Changemaker: Desiree Kameka Galloway
Desiree’s passion for working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) dates to her college years, when she facilitated peer mentorship programs at the University of Miami Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. That’s when she first learned that teens with I/DD often graduate from high school onto the couch, losing social connections and educational services that offered much of the meaningful daily opportunities throughout their life.
“I remember I was so excited for the young men who were part of my program and preparing to graduate high school and I wanted to celebrate with them,” recalled Desiree. “But their parents were terrified. They had no idea what they were going to do.”
These formative experiences led Desiree to pursue a master’s in theological studies from the Wesley Theological Seminary focused on the cross-section of theology and disability. As a seminarian, she served an internship at the Madison House Autism Foundation, where she was tasked with exploring gaps in lifespan supports for autistic adults. As she settled in Washington, D.C., Desiree lived with a group of other seminary students who shared a goal of building an intentional community with each other.
“As I became part of this intentional community and I did this research for Madison House, I thought, ‘there’s really not a lot of housing options or intentional communities for this population.’ I began to wonder what would happen when these young people I had been working with grew up, and where adults with I/DD are supposed to live when their caregivers pass away or can no longer support them. All I could find were group homes and adult foster care, and I just felt like there had to be better options.”
Desiree’s research for Madison House led her to travel throughout the country, and later the world, exploring more than 150 housing communities for individuals with I/DD. She placed an emphasis on in-person site visits because they allowed for the opportunity to talk to the residents and hear firsthand their thoughts on the communities where they lived. This research was the genesis of The Autism Housing Network (autismhousingnetwork.org), a central hub of housing information, developer tools, and resources to build more neuro- inclusive communities.
“I don’t come from the housing world, and I didn’t go to college for housing,” Desiree explained. “My passion began with this population. But I very quickly realized that my calling in life was to make sure every person with an intellectual or developmental disability has housing where they feel affirmed, safe, and can be connected to their greater community.”
Today, as Desiree continues to serve as the Director of the Autism Housing Network, she provides consulting, advocacy, and research services to individuals, housing developers, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders with an interest in neuro-inclusive housing. “Neuro-inclusive housing” is a term that refers to housing or a set-aside of units that accommodates the various needs of individuals with I/DD, but also includes units for neurotypical residents. Desiree’s firm, Neuro-Inclusive Housing Solutions, is based in Colorado, where she moved in 2014 after marrying her husband who operates a ranch in Elizabeth that provides occupational therapy for individuals with I/DD.
In 2020, the Autism Housing Network partnered with Developmental Pathways, a Case Management Agency in Aurora that provides funding for services to children and adults with I/DD. Desiree was recruited to perform a market analysis on neuro-inclusive housing needs in Douglas and Arapahoe Counties. Shortly thereafter, she prepared a similar analysis for Denver Human Services and The Laradon Foundation. She credits these studies with helping her develop a process and framework for analyzing housing options in each community including needs, gaps, and potential solutions. She continues to perform similar studies for communities across the United States.
“We want to have data-driven solutions,” she said. “So much in the disability world is based on theory, and it’s very important to me that we are spending our very precious and limited time and energy on housing solutions that people with I/DD actually want, and that have a real impact.”
I very quickly realized that my calling in life was to make sure every person with an intellectual or developmental disability has housing where they feel affirmed, safe, and can be connected to their greater community.
Desiree is co-author and co-editor of A Place in the World: Fueling Housing and Community Options for Autistic Adults and Others with Neurodiversities, a resource to bridge the disconnect between the housing world and service delivery, and to establish a shared language between the two industries. She views the site as a foundation for much of her research that has followed. It is available online at aplaceintheworld.org.
“It’s almost like a glossary or a guide, and it includes examples of properties across the country,” she explained. “For a service provider or a group of parents to be able to describe what they want to a housing developer in the language of a housing developer. To speak the same language when sitting around the table—that is huge.” She is quick to reiterate that developers interested in neuro-inclusive housing don’t need their housing to conform to a formal certification, program, or designation. All that is needed is a willingness to include and accommodate adults with I/DD, and to offer housing with those accommodations at an affordable price.
“When we talk about disability in housing, people often see in their mind a wheelchair and physical accessibility needs,” Desiree explained. “For this population, a large percentage instead have cognitive accessibility needs. These include things that neurotypical folks will appreciate too, like easy-to-clean surfaces, smart home readiness, and extra safety and security options.”
A component that is just as integral to effective neuro-inclusive housing solutions is intentional community.
“Isolation and loneliness are huge challenges,” she said. “Partnerships with service-providing agencies or community organizations that can help foster neurodiverse relationships with the broader community are crucial.”
Desiree co-authored the CHFA Neuro-Inclusive Housing white paper and serves on the consultant team that supports CHFA’s Small-scale Housing Technical Assistance program, where her expertise has benefited projects throughout the state seeking to provide neuro-inclusive housing options. She says that while a lot of work remains to meet Colorado’s neuro- inclusive housing needs, she’s optimistic about the future.
“All the pieces already exist! We have the service providers, we have affordable housing developers, we have the community-based organizations that are passionate about this population,” she said with enthusiasm. “It’s all about bringing those people together so that we can ensure that the I/DD population is no longer left out.”