1 00:00:01,796 --> 00:00:07,702 I'm Dr. Gillian Friedman, managing health editor of Ability Magazine, a leading 2 00:00:07,702 --> 00:00:11,897 publication addressing health, disability and human potential. 3 00:00:11,897 --> 00:00:17,211 And I'm Max Gail, a subscriber and sometimes contributor to Ability Magazine. 4 00:00:17,211 --> 00:00:23,343 I also volunteer as a director for Ability Awareness, a non-profit organization that 5 00:00:23,343 --> 00:00:28,181 is partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build accessible homes and to build 6 00:00:28,181 --> 00:00:32,362 awareness of the value of volunteering for people with disabilities. 7 00:00:32,362 --> 00:00:36,824 -And I've been a volunteer on the Ability House project a number of times, going 8 00:00:36,824 --> 00:00:40,404 back to the first one in Birmingham, Alabama back in 1999. 9 00:00:41,344 --> 00:00:46,264 -Today there are fifty- six million people with mental or physical disabilities in America. 10 00:00:46,264 --> 00:00:50,372 The Department of Housing and Urban Development has identified people with 11 00:00:50,372 --> 00:00:54,896 disabilities as one of the principle populations experiencing worst-case 12 00:00:54,896 --> 00:00:59,443 housing needs. Ability Awareness and Habitat for Humanity address this need 13 00:01:00,394 --> 00:01:02,575 through the Ability House project. 14 00:01:02,575 --> 00:01:06,482 Now there are two features that make the Ability House project really unique, the 15 00:01:06,482 --> 00:01:11,690 first is that the program endorses universal design - that's the strategy for 16 00:01:11,690 --> 00:01:16,131 building environments that can be visited by people of all ages and all abilities. 17 00:01:16,131 --> 00:01:22,159 And the second, it specifically seeks to involve volunteers with disabilities in all phases 18 00:01:22,159 --> 00:01:28,031 of construction. You know, to see or work with people with disabilities actually 19 00:01:28,031 --> 00:01:33,630 building a house, well that'll wipe out all the stereotypes and myths you might 20 00:01:33,630 --> 00:01:38,482 have about people with disabilities. And it helps those volunteers to explore 21 00:01:38,482 --> 00:01:41,226 and to demonstrate their abilities. 22 00:01:41,226 --> 00:01:46,741 The adage "it's better to give than to receive" is born out in health studies 23 00:01:46,741 --> 00:01:52,211 showing that emotional wellbeing, physical health and mental sharpness improve when 24 00:01:52,211 --> 00:01:57,111 people join activities where they can give and receive encouragement and learn new 25 00:01:57,111 --> 00:01:58,192 skills. 26 00:01:58,192 --> 00:02:04,333 I'll attest to that. Anyway, the following presentation was shot at an Ability house 27 00:02:04,333 --> 00:02:09,074 built in Baltimore, Maryland. This was documented by the Good Life Television 28 00:02:09,074 --> 00:02:14,148 Network for an episode of their series 'Volunteers for the Sake of Others'. 29 00:02:14,148 --> 00:02:16,467 I think you'll enjoy it. 30 00:02:17,907 --> 00:02:22,784 So many people wonder how a blind person can build a house or how a person who uses 31 00:02:22,784 --> 00:02:24,434 a wheelchair can come and build a house. 32 00:02:25,169 --> 00:02:30,188 Volunteers, many with disabilities and little knowledge of construction have set 33 00:02:30,188 --> 00:02:33,686 out to try and build a house in just eight days. 34 00:02:35,276 --> 00:02:38,997 Most of them have never done any kind of construction work. 35 00:02:39,442 --> 00:02:41,464 NARRATOR: Will wet weather dampen their spirits? 36 00:02:42,059 --> 00:02:46,489 We would rather have better weather but we've got a schedule to keep. 37 00:02:46,842 --> 00:02:51,086 NARRATOR: It will take all of the volunteers working together to complete 38 00:02:51,086 --> 00:02:52,542 this house on time. 39 00:02:52,542 --> 00:02:57,520 Everyone can come out and pick up a hammer and we're all on equal ground. 40 00:03:30,900 --> 00:03:34,684 Welcome to Good Life TV Network's 'Volunteers for the Sake of Others'. 41 00:03:34,684 --> 00:03:38,300 I'm Doris McMillan. People with disabilities are often 42 00:03:38,300 --> 00:03:43,988 marginalised by society. An impairment is often seen as being a major obstacle to living a 43 00:03:43,988 --> 00:03:49,228 normal life. Ability Awareness, a non-profit organisation combats this 44 00:03:49,228 --> 00:03:54,182 misconception by recruiting people who have disabilities to help construct homes, 45 00:03:54,182 --> 00:03:57,952 often for people who themselves have a disability. 46 00:03:57,952 --> 00:04:01,232 This time-honoured tradition of volunteering allows those with 47 00:04:01,232 --> 00:04:04,249 disabilities to help someone in need. 48 00:04:05,499 --> 00:04:09,370 The Ability house project is a hallmark program of Ability Awareness and was 49 00:04:09,370 --> 00:04:13,778 basically started to increase awareness around the issues surrounding people with 50 00:04:13,778 --> 00:04:20,226 disabilities, to really bring people with disabilities out and show the community 51 00:04:20,226 --> 00:04:22,375 their true skills and their talents, and 52 00:04:22,375 --> 00:04:26,178 their potential as volunteers, as mentors and as employees. 53 00:04:26,178 --> 00:04:31,336 Volunteering benefits the provider of service, perhaps as much as it does the 54 00:04:31,336 --> 00:04:36,687 recipient of service, and so when you have someone who is commonly thought of as in 55 00:04:36,687 --> 00:04:43,398 need, there is a therapeutic benefit to be derived when those individuals can in 56 00:04:43,398 --> 00:04:45,445 fact be the providers of service. 57 00:04:47,265 --> 00:04:52,393 Here, Ability teams with the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity to build a house 58 00:04:52,393 --> 00:04:55,257 with a few special features. 59 00:04:58,947 --> 00:05:04,233 The Ability House is an accessibly designed home, built for someone with a disability 60 00:05:04,233 --> 00:05:08,888 by volunteers, many of whom also have disabilities. 61 00:05:08,888 --> 00:05:13,016 VOLUNTEER: Ready? One, two, three! 62 00:05:17,036 --> 00:05:21,869 The concept of universal design which means people who have physical impairments 63 00:05:21,869 --> 00:05:28,474 are able to get in or out of it with no barriers, and so I think this is a 64 00:05:28,474 --> 00:05:30,051 worthwhile project. 65 00:05:30,051 --> 00:05:34,493 It's a big stigma that blind people have to sit and they can't do things and we see 66 00:05:34,493 --> 00:05:37,471 a lot of people that come through our program that have had people take care of 67 00:05:37,471 --> 00:05:39,815 them their whole lives and there's no reason for that really. 68 00:05:40,825 --> 00:05:45,230 So often people with disabilities, they aren't looked to as volunteers, and every 69 00:05:45,230 --> 00:05:51,067 single person has his or her individual level of ability, and so it's just really 70 00:05:51,067 --> 00:05:55,601 a matter of finding out what that is and utilising them to their fullest potential. 71 00:05:55,601 --> 00:05:58,158 MAN: Here now, feel that, see what we're gonna do? 72 00:06:03,658 --> 00:06:09,471 Red hats, experienced volunteers, work on securing the roof while a group of blind 73 00:06:09,471 --> 00:06:12,481 volunteers help with the house's exterior. 74 00:06:14,771 --> 00:06:19,551 I was given four individuals, and I took them aside, gave them a quick lesson on 75 00:06:19,551 --> 00:06:24,770 how to operate a screw gun, all I had to do was point to where the screw needed to 76 00:06:24,770 --> 00:06:28,302 go in, I'd say "follow my finger", they'd find my fingertip, put the screw there and 77 00:06:28,302 --> 00:06:29,345 screw it in. 78 00:06:29,345 --> 00:06:34,312 Something really clicked with Fred. He was there working with the volunteers 79 00:06:34,312 --> 00:06:40,414 patiently working with each one. And he was giving of himself and he really sensed 80 00:06:40,414 --> 00:06:41,674 what this is all about. 81 00:06:41,674 --> 00:06:48,545 I was totally amazed and impressed. To call them disabled is no longer 82 00:06:48,545 --> 00:06:53,986 adequate. They are definitely able-bodied with a minor inconvenience. 83 00:06:58,502 --> 00:07:04,080 Tom Owens has been blind since the age of 11, but involved in carpentry all his life. 84 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:12,021 Technically I've been doing this stuff since I was about 3. I started working 85 00:07:12,021 --> 00:07:17,199 with my father when I was 3 years old, everybody in my family has some kind of 86 00:07:17,199 --> 00:07:29,961 trade type skill. And Romney's a great partner. (Laughs) She likes high places. 87 00:07:32,391 --> 00:07:34,360 I think these guys are doing a great job. 88 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,547 It's great to come out here and see people from all walks of life. 89 00:07:37,547 --> 00:07:39,830 And I'm real happy to be a part of it. 90 00:07:41,260 --> 00:07:43,917 Tom's an amazing role model for the blindness community, 91 00:07:43,917 --> 00:07:46,785 just to show that you really can do anything that you want to do. 92 00:07:46,785 --> 00:07:48,522 And there's no reason that you can't. 93 00:07:49,282 --> 00:07:51,710 You can do anything but drive a car is what we like to say. 94 00:07:53,230 --> 00:07:56,405 (Narrator) 60-year-old John Randall had a stroke 11 years ago. 95 00:07:56,405 --> 00:08:01,559 He now has left-side hemiparesis, and lacks the use of his left arm and leg. 96 00:08:05,649 --> 00:08:07,808 I need accessibility everywhere I go. 97 00:08:07,808 --> 00:08:14,030 So anything I can help someone, that's automatic with me. 98 00:08:16,610 --> 00:08:19,451 (Narrator) A self-declared advocate for people with disabilities, 99 00:08:19,451 --> 00:08:23,203 John volunteers on a number of Baltimore area committees. 100 00:08:24,253 --> 00:08:28,294 We need people to care to help people who can't help themselves. 101 00:08:29,904 --> 00:08:31,965 So many people worry about money, 102 00:08:32,345 --> 00:08:34,644 but to volunteer is great. 103 00:08:35,524 --> 00:08:37,913 You get a different reward when you volunteer. 104 00:08:38,513 --> 00:08:42,349 So many people wonder how a blind person can build a house. 105 00:08:42,349 --> 00:08:45,341 Or how a person who uses a wheelchair can come and build a house. 106 00:08:45,341 --> 00:08:50,097 The reality is is that the biggest limitations that people 107 00:08:50,097 --> 00:08:53,984 with disabilities have are preconceptions that we've place on them. 108 00:08:55,664 --> 00:08:58,347 But today, I wanted to help out to see what I can do. 109 00:08:58,347 --> 00:09:00,543 Just a little bit of drilling I could do. 110 00:09:00,543 --> 00:09:02,408 I wanted to help volunteer. 111 00:09:02,408 --> 00:09:05,069 This brings back memories of when my house was being built. 112 00:09:06,999 --> 00:09:09,732 It really touches me to see people here volunteering their time. 113 00:09:09,732 --> 00:09:11,604 It's good to know that there's good people 114 00:09:11,604 --> 00:09:13,914 out there that really want to dedicate their lives, 115 00:09:13,914 --> 00:09:16,474 even if it's a few hours out of their day 116 00:09:16,474 --> 00:09:17,844 to help someone else. 117 00:09:19,066 --> 00:09:22,466 (Narrator) Volunteers, many with disabilities and limited construction 118 00:09:22,466 --> 00:09:27,117 experience have completed the exterior of Kathy Hall's home 119 00:09:27,117 --> 00:09:29,166 in just eight days.