Anixter Village Groundbreaking - Backgrounder

About Anixter Village

·         Anixter Village has 15 units, including nine one-bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments. In accordance with HUD standards, the apartments are designated as low-income housing. While created with modest design and cost containment as priorities, the building nonetheless exceeds ADA and Fair Housing requirements, according to the architect, Fritz Biederman, of Lisec & Biederman, Ltd., Chicago. Biederman has designed more than a half dozen buildings for people with disabilities.

·         Apartment features with maximum accessibility for wheelchair users will be seen throughout, including: lower countertops than found in most residences; a greater amount of pull-out storage space, rather than storage areas behind closed doors; electric ranges, which are safer than gas, with controls at the front of the unit, rather than incorporated into the surface of the range top; oversized bathrooms with side-transfer showers; and wider-than-standard hallways. A wheelchair “track” is a primary feature of the large green area adjacent to the residence. The track, along with a large multipurpose room that also can be used for exercise and social gatherings, will make it convenient for residents to engage in fitness-oriented activities.

·         Anixter Village is located in the heart of the Illinois Medical District, one of the largest districts of its kind in the country. Anixter Village is adjacent to medical care facilities, educational institutions and public transportation.

About spina bifida

·         Spina bifida is an example of a congenital/neurological condition that has lifelong implications. Individuals with spina bifida will undergo multiple surgical procedures beginning the first day of life. Some degree of paralysis in their lower extremities, bladder and bowel incontinence, and learning disabilities are present in most individuals with spina bifida. With the invention of the shunt to treat hydrocephalus in the early 1960s, the mortality rate for spina bifida dropped from 90 percent to less than 10 percent. There are currently 70,000 people in the United States living with spina bifida. For more information, visit the National Spina Bifida Association Web site at www.sbaa.org .

About people with disabilities - housing and other issues

·         Only ten percent of people with disabilities own homes in comparison to 71 percent of those

without disabilities, according to the 2004 National Organization on Disability/Harris Poll and 2000 U.S. Population Census.

·         One-third (34 percent) of adults with disabilities live in households with a total income of $15,000 or less compared to only 12 percent of those without disabilities, according to the 2004 National Organization on Disability/Harris Poll and 2000 U.S. Population Census.

·         More than 54 million Americans live with disabilities, representing an aging population that likely will reach 70 million by 2032. Adding to the need for accessible, affordable housing is the growing number of baby boomers concerned about finding homes they can grow old in, as opposed to moving to nursing homes and retirement communities.

·         For more information about services for people with disabilities in Chicago, visit Anixter Center’s Web site at www.anixter.org.

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The mission of the Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center is to assist people with disabilities to live and work successfully in the community. Anixter Center is a leading provider of high-quality vocational, residential and educational options, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and health care. More than 5,000 individuals a year are served through 70 programs at 35 locations throughout the Chicago area.

Note to reporters and editors: for more information about Anixter Center, please visit our media room at http://www.anixter.org/mediaroom/index.htm.