Stephen Vaughan and his mother Linda in their house as it is being renovated to give him more freedom to move around.

Fund makes home and community more accessible

Life has changed immensely in the past year and a half for Robert and Linda Vaughan and their son Stephen, who has a developmental disability and needs a wheelchair to get around.

The changes began for the Nanaimo family one day as they were watching the news and saw a story about the Family Independence Fund. The fund is set up to help families throughout BC who have children or adults with developmental disabilities living at home. One-time grants are provided to support projects such as home renovations and vehicle modifications that provide greater independence and accessibility for people with developmental disabilities.

After seeing the story, the family looked up the fund online and took the necessary steps to make an application that would change Stephen’s life for the better.

The family received $25,000 toward a vehicle conversion for their van and $48,000 towards home renovations. Stephen was given the freedom and independence that he desperately wanted.

“It has been a real life changing experience for him” says father Robert.

Numerous design features ensure the family’s home is now accessible for Stephen. For example, a power opener was installed on the exterior door to allow him to come in and out using a remote control, doorways were widened allowing Stephen to navigate easily around the ground floor in his wheelchair, and the bathroom is equipped with a roll-under sink and roll-in shower for greater ease of use.

“When I go home at night, I’m able to walk around freely and now he has been given that same luxury,” says Robert.

The vehicle conversion has also made life much less stressful and problematic for the Nanaimo family compared to a year and a half ago. The van used to have manual seats that caused problems for getting Stephen’s wheelchair inside and made long trips next to impossible. The upgraded vehicle can hold his motorized wheelchair and he can comfortably enjoy the ride in the van and the scenery outside.

“His life is a thousand times better and he can have his freedom and independence being able to move his power operated wheelchair around the house with ease rather than worrying if he falls or hurts himself crawling around, but now we don’t have to worry about it,” says Robert.

The Family Independence Fund is administered by Vancouver Foundation’s Giving in Action Society. The Fund was established with financial support from CLBC. For more information on the fund, eligibility and how to apply, please visit www.givinginaction.ca.