9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'm Dr. Gillian Friedman, managing health[br]editor of Ability Magazine, a leading 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 publication addressing health, disability[br]and human potential. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And I'm Max Gail, a subscriber and[br]sometimes contributor to Ability Magazine. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I also volunteer as a director for Ability[br]Awareness, a non-profit organisation that 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is partnered with Habit for Humanity to[br]build accessible homes and to build 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 awareness of the value of volunteering for[br]people with disabilities. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And I've been a volunteer on the Ability[br]House project a number of times, going 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 back to the first one in Birmingham,[br]Alabama back in 1999. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Today there are 56 million people with[br]mental or physical disabilities in America 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The Department of Housing and Urban[br]Development has identified people with 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 disabilities, one of the principle[br]populations experiencing worst-case 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 housing needs. Ability Awareness and[br]Habitat for Humanity address this need 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 through the Ability House project. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Now there are two features that make the[br]Ability House project really unique, the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 first is that the program endorses[br]universal design - that's the strategy for 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 building environments that can be visited[br]by people of all ages and all abilities. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And the second, it specifically involves[br]volunteers with disabilities in all phases 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of construction. You know, to see or work[br]with people with disabilities actually 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 building a house, well that'll wipe out[br]all the stereotypes and myths you might 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 have about people with disabilities.[br]And it helps those volunteers to explore 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and to demonstrate their abilities. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The adage "it's better to give than to[br]receive" is born out in health studies, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 showing that emotional wellbeing, physical[br]health and mental sharpness improve when 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 people join activities where they can give[br]and receive encouragement and learn new 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 skills. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'll test to that. Anyway, the following[br]presentation was shot at an Ability house 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 built in Baltimore, Mariyln. This was[br]documented by the Good Life television 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 network for an episode of their series[br]'Volunteers for the Sake of Others'. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I think you'll enjoy it. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So many people wonder how a blind person[br]can build a house or how a person who uses 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a wheelchair can come and build a house. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Volunteers, many with disabilities and[br]little knowledge of construction have set 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 out to try and build a house in just[br]8 days. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Most of them have never done any kind of[br]construction. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 NARRATOR: Will wet weather dampen their[br]spirits? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We would rather have better weather but[br]we've got a schedule to keep. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 NARRATOR: It will take all of the[br]volunteers working together to complete 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 this house in time. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Everyone can come out and pick up a hammer[br]and we're all on equal ground. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Welcome to Good Life TV Network's[br]'Volunteers for the Sake of Others'. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'm Doris McMillan.[br]People with disabilities are often 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 marginalised by society. An impairment is[br]often seen as a major obstacle to living a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 normal life. Ability Awareness, a[br]non-profit organisation combats this 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 misconception by recruiting people who[br]have disabilities to help construct homes, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 often for people who themselves have a[br]disability. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This time-honoured tradition of[br]volunteering allows those with 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 disabilities to help someone in need. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The Ability house project is a hallmark[br]program of Ability Awareness and was 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 basically started to increase awareness[br]around the issues surrounding people with 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 disabilities, to really bring people with [br]disabilities out and show the community 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 their true skills and their talents, and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 their potential as volunteers, as mentors[br]and as employees. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Volunteering benefits the provider of[br]service, perhaps as much as it does the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 recipient of service, and so when you have[br]someone who is commonly thought of as in 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 need, there is a therapeutic benefit to[br]be derived when those individuals can in 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 fact be the providers of service. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Here, Ability teams with the local chapter[br]of Habitat for Humanity to build a house 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with a few special features. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The Ability House is accessibly designed[br]home, built for someone with a disability 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 by volunteers, many of whom also have[br]disabilities. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 VOLUNTEER: Ready? One, two, three! 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The concept of universal design which[br]means people who have physical impairments 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 are able to get in and out of it with no[br]barriers and so I think this is a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 worthwhile project. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's a big stigma that blind people have[br]to sit and they can't do things and we see 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a lot of people that come through our[br]program that have had people take care of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 them their whole lives and there's no[br]reason for that really. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So often people with disabilities, they[br]aren't looked to as volunteers and every 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 single person has his or her individual[br]level of ability, and so it's just really 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a matter of finding out what that is and[br]utilising them to their fullest potential. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 MAN: Here now, feel that, see what we're[br]gonna do? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Red hats, experienced volunteers, work on[br]securing the roof while a group of blind 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 volunteers help with the house's exterior. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was given four individuals, and I took[br]them aside, gave them a quick lesson on 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 how to operate a screw gun, all I had to[br]do was point to where the screw needed to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 go in, I'd say "follow my finger", they'd[br]find my fingertip, put the screw there and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 screw it in. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Something really clicked with Fred. He was[br]there working with the volunteers 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 patiently working with each one. He was[br]giving of himself and he really sensed 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 what this is all about. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was totally amazed and impressed.[br]To call them disabled is no longer 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 adequate. They are definitely able-bodied[br]with a minor inconvenience. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tom Owens has been blind since the age of[br]11, but involved in carpentry all his life. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Technically I've been doing this stuff[br]since I was about 3. I started working 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with my father when I was 3 years old,[br]everybody in my family has some kind of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 trade type skill. And Romney's a great[br]partner. (Laughs) She likes high places. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I think these guys are doing a great job,