Home remodeling considerations for veterans with disabilities

Veterans with physical and mental disabilities can experience various difficulties in their old houses. Coming from the war and a period of great sacrifice, they might develop special needs that the format of their original homes might not suitably fulfill. Remodeling and other housing options might need to be considered to make sure that veterans’ needs and comfort are accommodated.

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One can get help and funding from various local and national agencies to finance those modifications. There are also a number of non-profit organizations that can be tapped. Legally, people with disabilities have the right to make alterations to their home to make maneuvering more manageable or to ensure their safety. The same goes for renters who have conditions that necessitate such arrangements. The legal dimensions of such changes must also be verified. 

The amount of renovations will all depend on individual needs, but there are basic areas of the house that need immediate attention. Doorways and entryways should be large enough to facilitate maneuverability. Considering the mobility of the veteran and the level of disability, stairs might also pose challenges. The necessity of ramps and lifts can be reviewed as well. Handrails should be installed in sections where the veteran resident might require them.

Doorknobs, switches, and other regular home fixtures can be adjusted for accessibility. If there is enough budget for smart technology for lighting and other movement sensors that could facilitate movement for veterans with disabilities, that could be an ideal way to solve usual operations which now might be harder to perform. Safety is key for those with special needs, so hazards and possible impediments on the floor and other places must be removed.

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Meredith Iler founded The Wounded Hero Home Program, which delivers home improvement and housing solutions to veterans moving into their homes. Its fundraising campaign, Helping a Hero, succeeded in providing more than 100 homes for veteran soldiers wounded on duty. To know more about her advocacies, visit this page.

A history lesson on Veterans Day

On the 11th of November every year, the U.S. honors and celebrates its military veterans. When did the U.S. holiday begin?

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World War I, dubbed back then as “The Great War,” officially ended on June 28, 1919, when the Treaty of Versailles was signed. But months before the treaty was signed, fighting had already stopped. A ceasefire or armistice between the Allied nations and the Axis Powers occurred on 1918’s eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. 

On the same day in 1919, U.S President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the date as Armistice Day, calling on the nation to commemorate the conclusion of “the war to end all wars.” 

However, around two decades after, World War II erupted, the war which saw the U.S. mobilize the highest 16 million members of the military, its highest deployment in history. Years after the Second World War ended, various veterans’ service organizations lobbied to the Congress to make a change on the holiday and replace the word “Armistice” with “Veterans.” The idea behind the change was to expand the holiday to celebrate all war veterans, and not just those who served during WWI. 

On June 1, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Congress’s amendment, renaming the holiday Veterans Day.

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Meredith Iler supports veterans through The Wounded Hero Program, an organization she founded that seeks to provide homes to wounded veteran soldiers. Read more about it here.

Understanding the heart behind Helping a Hero

Soldiers deployed during the War on Terror have a higher chance of survival compared to those during the Vietnam War thanks to advances in technology and medicine. However, there are still many soldiers who return home from the battlefield due to being injured while on duty.

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Most of the injuries sustained by veterans were from improvised explosive devices (IED). Despite the improved armor, head and limb injuries are common as one explosive device aimed at a vehicle are meant to harm the group of people inside it. Most of the injuries have caused physical and emotional trauma. In many cases, amputation was seen as the last resort to save these soldiers' lives. 

The heart behind Helping a Hero is to help veterans reintegrate into a community by giving them and their families a home. Veterans who were injured in combat need further treatments and sometimes need assistance with their mobility. The homes provided by the charity to these modern heroes were designed to help them move freely around their own home. 

The support doesn't stop after giving these veterans a home. Helping a Hero also helps couples and families reconnect through retreats, events, and other recreational activities. Risking one's life for the country is never an easy decision, and these people deserve to be rewarded for their service.

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Meredith Iler founded The Wounded Hero Home Program in 2005. The program delivers home improvement and housing solutions to veterans moving into their homes. Its fundraising campaign, Helping a Hero, has enjoyed success in recent years through collaborating with public officials and businesses, providing more than 100 specialized homes for veteran soldiers wounded on duty. Visit this page for more information.