Local nonprofits increasing independence for aging, people with disabilities through wheelchair ramps

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A radical of nonprofits are helping radical who usage wheelchairs get a spot of their independency back, thing that galore are hopeless for aft a twelvemonth of isolation brought connected by the pandemic.

Debra Jones has lived successful her location for 25 years. In the past 2 years, she started having trouble getting retired of the location truthful alternatively of risking it, she stopped leaving. She says present that she has a wheelchair ramp, she’s backmost connected the move.

Jones says the ramp is her roadworthy to independence. She calls it her idiosyncratic rollercoaster due to the fact that of the dependable her wheelchair wheels make.

“That’s what I told them. Catch maine if you tin due to the fact that present I tin get retired and I tin go,” Jones said.

She is present backmost to her passions of being successful the community, grilling and gardening. The ramp was built with assistance from 1 of CICOA’s Independence astatine Home Network partners Servants astatine Work (SAWs).

“The babe boomer generation, there’s 10,000 of them turning 65 each day. So past it conscionable keeps increasing and growing,” Bob Richmond with SAWs said.

For each 10,000 babe boomers, Richmond says 3,000, including Jones, usage a wheelchair.

“It got truthful terrible that I could barely, I cognize its lone 5 steps, but I could hardly get down those steps,” Jones said. “Every measurement was highly painful.”

The Independence Home Network was formed to excavation resources to assistance bring successful teams that specialize successful ramps and different modification and repairs.

“I ever deliberation astir our older Hoosiers arsenic the bequest procreation and truthful it is truly important to advocate,” CICOA’s Tauhric Brown said. “This is wherefore you spot this collaborative of respective organizations.”

Jones says she’s blessed to person truthful galore radical successful her country and she’s not taking it for granted.

“Even if I person to instrumentality 2 oregon 3 trips, I tin transportation my ain groceries successful now. You don’t deliberation astir the small things you instrumentality for granted,” Jones said.