OLD HICKORY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Imagine living in a house for a decade that's felt borrowed.
In Old Hickory, a single mother to a child with disabilities has really needed home modifications, but the cost has held her back.
Shekinah Moreira and her 13-year-old son have lived in their home for about 11 years.
Hannah visits with the Moreira family in the player above.
"And so you can imagine 11 years of wear and tear of the wheelchair going to and from, him playing, having to have changes and spills and all those kinds of things," Shekinah Moreira said.
Her son Joshua was born three months early and has been a medically complex kid since birth.
When an organization called Tucker's House got involved, projects that felt impossible to afford and modifications to their home were made possible.
"The financial aspect was probably, definitely the one that held us back the most," Moreira said.
Tucker's House is the only organization in our community that pairs therapists and architects with families so that important details aren't missed during renovations.
"One of our biggest challenges was that the bathroom door was quite narrow and his chair would fit in, but then you would either have to be in front of him pulling him or have everything you need so you wouldn't get stuck because the hallway was so narrow. And one of the things that Tucker's House did is we decided to put in a pocket door," she said.
At Joshua's house, Tucker's House also removed carpeting and installed two wheelchair lifts for him.
"Special needs families don't have the capacity to sit and call a flooring company or have multiple contractors come into the home, like they've got enough on their plate," said Kayla Torti, the program manager at Tucker's House. "We really are very intentional to make sure that child specifically, and their diagnosis and the prognosis of that diagnosis, is informing all of our designs."
Tucker's House is passionate about giving these families a voice. The organization just created a video series that features families and community partners. It's available on YouTube and all their social channels. Families interested in accessible home modifications for their children can learn more online. Tucker's House works with partners so all the costs are covered for families.
"It's definitely going to change our lives," Moreira said.
