(Photo courtesy of FHC)
Daniel Black, a man with dwarfism, has settled his lawsuit after a five-year struggle against Capital Commons Apartments and First Housing Corporation in Lansing.
Black requested his federally subsidized apartment be outfitted with a roll-in shower to accommodate his disability. He asked management at Capital Commons to replace the bathtub that was increasingly dangerous for him to use. He also requested the building install an accessible electric entrance door so that he, other seniors, and people with disabilities could freely come and go without assistance from their accessible apartments.
With no progress on his request, Black contacted the Fair Housing Center of Southeast & Mid-Michigan (FHC). During the summer of 2022, FHC staff wrote letters, spoke with representatives, including their attorney, met with Capital Commons staff, and brought in the local housing inspector in an effort to resolve the complaint with Capital Commons and management company First Housing.
“Each time we made a request on behalf of Daniel Black, the landlord and corporate management had another reason for denying and delaying the accommodation,” said Niki Green, coordinator of Investigations and Legal Research for FHC.
According to Black, “I was tired of contorting myself to get over the side of the bathtub. It was dangerous, especially since I had already endured four back surgeries to relieve spinal pain.
“I have extensive metal hardware in my spine that severely limits my mobility. I wasn’t seeking anything unreasonable. I needed a reasonable modification to my ground floor accessible apartment. I wanted what everyone else had, access to their bathing and showering facilities.”
Under the Federal Fair Housing Act, it is unlawful to refuse to permit a reasonable modification of a dwelling occupied by a person with a disability if that modification “may be necessary to afford such person full enjoyment of the premises. ...”
For those in West Michigan, the Fair Housing Center of Southwest Michigan, serving nine counties, can be reached at https://www.fhcswm.org.
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