Hey -- I'm Ash Brittenham and I'm a 19 year old guy living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. I've been driving a power wheelchair (a cool one) to get around since I was eight. I just moved to North Carolina last year from Vermont for the better wheelchair driving weather (read: NO SNOW).  But I've had a lot of trouble finding accessible affordable housing. Many apartment buildings listed as accessible simply aren't, even though we all know about the Fair Housing Act and the ADA. We've been renting a tiny place that just doesn't work.

Also I'm a student - doing audio production online through Full Sail University thanks to Voc Rehab help, so my money is really tight. And, dread, I'm still living with my mom cuz I just cant find a place to live that I can get into and take a shower. I've looked everywhere. I am on wait lists and local agencies are out of ideas. Medicaid is useless. 

Anyhow, my mom's boyfriend just bought a house for us, but they sunk all their cash into just getting it, and I 'm needing to get a ramp on it.

I'm fundraising to buy a steel ramp which I will take with me to my next place - hopefully my own apartment in Charlotte. Its gotta be real long cuz as you can see in the photos the doors are pretty high. But once inside, I am golden. 

There are so many barriers to independence for a person like me. This year has been a real eye-opener. I'm really pretty angry about how impossible the world makes things for us. This summer I marched with 800 disability rights activists through the streets of Washington DC. The chants are pretty obnoxious, but the message is clear. OUR HOMES NOT NURSING HOMES. 

I am not giving up! But I do need a little help right now. Thank you for thinking about it. I really appreciate any help I can get.