Anita's Granny Flat

I’m currently trying to assist an elderly lady who's dream is to build a granny flat for her adult age son and daughter who both have profound disabilities.

Anita has recently become a home owner after renting long term, and aims to realize her goal of transitioning her kids into self-contained independent living. Her plan is to set them up in a granny flat with 2 bedrooms, a small kitchen, a bathroom, and wheelchair access.

Aaron (38) has profound autism, OCD, epilepsy, anxiety and an intellectual disability which limits his mental capacity to that of a 6 or 7 year old. He suffers from dyspraxia, which meant he needed years of speech and sign therapy to teach him basic communication skills. Aaron was also born with a tri lateral cleft palate and bi lateral cleft lip, for which he has had multiple surgeries. He works at supported employment and has done for 8 years. 

Rachel (44) has celebral palsy, intellectual disability, severe tunnel vision and is wheelchair bound. She requires 24/7 support (going to the toilet, showering, dressing, eating, drinking etc) and cannot be left alone. She also has epilepsy and has daily seizures, during which she often falls and ends up with bruises and fractures. Rachel gets pneumonia regularly due to a life threatening disease called advanced bronchiectasis, which affects lung function and puts immense strain on her heart. 

Anita has raised and cared for these 2 on her own for quite some time which is a very physically and mentally draining task. I think she’s very aware (and nervous) that they will one day have to fend for themselves, hence the goal of transitioning them into self-contained independent living.

I think it’s worth noting that Anita is a complete stranger and hasn’t asked for any sort of help or assistance. After hearing her story I just thought I’d reach out to everyone - knowing that we have the capacity to make a big difference here, and what means very little to us could mean so much to them.