When is a home truly a home?

A home of your own is a place where you can be yourself, have your own space and grow as a person. I have recently moved to my first home that has been customised to meet my access needs and what an immediate difference my life has had. Having a physical disability (Cerebral Palsy) and being non-verbal my living arrangements require certain things to live a comfortable life. I can’t believe for the last 10 years how the people that have supported me have managed to just make do with the rental accommodation I have had. While I am not complaining the joys of having a truly accessible home has literally changed my life overnight.

As a child, I used to dream of having my own home by the beach or within close proximity to the community in which I grew up. I am blessed - this community always was the beautiful Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast. My parents built my childhood home there in the early ’90s and I have always been part of this community. However, moving forward 30 years it has grown so much and made finding accommodation difficult especially in the rental market. At the age of 19, I moved from my family home into a rental that didn't really meet my needs but it was literally 100 metres from my parents' house. So it was close enough to be near my mum but far enough away for me to be independent, for better or for worse. 

Although my old house was close to my parents' place it wasn't a house I could make a home. My bathroom was an absolute nightmare for access as it was so small. We tried to make it work and my uncle made ramps for my bathroom, my dad pulled off shower glass and we even installed a different showerhead. As much as we tried I didn't feel 100% safe in my own shower. All around the house we ramped and I always had to enter via the garage, not the front door.

As the years went by and I got older (and a little heavier/ larger) we knew this was not to be my lifelong home. We then started to explore my options. I was earning an income but nowhere near what I needed to purchase an accessible home in my local community. I also found out about an Australian Government initiative called SDA, Which stood by Specialised Disability Housing. After a lot of homework, advice and networking I was encouraged that my inaccessible housing did not have to be something I would just have to live with. There were options available to me if I was prepared to work with people and be patient to make it work. I couldn't believe what my life could potentially be, and we started the process. To cut a long story short I qualified for this housing, found a developer willing to work with us and over a 3 year period I began the transition from “making do “ to “accessible home really is a home”.  Fast-forward to where we are now and having an accessible home has been the best thing to happen to me for a very long time.

The change was immediate from the very first week we moved in. My perception of home life and what independence, as I knew it, was had changed overnight. For the first time, I felt my feet under the shower. It felt so good and instead of being cramped up, I could truly relax. I knew immediately I will now have to budget for larger water bills as gone are the days of a quick shower.  At my old house, I couldn't do basic things such as going into the kitchen. I am a Kiwi girl who loves her food and Kiwi families socialise around a good feed and the kitchen. One of the first things I did was go into the kitchen to look in the fridge. I always used to leave a mark or ding in the fridge that drove my flatmate crazy. In my new kitchen, I can move around freely and my flatmate even bought a fridge that has an app so I can see inside it via my iPad. I can do things like "home shop" so now I can even pull my weight a bit more and order the shopping independently. Technology is an amazing thing - that is another blog for another day. 

Socially this place is amazing and we have got to know so many people in the short time we have been here. There is a concierge in my unit complex and I have got in the habit of taking coffee down to her and we always have a chat. She has the best heels and she loves my doc martins too. Recently our concierge, Hope, gave me her number and said if you ever stuck just text me. This excites me because she is open to the idea of being a "natural support" like any good neighbour would be had I not had a disability. When I go for a walk or collect my mail there is always someone saying hello. These relationships will give me security while also give me the freedom to explore and be a part of my new community. The building where I live is so friendly. Every first Friday of the month all the residents come together for drinks in the resident lounge on the 26th floor. This is a fantastic way of getting to know the neighbours a little bit. I feel part of a community and feel like I have a home. Although my old house was close to my parent's, it wasn't a street where neighbours would chat with each other. This place has allowed me to make relationships with my neighbours. 

My house has become home and it’s not just due to my unit’s access and great community. Our developer was open to building to a universal design where the building has greater access for everyone. They did the simple things like wider doors and ramps in common areas. It looks awesome and you wouldn't even know certain things were adapted due to my needs. Having a flush balcony in the upstairs residents lounge actually has created a “Lux feel” according to one person I overheard speaking about it.  Catering for people with disabilities doesn't have to compromise the look or even the expense of the build if we "forward plan". People with disabilities will often “make do and adjust”, with their accommodation needs. I long for the day where universal design and housing providers consider the needs of those with disabilities. I am blessed to have found like-minded people that have worked with me (and my team) to make me a home. I am the queen of my castle and living in an accessible place has bought absolute joy to my life and made me more productive in my community. A home like this only comes once in a lifetime and I can't believe that I am living in this amazing place at 30 years old. As I look out to the calm sea from my accessible balcony, I am looking forward to seeing what this place brings me in the future. I am blessed and thankful for this reality and pray that disability housing becomes a reality for more people with high needs. When you build communities around people you create quality lives and this also saves our government money in the long term. I now have a place I can grow and develop and call home. I finally live in a place where I feel like I can have people over and share my HOME with them. Life is good !!!

About the Author: 

Marlena Katene is Australia’s most unique entertainment journalist. Having Cerebral Palsy Marlena communicates via an ABC Board and iPad. After completing her Bachelor of Communications degree Marlena has been blessed to interview a wide range of people ranging from Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams and even the Dalia Lama. While her journalism focuses mainly on music she also has written on other issues and freelance writes for a variety of magazines. Apart from her journalism work, Marlena is an avid traveller and adventure seeker. In 2016 she became the first person in the world with Cerebral Palsy to Base jump, achieving this feat by jumping off the 421 metre KL Tower in Malaysia. Addicted to travelling she is always seeking the next adventure and place to explore.