Kansas City neighbors build accessible home for wheelchair user

From Fox 4 TV in Kansas City:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Community organizations in the Northland are banding together to build a new home for a disabled woman, one that meets her needs better than a traditional home. It's their first universal design building, but they hope to build more in the future.

"When they get the soffit up we'll start putting the siding on," said Charley Lamb with Christian Carpenters.

It's the fourteenth house in the last 13 years for Christian Carpenters, but it's the first time it's teamed up with the Northland Neighborhood Association to build a universal design home.

"Which means it's accessible to all of us through all of our life and especially accessible for a disabled person such as Lorie Perdieu," said Jim Rice, CEO of Northland Neighborhood Association.

Her current home is a little dinged up.

"You can see the nicks on my doors," said Perdieu. "I've run into them quite a few times in 24 years."

Perdieu has a disability that makes almost every joint in her body rigid.

"I can't take the wheelchair in the bedroom or bathroom here," she said of her current residence.

Perdieu's always been independent, but the place she's rented for 24 years poses some problems.

"It would be nice to have a house where I can do my own dishes at a lower counter and help do my own laundry," she said. "I know it sounds funny, but I love to do those kinds of things."

Neighborhood groups are helping Perdieu buy a universal design home because of her tireless advocacy for people with disabilities.

"This is a huge opportunity for me, and I'm very blessed," she said.

The Northland Neighborhood Association is still working to raise the money to finish the project.

"We will have to gather another $20,000," said Rice. "We'll do it."

They're all very excited for the day when Perdieu is able to move into the home they're building.

"It'll probably bring me to tears," said Lamb.

And Perdieu is already touched by their generosity.

"I can't believe how much will power and how much work they're putting into this," said Perdieu. "Total strangers are helping with this. I'm just amazed."