
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, July 23, 1995                   TAG: 9507250015
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: WILLIAM GREENBERG
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

APARTMENT EMPLOYEES SHOW COMPASSION

My 20-year-old son is mentally handicapped, and in an earlier era would have spent his adult life in a group home, where his living needs could be met. A more progressive approach, however, adopted in principle by the state and fostered by the New River Valley Supported Living Council, is placement of virtually all handicapped individuals in a fully integrated setting, delivering the necessary support services directly to their homes. Not only is this strategy cost effective, but it returns to the handicapped the dignity of choosing a lifestyle and location from the full range of choices available to normal individuals.

Or so it is supposed to be. My son first applied for housing with an apartment complex on the north side of Blacksburg. Imagine our shock when the application was rejected because of his disability. Pointing out that this was a gross violation of the the Fair Housing Act succeeded only in eliciting a counter offer to reconsider the application if we would sign extended liability forms and provide my son's full medical records. Since this request merely extended the discrimination, we rejected it.

The next step was fortuitous: a visit to Foxridge Apartments, owned by Snyder-Hunt Corp. What a difference! Every employee leaned over to provide all possible acceptance. There was not the least hint of discrimination. Even the Hethwood Foundation stepped in, volunteering to suspend some normal regulations to ease the transition of the disabled young man into apartment living.

While one might hope to encounter a compassionate and principled individual on occasion, when every employee of a firm behaves so morally, this can only be the result of forceful and enlightened direction. Harry Hunt, president of Snyder-Hunt, and his wife have long been active in matters affecting the handicapped, and I must believe it is their outlook which is reflected in the Foxridge and Hethwood office staff.

I never met Harry or Maryellen Hunt. I would like to some day, though, to shake their hands.

William Greenberg is a professor at Virginia Tech and also works with the New River Valley Supported Living Council. The council encourages the placement of handicapped individuals in independent and supported living environments. For information, call 552-0090.

by CNB