HOUSING FOR THE PHYSICALLY DISABLED: A PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS

This dissertation examines federal housing policies and programs designed to meet the housing needs of physically disabled persons. Underlying this analysis is the belief that policy makers have favorably responded to the emotional appeal of a politically sympathetic interest group. Policy makers have failed to scrutinize and evaluate policy decisions based on critical analysis of objective information. Therefore, HUD, like many other federal agencies, has established policies and implemented programs which have been based on an emotional response to a special interest group. Therefore, the two major questions which the dissertation attempts to answer are: To what extent have HUD's housing policies for the disabled been influenced by interest group politics and what type of housing do the disabled want?;The dissertation's major findings are: (1) public housing policy for the physically disabled was based on an emotional response to a highly visible special interest group; (2) physically disabled persons sampled preferred housing which would provide for mobility and accessibility; (3) physically disabled persons living in a housing project which provides special housing amenities were more apt to prefer these amenities than individuals who lived in conventional housing; (4) it also suggests that existing federal housing programs for the physically disabled are an ineffective and costly means for providing special housing.;The research methods employed for the dissertation are based on a pilot housing preference survey, an analysis of federally sponsored HUD policies and programs, and a review of relevant literature. In order to determine what characteristics of the housing environment are most desired by physically disabled persons, a housing preference survey was conducted in Seattle. The sample was chosen from among a universe of disabled persons whose impairments severely restricted their mobility. More than half of these individuals lived in conventional housing located throughout Seattle SMSA and the remainder lived in the Center Park housing project. Although the sample was not selected randomly and may not be truly representative of Seattle's disabled population. They were representative of physically disabled persons who could not carry out activities without the use of special aids like a wheelchair or crutches.