Minneapolis For most families, buying a home is a painstaking process. For Lisa Baron and Scott Dehn, both of whom have cerebral palsy, buying a home that was both affordable and accessible was almost impossible. Fortunately, a partnership between the Courage Center, a rehabilitation and resource center for people with disabilities, and the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, a branch of the Christian housing ministry that provides housing for low-income families, helped turn Lisa and Scott's impossible dream into reality.

Habitat for Humanity has long been designing houses that meet the general accessibility requirements mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act, says Julie Gugin, director of programs and services for Twin Cities Habitat. But Scott and Lisa required more than just wider doors and wheelchair ramps, so Courage Center and Twin Cities Habitat set out to create one of the first Habitat homes with assistive technology features.

“[Habitat] knows about building a house, and we know about making it accessible,” says Peggy Locke, Ph.D., director of assistive technology for Courage Center. “This was going to be a different kind of [Habitat] home, integrating not only accessible features, but also integrating assistive technology to make the homeowners as independent as possible.”

Throughout the house, accommodations range from the common — wider doors — to the common sense. Doors unlock and open by remote control. Windows open and shut with the flip of a switch and will automatically close if it's raining.

An open floor plan allows Lisa and Scott to move freely around the home. There's a roll-in shower in the bathroom, and closets have hooks instead of hangers for clothes. A ceiling-mounted lift and transfer system, provided by Pine Island, N.Y.-based SureHands, is available throughout the house.

Best of all, for the first time, Scott and Lisa will be able to cook — beyond using a microwave — and clean for themselves. The kitchen includes a side-by-side refrigerator with water and ice dispenser. The stove has controls on the front, the oven opens on the side, and the cabinets have pull-down doors. The dishwasher is a Fisher & Paykel drawer model that accommodates the lowered kitchen counters.

And the assistive technology extends to the outside of the house. A local company donated a raised garden, so Lisa and Scott can garden for the first time. In the garage, at the top of a standard wheelchair ramp, a platform has been built so that Scott can get out of his wheelchair and plug his wheelchair in before entering the house.

“My favorite quote of Lisa's is, ‘This is beyond anything we've ever dreamed of,’” Locke says.

“We're building a house for Lisa and Scott, but hopefully also paving the way for other disabled people. We're hoping other Habitats or architects will see this. Our ultimate goal is much bigger than building the house.”

For more information about Habitat for Humanity, visit www.habitat.org. For more information about Courage Center, and to follow the progress on Lisa and Scott's dream house, go to www.courage.org. And, look for Lisa and Scott's Habitat house to be featured on the syndicated PBS television show Hometime. Check your local TV listings for program air dates.