Several months ago, our dog Rocky became ill so I took him to the Veterinarian in Rocklin, California. While waiting for his test results, I struck up a conversation with a woman who was a mother of a Asperger male adult who was nearing the end of his second year at The University of San Diego.
I was so interested in what she had to say that I was glued to my seat and wanted to know everything that had taken place over the past two years. She started out by saying that his first year as a freshman was very difficult due to him living at the on-campus dorms.
She went on to say, that her son was so overwhelmed by the day-to-day chaos of living in the dormitory that she was fearful that her son would not go on to graduate. She stated that they spoke on the phone everyday and helped coach her son to focus on school versus the dorm.
The following summer, she and her son put together a Roommate Wanted Ad and posted it in the Campus Newspaper and Administrative Office. Two sophomore males answered the ad and the three of them moved into an Apartment close to Campus.
She stated that at first everything was running smoothly but as time went by, the other two roommates became close friends and would often venture out without including or inviting her son to join them. At the end of year two, she had new fears of her son being isolated, having his feelings hurt, and possible depression.
My dog was ready to go home so I said good bye and thanked her for sharing her story with me. On the way home, I could not stop thinking about what she had said and I was in tears. I thought myself ... how could two young adults be so cruel?
But, the more I started to think about it, the more it started to make sense from a reality standpoint. Looking back on all of my childhood and adult memories her son's experience rang near. Whenever I got together with two other girls, the samething always happened. The two would hook up and would not include me.
So, once again I started to think about "Three-Packs." A term the government uses to describe a living situation that they feel is ideal coupled with financial reasons as a living arrangement for people with Autism and disabilities.
And, once again I have to say that this is not the right solution. Two is company and three is definitely a crowd. As far as an ideal design, a two-bedroom Master Suite Apartment, Townhouse, Condo, Modular, and Cottage would be ideal.
I would have the two-bedroom Suites share a common kitchen and living room or great room and have the bedrooms placed on opposite sides with full bathrooms and sitting areas. Making every effort possible to allow room for privacy and personal space.
If you are designing a Model, base your architectural design on two maximum capacity and Studios or one bedrooms for those who simply prefer to live on their own. People with disabilities are no different than those who are not disabled or have special needs!
