Habitat for Humanity home is first that will be built handicap-accessible

A mother won't have to carry her son up and down the stairs in their new home.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Vicky Walker, a single mother of three living in government-subsidized housing, has a problem with her youngest, 5-year-old Daniel Walker.
Because Daniel was born with a decompressed brain stem, he uses a walker -- when he's able to get around by himself.
It's because of Daniel's disability that the Walker family will be the recipients of the first Habitat for Humanity home in Trumbull County that was built to be handicap-accessible. Other Habitat homes have been remodeled to be handicap-accessible.
The ranch-style house will be built on Kenmore Avenue behind the Elm Road Plaza in Howland.
The Walker family lives in a two-story townhouse on Lancer Court on the city's West Side. The bedrooms and bathroom are on the second floor.
"I'll be happy I won't have to carry him up and down the stairs," Walker said in anticipation of her new home.
The Walkers' new home will be the 28th house built by Habitat in Trumbull County since 1976.
Needed surgery
Daniel was diagnosed at age 2 with Chairi Malformation Type 11. Before his surgery, he couldn't crawl, walk, talk or do anything a healthy 2-year-old could do, his mother explained.
Walker said that after the surgery and at 31/2 years old, Daniel learned to walk with the help of leg braces, but he tires easily and has shortness of breath.
Daniel can comprehend what's said as well as any other 5-year-old, but his verbal skills are that of an 18-month-old. He attends Fairhaven Preschool, where he is learning signs and teachers are working to improve his verbal spills.
Walker can't work outside the home because Daniel doesn't always go to school. He sometimes can't walk, gets headaches and doesn't sleep very well. Also, baby sitters for the disabled are difficult to find.
The only family income is Daniel's Social Security disability benefits.
Walker said her other two children -- Chad Summers, 9, and Caitlyn Summers, 7 -- are learning to sign very quickly, but the adults are having trouble catching on.
"We don't know if Daniel's condition will improve," Walker said.
Habitat projects
"We don't have enough hands for the people who need help," said Patricia Currie, office assistant for Habitat's Warren office, noting the nonprofit group is trying to finish construction of two other houses in Trumbull County.
So far, she explained, volunteers have been clearing the Kenmore property of wood debris. Walker said construction should begin in about three weeks, but the completion time is uncertain because it depends on the number of volunteers and donated material.
Currie explained that Walker "has a lot of people lined up" to help with construction, including one who's in the construction business.
The husband of one of Daniel's therapists is a bricklayer.
"We're fascinated and pleased with that," Currie said.
The house isn't free, Walker said. She will have a mortgage, the amount depending on what materials Habitat has to buy.
The process to get approved for a Habitat home has taken since early 2005 when Walker and her mother attended an informational meeting on the program.
It was a yearlong process, Walker explained, as Habitat performed a background check and verified that Daniel is disabled.
yovich@vindy.com