For over 30 years, our family has been coming to Sevier County to vacation. During the past 10 years, my dad has been buying and flipping rental cabins.
Over the years, we have noticed a shortage of accessible attractions and lodging in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas.
Our goal is to use the resources of our cabins to provide lodging for persons requiring and benefiting from universal accessibility. We not only want to outfit an accessible cabin but also to decrease the barriers that individuals with disabilities face in our community, beginning with the physical environment.
After completing a simulated home renovations accessibility project as part of Dr. Tony Gentry’s occupational therapy graduate school class, I have been in partnership with my dad participating in home modification and renovation projects.
We have recently purchased a house to convert to a universal accessible design in addition to the standards of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). Universal design will be used to expectantly help the majority of the population to access and benefit from the features of the cabin.
We are communication with local banks, the local government, and other local individuals to complete this project. Our hope is to create more than a vacation rental but to increase the cultural and social acceptance of individuals with disabilities in the Smoky Mountains. Individuals with disabilities should have the access to participate in leisure activities without unnecessary barriers.
This project requires an extensive amount of planning and a lot of overarching costs. The house has been purchased, the blueprint has been drawn, furniture has been purchased, and renovations are well underway!
We would love your support as the added equipment and modifications add up! Help us make a vacation experience a possibility for many families that wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing vacation hidden in the Great Smoky Mountains!
What accessible products or recommendations would you make? We would love to include your favorite features in the cabin. There is also a contribution link on the home page to help outfit the cabin.
Stay tuned for updates at Blog.SmokyMtnViews.com/AccessibleViews!
Hannah Newlon is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University in occupational therapy. Blaine Newlon is the founder and President of SmokyMtnViews.com and RecTime Inc., a corporation dedicated to providing a great Smoky Mountain Getaway.