Saws-Virginia

SAWs Inc. is an ecumenical nonprofit founded in Indiana in 2003 that builds wooden, recyclable, wheelchair ramps for those who cannot afford one on their own to regain their freedom, reconnect with their community and age in place. SAWs-Virginia is a developing, local affiliate of SAWs Inc. Our goal is to build a coalition of churches and partnerships with nonprofits who serve this population to meet the large and growing demand for safe access and exit from their homes. SAWs-Virginia will grow organically expanding to meet demand as the numbers increase. In time, the organization will employ a hub-and-spoke structure to reach further into rural communities. In 2017, the overall percentage (prevalence rate) of people with a disability of all ages in Virginia was 11.7 percent. In other words, in 2017, of the 8,371,500 individuals of all ages in Virginia reported one or more disabilities. In Virginia, among the six types of disabilities identified in the American Community Survey (ACS), the highest prevalence rate was for "Ambulatory Disability," 6.2 percent. Communities slowly deteriorate as their population ages or moves away. Moving away has many motivations but one is to find living conditions that are more supportive to a person with disabilities. Providing safe, accessible housing for disabled residents helps to maintain the stability of the community as opposed to relocating to healthcare facilities.