Cedar Falls, Iowa (June 8, 2015)—Nine-year-old Natalie Olsen and her family will be the beneficiaries of new home accessibility equipment to be installed at their home in Cedar Falls. The home modification will take place Wednesday, June 17, and is part of Access Day USA, a nationwide campaign, championed by nonprofit Evergreen Life Access, to promote safe home access for people with a physical limitation who are in need.
At the age of two, Natalie was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy—a genetic neuromuscular disease characterized by muscle atrophy and weakness. The new equipment will provide safe and independent access to her home and to the backyard, where she loves to swing and play with her younger brothers, Isaiah and Andrew.
“The new ramps will give her options,” said Annie Olsen, Natalie’s mother. “It will give Natalie a choice and the dignity of choosing. Right now, she has one way in and out unless she wants to crawl or wait for one of us to help her. There’s a lot of logistics and I don’t think there should be logistics when wanting to go outside and play.”
The equipment and installation were donated by VGM Group, Inc. employee owners on behalf of VGM Heartland Conference, as part of the launch of Access Day USA. Charter sponsors of Access Day USA nationwide events are EZ-ACCESS and VGM.
“It has been an honor to help plan the first Access Day USA and to have the campaign launch in the Cedar Valley during VGM’s annual Heartland Conference,” said Christa Miehe, vice president of strategic projects for VGM. “We are proud to set the precedent as home medical equipment providers across the nation begin planning Access Day USA in their own communities.”
Access Day USA was created to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and has been publicly endorsed by the ADA’s author, former Sen. Tom Harkin. Other public endorsements include proclamation signings making June 17, 2015, Access Day USA by Gov. Terry Branstad, Cedar Falls Mayor Jon Crews and Waterloo Mayor Buck Clark.
As planning continues for the installation at the Olsens' home, Dan Olsen said, “Annie and I are so excited to watch Natalie fly out to the backyard from the deck with her brothers for the very first time. Thank you for that.”
For more information about Access Day USA, visit accessdayusa.com and follow on Facebook at Access Day USA.
