Help make Keren's home wheelchair accessible
Donation protected
They say it takes a village to raise a child... This is all the more true for a child like Keren, with a complex disability and needs that are ever-changing and growing. We recently moved back to Midland, Michigan, where we've been able to successfully establish support services for Keren that we've struggled to get in other states. Therefore, Midland is the community that we intend for Keren to grow up and grow old in. Keren has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, is nonverbal, and uses a variety of assistive technologies to assist with her mobility, lack of hand use, inability to sit independently and inability to communicate orally. Her most important one for mobility, her power wheelchair, cannot be used inside her own house. Her most important device for independence is an eye-gaze controlled communication device that allows her to communicate and control various devices at home. Our current house was built in the 50s, therefore door frames, hallways and bathrooms do not accommodate a wheelchair user. After much research and design work with an accessibility construction company, we came to the conclusion that upgrades to the house to address Keren's needs are not feasible and/or not cost effective.
Therefore, we are embarking on a new construction project to build a wheelchair accessible house that will inherently be barrier free and enable aging in place for Keren's whole life. This includes design elements such as building 'at grade' with no entry steps, no hallways, wide doorways and use of pocket doors throughout and various addition features such as:
- a fully accessible bathroom equipped for her needs
- ceiling lifts for transfer in her bedroom and bathroom - $25,000 (achieved)
- elevator to basement to access her therapy area or in the case of severe weather - $42150
- finished basement to build a therapy area for Keren's therapy and equipment
- whole house generator to provide backup power for all Keren's medical equipment
- automatic door openers that Keren can control and open doors independently (3 doors - bedroom, front and back doors) - $6000 (achieved)
- various automation / smart home features to allow Keren to control her environment
The money we hope to raise will only cover a portion of the lifelong and ongoing expenses for Keren and the ongoing modification needs that will continue to evolve - any and all donations are appreciated. This GoFundMe campaign is not intended to support general construction costs, only those that are 'above and beyond' the standard construction for accessibility elements.
Thank you again for joining us on the journey and your continued interest and support for Kereni!
#accessiblehomeforkereni
Organizer
Ariel Rak
Organizer
Midland, MI