West Michigan is Redefining Accessibility in America
Gabriel Grant and his team at Care Granted are on the cusp of establishing a first-of-its-kind, 100% accessible, community-focused building. It’s not just transformative for West Michigan, it’s historic for the country.
“We looked, we did our research, and we couldn’t find anything like this anywhere else,” said Gabriel Grant, Founder and CEO of Care Granted. “An all-inclusive area, that is a collective of our communities, and truly a reflection of our country—I haven’t seen it. We’re building the first.”
His motivation for a space like this is two-fold. He sees the need firsthand, and he’s on a mission to change the industry. Currently, ADA law mandates only a small percentage of an entire build be accessible, and because of scarcity, the need is outweighing the availability. After being told 100% accessibility was impossible, he took it as a challenge and an opportunity. Today, The Heights on Burton is underway.
“I’m doing it because they said it couldn’t be done,” said Grant. “In this commercial space, 100% accessibility means accessible for all with as few barriers as possible.”
Grant and his team hosted a focus group bringing together individuals with a range of abilities and varying ages to take their specific needs into account.
“We learned so much, and spent hours looking at floor plans, going over everything,” said Grant. “We used Walk Your Plans, a local company that provided life-sized blueprints of our renderings, so we could roll, walk, and use a cane through the plans. We were able to see multiple points of view and perspectives. The individuals were also able to see me and think, “Oh, you’re the project manager. You’re the developer. You really care.”
As a home healthcare company owner, Grant understands that individual needs are dynamic.
“We’re looking at clients and thinking, ‘How do we avoid putting them in a position where they may fall, have an accident, or not live the highest quality of life?’ I can affirm that accessibility makes life so much better and safer, [so] we start with accessibility. Then we add in care and other elements that affect it,” said Grant. “I think it’s necessary for leadership to have lived experience. Everyone wants to see themselves reflected in decisions. When individuals look at this project, they can look at me and say, ‘He’s got our back.’”
Grant has three main sources of pride for this project. First, the smiles, because having the opportunity to live in a place that helps you live your best life is the best gift he can give back to his community. Second, the base of the building will be the Care Granted headquarters, in the same neighborhood that raised him. And lastly, the Innovation Center that will be in the headquarters invites others to learn about the space, take information back to their hometown, and hit copy/paste.
“When someone says it can’t be done, they can say Gabriel Grant did it in Grand Rapids, and you can see how. [I’m looking forward to] seeing developers, architects, and engineers come in, sit down with my team, tour the building, and say, ‘Wow, this is what’s possible.’”