
The Residential VisitAbility Design Tax Credit Act
The Act, which was introduced by Senator Ferlo and Senator Rhoades, was signed
into law by Governor Rendell on October 28th, 2006.
Briefly, it is an incentive based approach that offers property owners a
$2,500 tax credit per housing unit which is available to homeowners of new
construction and rehabilitation.
This legislation must be administered by a governing body such as municipalities
or school boards. The Act paves the
way for municipalities to provide tax credits to citizens.
The Act can be found at
www.legis.state.pa.us
in the section entitled ‘Acts on General Legislation approved in 2006’.
SDHP received a Quality of Life grant for $5,500 from the Christopher and Dana
Reeve Foundation to promote VisitAbility by ensuring that taxing entities -
counties, municipalities and school districts - are aware of the Act and
understand that individually or jointly, they can voluntarily authorize tax
credits of up to $2,500 per housing unit to homeowners for new construction or
renovation that includes visitable features.
For a list of resources on VisitAbility, go to
http://www.VisitAbilitypa.com/resources.php4.