LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada’s first housing community designed specifically for people who are blind or have low vision is welcoming its first residents. Visions Park, a 99-unit affordable housing project, is located just north of downtown Las Vegas near Cashman Field.
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Built from the ground up
Visions Park is not a standard accessible apartment complex. The Blind Center of Nevada built the community from the ground up, with every element — architecture, layout, lighting, flooring, and appliances — designed to support residents who are blind or have low vision. Features include audio-tactile walkways, appliances with tactile cues, Braille identification, full-size washers and dryers in every unit, and ADA-accessible design throughout.
A donor contributed approximately $1 million to furnish each unit. Every apartment includes a couch, desk, television, queen-size bed, and bedding.
‘The first of its kind in the country’
Todd Imholte, president and CEO of the Blind Center of Nevada, said the project originated after the organization asked its clients what their biggest challenge was. The answer was affordable housing.
“It’s really the first of its kind in the country, and the beauty of this is that the whole community got together to be able to produce something like this that’s never been done,” Imholte said.
Imholte said the need was significant. A waiting list at a nearby affordable housing project called Archie Grant had 2,300 people, including 35 who were blind. The Las Vegas Housing Authority advised the Blind Center that building its own project would give blind residents a better chance at safe, affordable housing.
“The people we’re serving that are given a Social Security check before Visions Park — they’re living, couch surfing at a friend’s house. They’ve got three, four people in a two-bedroom place. Some of them are homeless,” Imholte said. “Dignity is what we’re offering in a community.”
Imholte also noted that nationally, people who are blind face a 70% unemployment rate. He said plans are underway for a future Visions Park 2 in the area.
First residents move in
Amber Sorenson went blind in 2007 from glaucoma. After the owner of the home she was renting decided to sell, she was left without stable housing.
“So at that point I had to sofa surf. I sent my youngest to Reno with his brother and my daughter moved out. So I was going from my sisters to my best friends,” Sorenson said.
Sorenson was the first resident to move into Visions Park.
“I started crying because I was happy. Like it’s beautiful. It’s brand new location,” she said.
Pasa Chidthai has been losing vision over the last five years due to severe glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. He also has a lower limb amputation.
“They have bars and benches in the shower. I mean, it’s just, in my mind, I thought it was just designed specifically for me. I know it wasn’t, but I mean, it’s everything that I look for in a place to live,” Chidthai said.
Location and services
Visions Park is located next to the Blind Center of Nevada’s main campus, reducing transportation time and cost for residents. The community also offers on-site supportive services. The official grand opening is set for Aug. 27.
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