Community Action Serves Middletown Veteran with Mobility Modifications

Mr. Dean enjoys sitting on his repaired porch
with a new wheelchair ramp that allows him
to leave the house.

Imagine being confined to your home for over two years with trips being limited only to the doctor or hospital. Think about not being able to visit with neighbors, smell the flowers in the front yard or make trips to the grocery store. This is a reality for too many disabled, low-income people, and is exactly what Mr. Dean of Middletwon was experiencing.



Mr. Dean was encouraged to contact Supports to Encourage Low-income Families (SELF), his local Community Action Agency, by his grown children, who did not have the financial or physical ability to build a wheelchair ramp and make their father's home safer. After two years of confinement to his home, they worried about their father's safety, health and well-being. It was obvious that Mr. Dean did not want to ask for help during his first appointment. His intake paperwork simply read "I have a wheelchair and I have a modified van, I just need help to get me off my porch."

Thanks to the support of SELF's Group Workcamps and Home Repair Project, Mr. Dean received a new wheelchair ramp and other mobility improvements like railings, handles, and wider doorway openings. All work was done free of charge thanks to donations for supplies and free volunteer labor from supporters.

Now Mr. Dean can safely enter and leave his home without worry, it has completely changed the quality of his life. This new found freedom to leave the house moved this stoic Korean Veteran to tears. He loves to go out into the yard and smell the roses. His children are happy that he can stay in his home and easily get to appointments independently.

Mr. Dean's home with a new wheelchair ramp and landscaping