10/20/2026
7 homeowners said the quiet part out loud: home stops being home when someone else controls it.
In the study by David Hagner, Judith Snow, and Jay Klein, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities described what homeownership meant to them.
Their answers were practical.
They wanted a say in the neighborhood.
A say in who lived with them.
A say in how rooms were used.
A say in pets, gardens, hobbies, guests, routines, repairs, and privacy.
One participant valued being able to decide who came through the door. Another wanted space for a garden. Another wanted control over repairs instead of waiting on a landlord. Another wanted a home arranged around daily life, not around someone else's convenience.
These aren't extras.
They are the ordinary decisions that make a place feel like yours.
Too often, adults with IDD get offered a housing option that comes with hidden limits: where to live, who to live with, what support looks like, how money gets managed, what choices are considered “realistic.”
That isn't independence. It's a new version of someone else holding the keys.
At Front Porch Cohousing, we believe neuro-inclusive neighborhoods must be built around person-centered choice from the start. Adults with and without IDD should be able to live as neighbors, shape their homes, build relationships, and make everyday decisions with the right support around them.
Because dignity lives in the details.
The bedroom. The porch. The roommate. The morning routine. The garden. The front door.
Help us build neighborhoods where adults with IDD have real say in the lives they are creating.
What choice would you protect first in an inclusive community?
Read the study here: https://www.academia.edu/23085203/Meaning_of_Homeownership_for_Individuals_With_Developmental_Disabilities_A_Qualitative_Study?auto=download
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