Ramp it up: Accessibility of dwellings in El Paso, Texas between 1996 and 2005

Persons using wheelchairs or other assistive aids for mobility often have limited opportunities to fully participate within their communities. Due to misinformation/poor training/ignorance, insufficient barrier free housing exists. A previous study of accessibility completed in 1996 (City of El Paso, 1996), reported that there were no fully accessible multifamily dwellings that complied with the Fair Housing Act (FHA) requirements in El Paso, TX. This study measured compliance in the same area ten years later and used diffusion theory (Rogers, 2003) to determine the reasons for change.; These factors are relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trailability and observability. The first phase of the research employed a quantitative written survey of apartment accessibility and a building data sheet. The second phase of the research was qualitative using a semi structured interview of apartment managers and a field test of the apartments. The quantitative method was used to develop a usable apartment accessibility checklist. The qualitative portion was chosen to determine the reasons for the adoption of accessibility based on the diffusion of innovation theory. The factors of diffusion were compared to the degree of accessibility using GIS mapping to determine if there was a correlation between these factors. The results of this study showed and increase of accessibility of apartments in El Paso, TX. Of the population of 75 apartments, 26 responded to the survey and 73% reported that they were accessible with the remaining reporting they were partially accessible with a small portion not completing the survey. Of the apartments that were compliant, the majority of the apartment managers reported that they had some experience with accessible housing. The second significant factor when comparing the building data sheet with the compliance score was that most of the apartment managers listed that attending a seminar was their primary educational source for information about the FHA. Almost ten years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act the diffusion of accessibility of apartments in El Paso has increased based on compatibility and complexity of the innovation.