Luisa Bucci plays with her sister’s dog, Jasper, in a park in 2011. Photo courtesy of Luisa Bucci

Three decades later, Italian-Canadian Luisa Bucci still can’t come to terms with the car accident that left her a paraplegic at the age of 19. With her manual wheelchair, Bucci needs an accessible apartment with a no-step entry, wider doorways and an altered bathroom and kitchen. Her current housing situation is not fully accessible, leaving her with constant safety concerns.

Pat Harris of Spinal Cord Injury BC (SCI BC) says the housing market doesn’t address these needs, and housing requests are the most frequent inquiry to the SCI BC Infoline.

“Many private housing providers simply don’t understand the details of universal design, or don’t have the forethought to build a housing unit that is accessible,” says Harris.

In reaction to this demand, SCI BC launched Accessible Housing BC, an online classified service connecting accessible housing seekers with accessible housing providers who wish to rent or sell properties.

Bucci’s current housing provider is a non-profit organisation that provides affordable housing. When she first moved in, Bucci says the management offered to install an automatic door in the car park so she could bring in her groceries more easily. She says they never followed up on the offer, or responded to her calls and letters requesting alterations to her kitchen. Bucci now feels she doesn’t have a voice and faces double discrimination based on both her disability and income.

“I want to be in a place where people are listened to,” says Bucci.

Esther Ignagni, assistant professor in the School of Disability Studies at Ryerson University in Toronto, says when management ignores a tenant, or doesn’t follow up on their requests, it’s a form of passive discrimination that has an incredible impact on a person’s life.

Ignagni is conducting some of Canada’s first systematic research into disability discrimination complaints in the housing market. Her initial work has revealed long waiting lists for social housing ranging anywhere from one to 12 years.

Bucci waited five years to find her last home. Once she found her current apartment, she felt under pressure to accept it right away. She even paid one month’s rent for both apartments after the new property’s representative said they would give it to someone else if she didn’t move in immediately.

Robin Loxton has spent over 20 years with the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities and says it usually comes down to being first in line. He says it’s very competitive with young students, low income earners and the elderly all seeking affordable housing.

Even if they do get to the front of the line, Loxton says they can be rejected because of their disability. He says landlords generally know what is considered discrimination and have learned how to hide it with reasons such as not accepting a person’s references. This makes offenders hard to pin down.

Robyn Durling from the BC Human Rights Coalition agrees these cases are hard to prove. He points out that landlords in these situations can also be guilty of income discrimination. Many people with a disability don’t have the same capacity to earn as other housing applicants, so they’re rejected on that basis.

Bucci would love to own a dog of her own one day. Photo courtesy of Luisa Bucci

Bucci is on disability benefits and says her options would be greater if she could pay market price for an apartment. She gets email notifications from Accessible Housing BC, but nothing affordable has presented itself.

“Most housing providers and co-operative housing are looking for people with a disability who can pay market rent,” she says.

Ignagni says housing that is both accessible and affordable is rare, forcing those like Bucci to look at rent far above what their assistance allows, and we need to recognise that low income is a reality for many disabled people.

“People can’t just buy their way in to accessible housing,” says Ignagni.

Frustrated and unhappy as she continues to wait for housing, Bucci is pessimistic about her chances of finding a new apartment and says we aren’t making any progress in this area.

“Accessibility and housing are serious and real issues for people with physical disability, and I feel they are not being dealt [with] by the government and/or any organisation,” she says.