Reston Duo Documents Area Wheelchair Accessibility

Reston Duo Documents Area Wheelchair Accessibility

By Sabrina Enayatulla - Observer Staff Writer

On Thursday, Oct. 20, the American Association of University Women will present a documentary on home modification presented by Rolling Productions.

Neel Ellis and Fatima Miller, who produced, wrote and directed the film, created Rolling Productions to educate the public about issues surrounding the affordability and accessibility of homes in Northern Virginia for wheelchair-users.

But Ellis and Miller put more than just time and effort into the documentary. Their first project is full of heart, their personal experiences and the frustrations of finding adequate housing in the rapidly growing area.

Ellis and Miller live in the Hunters Woods Fellowship House and both are wheelchair-users. But things have not always been the way they are today.

Miller, who has a master's degree in applied behavior counseling from Johns Hopkins University, used to be an artist. She even drew a portrait for Washington Redskin hall of famer Charley Taylor.

"That was before the MS," Miller said. "It affects the hands."

Miller was a healthy 24-year-old when she began experiencing symptoms, which doctors were unable to diagnose immediately.

"You're fine, then something starts to feel wrong," Miller said. "Your life can change in an instant."

Miller grew up in Chester, Pa. and studied psychology at Cheyney State University. She moved to Reston in 1981 to look for work.

"There was a freeze in the counseling field in 1994," she said. "That's when I decided to go back to school."

Miller said she began feeling something in her body, which she could not describe. Miller said she did not realize the severity of her symptoms until she woke up one day and was completely blind in one eye.

It was then that doctors were able to connect the dots and diagnose her properly. In 1997, she was told she has Multiple Sclerosis.

At the time, Miller was married, but shortly after, she said her husband filed for divorce.

"The relationship failure rate with MS is very high," she said. "About 86 percent. The other individuals just don't know what's going on inside of you."

Since her diagnosis, Miller has regained most of her eyesight, though she went from a cane to a wheelchair.

"I was still walking at work with a cane," Miller said. "But after a while, you just can't do it anymore."

Ellis was also diagnosed with MS in his adulthood. The later onset of the disease makes its affects life changing.

Ellis grew up in rural Kansas. He attended Wichita State University where he studied photography and theater. He went on to graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he received his masters in musicology.

Ellis moved to Reston in 1980. Ten years later, Ellis began showing symptoms of the debilitating disease.

"I started to work my way down the corporate ladder," Ellis joked. Ellis, who once owned three homes, said his affluent lifestyle turned to destitution, as he was unable to work.

Ellis was diagnosed within a few years of his symptoms appearing and said he soon became penniless and fell deep in debt. Both Miller and Ellis have progressive MS.

"We're the hidden homeless," Ellis said. "We don't live in shelters and we're not on the street, but we have no where to go."

Multiple Sclerosis is thought to be an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, which consists of the brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves. The various symptoms of MS can include vision problems, spasticity, bladder dysfunction, fatigue, difficulty walking, pain, dizziness and vertigo.

Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. Approximately 400,000 Americans acknowledge having MS, and every week about 200 people are diagnosed. Worldwide, MS may affect up to 2.5 million individuals.

Ellis and Miller met in 1999. Their similar backgrounds and love for the arts soon gave birth to Rolling Productions.

"There's no cure for the disease," Miller said. "So what do you do? Start a production company."

Ellis said their joint skills were "transferable" so getting the company going wasn't a problem. So far, Ellis said the non-profit company has only experienced monetary hardships.

Ellis and Miller are part of the CHOICE program, a coalition, which offers housing opportunity for people whose homes need modification for any reason. The Department of Labor gave CHOICE a grant, which allowed them to modify eight homes in Northern Virginia.

Most home are not accessible for wheelchair-users, though Ellis said new laws state that condominium style homes are required to be.

"What about aging in your own home?" Miller asked. "What happens when stairs start to become difficult?"

Ellis said many homeowners associations are often times more concerned with what is aesthetically pleasing to homeowners over the needs of those who own the homes. He said adding a wheelchair ramp to the outside of your home could cause quite a stir in some neighborhoods. Ellis said a wider entrance to the house and a bathroom on the main level of a home can make all the difference.

Even in most homes, a single step would make entering a home a difficult task for someone in a wheelchair.

Ellis and Miller said they were not prepared for what happened to them, which is why they have presented the lack of housing availability issue to the government on local, state and national levels.

Both praised Supervisor Cathy Hudgins on her responsiveness and concern but Ellis said the reality was that "disabilities come quickly and solutions take time."

Miller and Ellis, who live at the Hunters Woods Fellowship House, said for as much research as they have done on housing, they could only find the 500-square-foot apartments in the senior's housing facility in which they currently live.

"That says a lot," Ellis said.

Ellis and Miller said they hope the documentary will increase public awareness on the issue of housing and build a foundation for change.

"If you can change the perception of the public, you can change the focus and actions of politicians to make change," Ellis said, "When the public knows, they yell for change."

The documentary can be seen in the Rose Gallery at Reston Community Center on Oct. 20.