From Deseret News archives:
Disabled woman fighting for accessible home
She's not looking for much, just some higher electrical outlets, 36-inch-wide doorways and grab bars in the bathroom.
But two years after picking a plot and paying a builder, Ugolini's home is still just a dream and it's on the verge of being shattered.
"If one person has this problem, then it represents the tip of the iceberg, and that's what we think we are," Ugolini said. "No one listens to someone who wants to build an (Americans With Disabilities Act) accessible home, and that's the bottom line."
It was 23 years ago that Ugolini was involved in a car accident that left her with limited mobility in her arms and legs. She uses a walker to get around, and sometimes a cane, but Ugolini knows that sooner than later, she will be confined to a wheelchair.
The couple made a down payment on the home, ramp and other ADA modifications in 2006, but slowly the building requests fell through. The ramp wasn't built, the bathroom wasn't wheelchair accessible and the positioning of the home on the land made a peripheral path impossible without purchasing more adjacent land. The home was finished and Richmond was ready to close the deal, but the Ugolinis refused.
"They don't understand they put people in jeopardy when they make these mistakes," Valeriano Ugolini said. "How can I sleep every night in a house where, if there is a fire, I can't save my wife? ... We were building a new house to be able to enjoy it and be secure. They destroyed everything."
Richmond American Homes declined to comment on the Ugolinis' case, but in response to a complaint filed by the Ugolinis with the Utah Labor Commission Antidiscrimination Division, the homebuilder said it would adhere to some of the Ugolinis' requests if the Ugolinis first purchased the home. The reasons for not originally making the changes were chalked up to mistakes and errors regarding the Ugolinis' land.
Recent comments
I don't get why this is an ADA issue. If it was in the contract...
Why an ADA issue? | July 29, 2008 at 9:13 a.m.
I have had enough bad experiences with builders through work and...
KW | July 28, 2008 at 11:15 p.m.
This is a classic case where the buyers didn't use an independant...
Classic | July 28, 2008 at 10:45 p.m.
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