Able Lives - Episode 4

Host Theresa Nadeau tours a model home in Massachusetts that promotes universal design as a building option. Wider hallways,Universal Design in Homes low windows and low-light fixtures are some of the home's features. Then Nadeau demonstrates how she gets around the kitchen of her Glastonbury home, with the help of Sassy her assistance dog.
Claude Holcomb, who works for ADAPT and for Connecticut Transit, takes viewers through his typical day using public transportation in Hartford. Even with all of the efforts to make buses accessible, hurdles remain, such as the occasional broken lift and narrow entrance. A person using a wheelchair also depends on the knowledge of the bus driver to secure the chair safely. Via "Claude Cam," installed on his wheelchair, viewers get to see Holcomb's point of view.
Patricia (Pat) Thomas takes viewers through her day of typical errands in Greenwich, Conn. She visits the dry cleaners and the grocery store using her $93,000 custom van, which she drives with a joystick and voice-recognition technology. The episode explores the problems presented by improperly sized handicapped parking spaces and buildings with stairs.
The majority of playgrounds in Connecticut are inaccessible to children with disabilities. Children are unable to get on the swings, navigate the playground yard, or interact with other children. Ten years ago, a West Hartford woman--inspired by a personal tragedy--built Jonathan's Dream, a playground in West Hartford for children of all abilities.
Half of the people who did not evacuate during Hurricane Katrina were either physically unable to leave, or were caring for someone physically unable to leave. Able Lives outlines some of the steps people with disabilities and their caregivers should take to prevent a similar situation.