A visually-impaired woman says people with disabilities should not be lumped together, but their individual circumstances taken into account, especially when they are seeking social services.
An interaction with the National Housing Corporation (NHC) has led to 44-year-old Tresha Smith, who is also a Type 1 diabetic, spreading this message, as she lamented that officials placed her in a vulnerable situation when she sought to access much-needed housing for her and her 19-year-old daughter, who is autistic.
However, the NHC has defended its efforts to appease the situation, stating that despite all its attempts, she refused the assistance offered.
Smith, who has been living in a rented house in St George for the past three years, said that after waiting for over a year for a housing unit, she was excited when, in April, she was contacted by an NHC officer and informed that a unit at Valery, Brittons Hill, St Michael, was available for her. However, on the day she was supposed to move in, she found it was a one-bedroom unit and retrofitted for someone who uses a wheelchair.
“I had to reject it because it was not suitable for me and my daughter, and now I am being made to feel that I should have been grateful that they gave me a house.”
Smith said she was never interviewed by officials at the NHC about her family’s disabilities and their specific needs when it came to housing. Furthermore, the mother recalled, when she asked to see the unit before it was handed over, she was told she had to sign papers and make a rental down payment first.
“The cupboards are very low. So, basically, when I stand up, it’s like the cupboard is below my waist. So, my whole body has to lean down. I explained to them that I have no balance. I have no big toes. So,
I can’t bend over for a long period of time. And, when my daughter is not home, I still have to know how to manoeuvre through the house.
“The sink is also very, very low and the unit has no back door; it’s just one door. They also gave me one bedroom and I told them my daughter is autistic. Right now, she has her own room and for us to sleep together . . . that will interfere with her mentally,” she lamented.
“I am visually impaired . . . . When I can’t see, I can fall and end up in the hospital. Then the shower has a hose or something, because they don’t have a shower curtain and, as they say, it’s for somebody in
a wheelchair. This is an inconvenience.”
Smith said when she complained she was informed that if she got a two bedroom-unit, she would have to fork out $700 as well as pay all of the utilities.
“Honestly, it’s spacious, but I ain’t going to be comfortable in there. My child ain’t going to be comfortable. You can’t route a special-needs, autistic child. She’s accustomed to her own room, her own space, everything. When she has an attack, that’s another situation I would have to deal with because she don’t like to take her medication to be calm.”
She said she finally reached Minister of Housing Dwight Sutherland, who is also her constituency representative, last week.
“He told me that they had provided me with housing and I refused it so I would have to go to the Ministry of People Empowerment for assistance.”
As for her St George home, the Welfare Department pays some of the rent, but Smith said
it was in need of repairs and there was also a rodent issue.
“Rats keep biting through the house . . . . A health inspector came and he checked the house and he said my daughter’s room had about six openings and mine had two. Also, the floor is not level so that is affecting me with walking and the ceiling is not sealed so a lot of bats are in the ceiling.”
Even more problematic for Smith was the distance away from services which she utilises, especially
the hospital.
“I have to take a taxi wherever I go and that is usually $40 for each trip. So that is why I asked
Mr Sutherland for a unit in Town so that when I have hospital appointments, it wouldn’t be that expensive.”
While admitting Government had made progress when it came to treating people with disabilities, Kerryann Ifill, a former President of the Senate and consultant on disability rights issues, told the DAILY NATION there was still room for improvement.
“There are a lot of issues surrounding housing for persons with disabilities. People have this attitude about one size fits all. A lot of landlords are reluctant to rent to persons who are blind because of fear they may burn down the house.
“When have you ever heard about a house fire that was caused by a blind inhabitant? Statistically, it is no higher than anybody else.
“Or you have landlords who don’t want to rent to a person who has a wheelchair because they have to install a ramp . . . .
“In her case, she is visually impaired and she has an autistic daughter. She doesn’t need the ramp, she doesn’t need the lower counters. It’s just not a Government issue; it’s an understanding issue.”
However, Ifill noted that with the passage of the Rights Of Persons With Disabilities Act, issues around housing were included.
“The reason why she was even offered a facility that was retrofitted for persons with disabilities is that progressive administrations have started taking things seriously and making housing units that are designed for persons with disabilities. It is a continual process and part of the process isn’t just a physical fix, it’s an attitude fix and understanding. It is also about consulting with the experts in disability.”
In a statement to this newspaper, NHC general manager Ian Gill said they had been “actively working to find a suitable solution for Ms Smith’s housing situation”, but had been faced with challenges.
“For context, on April 4, we assigned the only available NHC housing unit – a one-bedroom home – to Ms Smith. During a visit to the house, she stated that she required a two-bedroom unit and also noted that the kitchen counters were too low. At that time Ms Smith also stated that she was no longer interested in the unit,” he explained.
“Ms Smith returned the keys on April 7 and at that time I met with her, accompanied by another senior member of my team, to explain that, unfortunately, there were no two-bedroom units available. In further attempts to find other possible solutions, I even suggested that we could temporarily divide the large bedroom into two rooms.
“However, Ms Smith also declined that solution. Therefore, NHC did not refuse to help Ms Smith.
She refused our help and assistance offered.”
He said Sutherland assured Smith that she remained on their shortlist and the assistance included “collaborating with the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, as we normally
do when seeking to provide housing for people with disabilities”.
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