This benefits not just people with disabilities, but their new neighbors. "For the people who know them as neighbors, the stigma or feeling of discomfort sort of fades away," he says. "There's a benefit for being seen for who you are, as a person with multi-facets. There's also the opportunity for people to live and work and make contributions as taxpayers."
Mandeville notes that the group has helped 1,210 people with disabilities buy homes around the state, including 263 in Dane County, all of whom pay property taxes. Movin' Out also operates some rental units, including 97 in Dane County.
One approach that has worked well is to buy a few condo units scattered around a larger development. "There isn't any real practical reason to organize big bunches of people with disabilities together," Mandeville says.
Movin' Out was founded in 1992 by a group of parents whose children had disabilities. They didn't want their kids, as they aged, living in group homes, so they founded the organization to find alternative housing. It has blossomed further under Mandeville's leadership.
Sadly, the model hasn't spread to other cities around the country. "We really see the merit of dispersion," Mandeville says. "If people have a couple of neighbors with disabilities, that's really different than living next to an apartment with 16 people with disabilities. People are less stigmatized by their disability."
