In November of 2002, Sullivan was contracted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) to conduct a series of workshops and seminars. Bill Ulmer, Sr. Project manager explained that the workshop series, will take place in various locations throughout the U.S., and is set to kick off in early in 2003. Bill said,” The first of these will include a HUD/ONAP second round of “Special Needs Housing Workshops” targeted to tribes, TDHEs and other housing representatives in the Native American community”. Steven Winter Associates, a Washington D.C. based Engineering Company, will be supporting Sullivan on the development and delivery of the workshops.

It is anticipated that the two-day workshop, will emphasize designing housing that is accessible to people with disabilities, and will be presented in each of the six ONAP regions during 2003. Special emphasis will be given to the accessibility requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a federal law that applies to Native American housing designed or constructed with federal financial assistance. The applicability of other federal regulations, such as the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), will be addresses as well as the concept of making homes “visitable.” Visitability, a relatively new concept, refers to providing basic access features in all homes, such as a zero-step entrance and wide doors.

Workshop attendees will also learn how to create enabling environments for elderly occupants so that they can age in their own homes and not be forced to move out because their homes no longer support their changing abilities. Attendees will come away with an understanding of exactly when the federal regulations kick in; how to apply the law to new construction and alteration projects; how many units in a project must be made accessible according to the law; how to make homes and public spaces compliant with the accessibility requirements of the law and its referenced technical criteria, the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standard (UFAS); and how to go beyond the law to create spaces that can be enjoyed by the entire family for as long as they choose to live in the home.