AREA ORGANIZATIONS OPEN DOORS FOR THE DISABLED
Dayton Area Board of Realtors, Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Access Center for Independent Living join together to deliver choice for handicapped individuals
April, 1, 2009 - The Dayton Area Board of REALTORS® (DABR), in cooperation with the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center and the Access Center for Independent Living (ACIL), proudly invites all REALTORS® using the MLS services to embrace the newest advancement in real estate client services, the “Accessibility Features Form”. This new element in the MLS will help connect physically challenged clients to the type of home that will meet their accessibility needs.
For many, disabilities are a fact of life. Countless families and individuals face disabilities at one time or another, either through a friend, a loved one, or themselves. Title VIII of the Federal Fair Housing Act states that prospective tenants and homebuyers cannot be treated differently in their search for housing or be denied housing on the basis of race, color, sex, the presence of minor children (familial status), disability, national origin, or religion. The new “Accessibility Features Form” progresses the real estate industry’s already strong commitment to these fair housing principles.
Harry Vearn, President of DABR, makes the case for the new MLS feature. “The Dayton Area Board of REALTORS® has always been a leader in the advancement of fair housing values. We have a very close relationship with the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center and the Access Center for Independent Living, and the advocacy of these principles, along with our commitment to all homebuyers and sellers, has never been demonstrated better than with the implementation of this new initiative.”
This form was developed by ACIL with review by the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center and the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Committee of DABR. With the “Accessibility Features Form”, REALTORS® can now offer a centralized listing of all properties with accessible features & amenities to homebuyers with disabilities. A homeowner wishing to sell can use this checklist as a way to make their home more marketable by listing all the accessible features of their home. The “Accessibility Features Form” can also be used as an educational tool to assist REALTORS® with defining universal specifications for new or existing housing. Lastly, this will be a valuable tool in reaching people with disabilities throughout the United States who may be seeking a property in the Dayton area.
The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center applauded the efforts of DABR in the implementation of the new accessibility form on the MLS. “The Dayton Area Board of REALTORS® is the first Board in the United States to implement this type of outreach to people with disabilities through the MLS structure. People with disabilities have the right to choose from all neighborhoods and all available housing. The ‘Accessibility Features Form’ will give people with disabilities all of the options in homes with accessible features for sale in the Miami Valley,” stated Jim McCarthy, President CEO of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center.
VIDEO: Watch the press conference