Fair Housing Month: Rights of individuals with disabilities

"While housing discrimination remains a barrier to many of our neighbors with disabilities, IHCDA is committed to promoting the rights and equal housing access of persons with disabilities across Indiana. Below is a short explanation of who may be qualified persons, the rights of persons with a disability and reasonable accommodations for physical accessibility.

Person with a disability: Federal nondiscrimination laws include any (1) individual with a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities; (2) individual with a record of such impairment; or (3) individual who is regarded as having such an impairment.

Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Excluding qualified individual’s participation in housing programs and denying the benefits because of his or her disability is against federal law. A qualified individual for financial assistance program meets eligibility requirements such income requirement for tenancy.

Reasonable Accommodations or Modifications: To provide equal opportunity for persons with disabilities, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires housing providers to provide housing accommodations which allow an exceptional change or adjustment to a rule, policy, practice, or service for physical accessibility with examples listed below.

• Assigning an accessible parking space for a person with a mobility impairment
• Permitting a tenant to transfer to a ground-floor unit
• Adjusting a rent payment schedule to accommodate when an individual receives income assistance
• Adding a grab bar to a tenant’s bathroom
• Permitting an applicant to submit a housing application via a different means
• Permitting an assistance animal in a "no pets” building for a person who is deaf, blind, has seizures, or has a mental disability. Additional information about assistance animals or any of the above here.

IHCDA will continue to promote equal and fair housing access for Hoosiers with disabilities through our programs, resources, housing developments and community development."