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Sandy Mazza | The Tennessean

Shelley Mays, smays@tennessean.com

William Adams pushed his wheelchair up to the garage door and braced himself in the doorway to rise.

He gripped a railing as he carefully navigated a few stairs down.

Then he leaned against the couple’s car as he shuffled around to the passenger’s side.

His right leg, amputated below the knee, is fitted with a prosthetic that can't be pushed on too heavily.

Shelley Mays /Tennessean

It was a recent weekday morning and he and his wife, Selross, were on their way to the doctor for a consultation about his left foot. The big toe has already been removed and the toe next to it now needs to be taken off because of nerve damage from diabetes.

“He has to put his leg on and take one step at a time,” Selross Adams said. “The garage is the only place there’s a rail he can hold on to.”

Two federally approved wheelchair ramps, which would be safer to use, are folded up and stacked against the garage wall.

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The Department of Veterans Affairs required the ramps and other modifications, including bathroom renovations, when the couple moved into the house last spring. The Vietnam War veteran needs them to move freely in and out of his home.

But Meadows of Seven Points homeowners’ association members see it differently.

Homeowners association members demanded the wheelchair ramps be removed because they don’t meet aesthetic guidelines established for the upscale Hermitage community. A neighbor threatened a $1 million lawsuit against the couple, according to the complaint.

Now, as he readies for surgery, the issue is critical since he won't be able to walk after the operation.

"All I want to do is make sure my husband gets the best care he can," Selross Adams said. "One thing I will not do is tolerate my husband being bullied, pushed around, harassed, disregarded for the things that he needs. This is not something you want to do because you want to look fancy. This is a necessity."

Trapped in their own homes

The Adams' have filed a federal discrimination complaint against the homeowners association through the Tennessee Fair Housing Council.

It's one of two active Davidson County housing discrimination cases brought by the Fair Housing Council on behalf of people with disabilities who were denied home modifications by their homeowners associations.

Harold and Janet Patterson also are seeking damages from Beacon Hill Village homeowners association in Old Hickory.

Harold Patterson suffered traumatic brain injury after a major heart attack a decade ago, and can no longer climb stairs.

Shelley Mays /Tennessean

Their third-floor bedroom isn't safe for him anymore — especially if there is a fire and he needs to rush out of the house.

But the association denied the couple's request to turn the first-level basement of their condominium into a living space. The denial came after months of delayed responses, and after the couple had enlisted architects to plan the remodeling project.

"He's at high risk of falling," Janet Patterson said. "When he goes down the steps, it feels like he's stepping into quicksand. It's like stepping into nothing."

Harold Patterson has come a long way since near death. He's had to relearn everything — from recognizing various pieces of hardware to knowing how to drive again.

"I would not have survived this without my wife," he said. "I can see the step but my mind doesn't focus on it."

Last year, the couple bought a one-level home in Hendersonville so he could safely get around. They let family members move into the condo.

But the house was too far from family and more of a financial burden than they expected. So the couple moved back to the Old Hickory home recently.

Meanwhile, Beacon Hill Village homeowners association began settlement discussion, but those stalled as the Fair Housing Council decides whether to file a federal lawsuit.

'It's like hitting someone when they're down'

Homeowners association discrimination is a fairly common complaint to the Tennessee Fair Housing Council, said Kathy Tenison Trawick, the executive director.

In 2015, Chestnut Bend Homeowners Association in Franklin paid a $156,000 settlement for discrimination against Charles and Melanie Hollis and their two children, who have Down syndrome. The Hollis family asked the group for approval to build a sun room where the children could play and receive physical therapy.

But the association dubbed it unsightly and denied the request.

“It’s bad enough when someone is confined to a wheelchair because of a disability,” Trawick said. “They’ve already lost their freedom to just get up and walk outside on a sunny day. To have a group of people remove their ability to get outside in their wheelchair — it’s like hitting someone when they’re down.”

In these cases, the associations are violating federal law, Trawick said.

Determined to stay

The Meadows of Seven Points homeowners’ association has not replied to the Fair Housing Council complaint about William and Selross Adams' home. The group also did not respond to a request for comment from The Tennessean.

William Adams said he is determined to stay in his home. The couple moved from Huntsville, Alabama, last year to be closer to their daughter and his doctors.

Diabetes doesn’t run in his family and federal officials said his illness is linked to exposure to the toxic chemical Agent Orange when he was a helicopter crew chief with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division.

Shelley Mays /Tennessean

The four-bedroom home is otherwise perfect, with plenty of room for him to navigate to the bathroom, closet and kitchen.

But their next-door neighbor, Danny Bundren, was the most vocal critic of their move, and attempted to stop them from buying the house by making a series of demands and threats, the complaint states.

Bundren served as the HOA's attorney and treasurer, and told them to remove a barbecue pit left by the prior owner. He also railed against the ramps to the couple and their title attorney, they said. But he did not return calls for comment by The Tennessean.

"I don't feel comfortable going out here early in the morning and walking around," Selross Adams said. "People are so mean and violent now. I don't trust them. He took away the joy and the expectations we had for getting this house. It's humiliating to feel unwelcome."

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