PUBLIC SERVICE IS A NOBLE CALLING

MY WIFE HEIDI JOHNSON-WRIGHT

HAS HEEDED IT FOR NEARLY FOUR DECADES

My wife Heidi, celebrates her birthday today.

I am proud of her lifelong career as a public servant.

When she was in law school at Ohio State University, she interned at a state agency in our native Ohio.

Even in undergrad, she volunteered on a campus programing board that served the state of Ohio at Kent State University.

She practiced law her first decade out of law school, for a pair of state agencies in Ohio.

After we moved to Miami in 2000, Heidi became the first full-time Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator for the City of Miami Beach.

She was in her first decade as a proud public servant there when Miami-Dade County – one of the largest (in population and land mass) government bodies in the U.S. – did a nationwide, high-level candidate search for the next person to guide its ADA department.

Heidi has now proudly served Miami-Dade for a decade and a half. She has endured the late 2009-2010 financial crisis that saw virtually all of her staff laid off or forced into early retirement.

ADA was abolished as a department under some of the worst mayoral “leadership” this county has ever known. A mayor who filled the county with cronies cared not a moment about people with disabilities.

Now, under Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the ADA office has at least regained about one third the level of staffing that it traditionally had for decades.

Heidi and her hand-picked group of expert pros are now empowered to ensure that Miami-Dade’s vast facilities and programs are accessible to all.

There are still great hurdles. Miami-Dade could use tens of thousands of affordable, accessible housing units.

People with disabilities are by far the most under and unemployed of all minority groups.

The face an impossible reality of less than 1 percent of all U.S. housing being move-in ready for wheelchair users.

Some housing bureaucrats still push back mightily on the idea that even a few units (required by federal law) should be move-in ready for people with disabilities.

They insanely plot to pass adaptation costs on to impoverished people with disabilities.

Those clueless policies cause homelessness and worse.

Hopefully, Mayor Levine Cava will get another term and continue to empower Heidi to influence other departments – from airport to seaport to parks, transit and housing – to follow federal law by making 100 percent of buildings and programs accessible to all.

STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

JUDY PORRO, CERTIFIED ORIENTATION & MOBILITY SPECIALIST,  MIAMI LIGHTHOUSE FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED  -- AT UMSOA

We teach Universal Design to graduate and upper level undergraduate students at the University of Miami School of Architecture – a top 50 program out of more than 500 schools of architecture. 

While much of the focus is on designing for people with mobility impairments -- we also spend a great deal of time educating future architects about design that improves lives for people with visual impairments, hearing impairments and those in the neurodiversity community.

Judy Porro is a Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist and Certified Vision Rehab Therapist at the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired for nearly

She has been a special education teacher and assistant principal in the Virginia public schools. She has been published in Developmental Neurorehabilitation Journal.

Porro has worked as a life care planner for clients who acquired a brain/SCI and required life-long care. She has a brother with a disability.

STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

EDWARD H. STEINFELD, ARCH. D., AIA, R.A. -- UNIVERSAL DESIGN TRAILBLAZER FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY -- at UMSoA

Edward H. Steinfeld is Founder of the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access at University of Buffalo

Steinfeld has been a trailblazer in the field of inclusive design since the 1970’s when he led a transformational research project that established accessibility standards.

In his 50-year career, he has done award-winning research, taught thousands of students, designed many buildings, served as an expert consultant, and mentored numerous colleagues.

When he founded the IDeA Center in 1984, he believed that inclusive design was a critical component of a socially sustainable community. 

We teach Universal Design to graduate and upper level undergraduate students at the University of Miami School of Architecture – a top 50 program out of more than 500 schools of architecture.

Steinfeld's hour-long presentation, via Zoom, captivated our graduate and undergraduate students.

STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

ROSEMARIE ROSSETTI, PH.D.  LEADING DISABILITY INCLUSION EXPERT AND STAR GUEST LECTURER IN UNIVERSAL DESIGN COURSE

Rosemarie Rossetti is the perfect speaker for dozens of contexts, such as educating: architects, interior designers, general contractors, engineers and remodelers.

Her expertise is specific enough to speak to skilled technicians but it also is straightforward enough to entertain and captivate everyday lay persons.

Rossetti is an expert storyteller. She introduces Universal Design, via her dream house, with the perfect blend of details, beauty, practicality, warmth and curb appeal.

We teach Universal Design to graduate and upper level undergraduate students at the University of Miami School of Architecture – a top 50 program out of more than 500 schools of architecture.

Rossetti’s 45-minute presentation, via Zoom, had students at full attention, writing notes, typing information and nodding in approval.

Even though each of them has several design studios under their belt, you could see that those who will create tomorrow’s built environment were learning the full value of design that is universal, flexible and sustainable.

Rossetti deftly answered an array of questions, some very technical and architecture-oriented, with ease.

A lot of people (unfortunately) think the message of a person who uses a wheelchair for mobility will either be sad and drab, or focused on only inspiring without depth behind it. Rossetti busts the myth by simply presenting herself as a diverse person who learned how to expertly design, build and live in a home that accommodates all.

She convinces everyone in the homebuilding industry that there is value in aging in place and that her home is not for some fractionally small market (that means resale value is poor).

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

PROFESSOR JOHNSON-WRIGHT

Tomorrow marks the 35^th Valentine’s Day I’ll spend with my soulmate, Heidi.

Through the years, she has been my:

Scholarship winning undergraduate student Valentine

Law school graduate Valentine

Proud public servant for the State of Ohio Valentine.

Co-author of hundreds of articles about travel and disability Valentine.

First time home owner Valentine.

Travel around the world by wheelchair Valentine.

Move 1,200 miles from heartland Ohio to pulsing Miami Valentine.

First in history full-time Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for the City of Miami Beach Valentine.

Purchaser of a 100-year old home in the heart of Little Havana Valentine.

Point person for all things ADA, serving nearly 3 million constituents, in Miami-Dade County Valentine.

Protector of urban park land and open space (stopping concrete paving over paradise) Valentine.

Educator of town planners, urban designers, architects, mobility engineers and other shapers of the built environment Valentine.

Survivor of the pandemic – using her own computer to stay connected in a leadership role – Valentine.

Creator of a unique course on design for all Valentine.

Lead instructor/professor of a graduate and undergraduate full-credit course on Universal Design at a top 10% rate school of architecture Valentine.

Happy Valentine’s Day – my soulmate, superstar wife and partner in making the world a more equitable, inclusive, diverse and accessible place.

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 16

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

RESOURCES

National Association of REALTORS

https://www.nar.realtor/coronavirus

NAR FAQs

https://www.nar.realtor/political-advocacy/coronavirus-advocacy-faqs-re-transactions-independent-contractors-nar-grants

John Rosshirt/Stanberry

https://www.seeaustinareahouses.com

Ohio REALTORS

https://www.ohiorealtors.org/coronavirus-updates-and-information

Scott R. Williams, Ohio REALTORS CEO https://www.ohiorealtors.org/blog/1276/this-is-not-a-time-for-business-as-usual

Houston Association of REALTORS 

https://www.harconnect.com/2020/03/26/real-estate-in-a-coronavirus-world/

Will Doerlich/Realty One Group

http://www.rogtoday.com

Sara Briseno Gerrish/Beatric Briseno Team

https://www.remax.com/real-estate-teams/the-beatrice-briseno-team-san-antonio-tx/101894139

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 15

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

“I believe most people will still want to walk through what may be their largest purchase of their lives. These tools will not replace the knowledge and expertise that a REALTOR can provide in a transaction,” Gerrish said.

“We assist a lot of first-time home buyers and many have had their jobs affected.  

They are coming to us for guidance about how the Cares Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, that allocate $2.2 trillion in federal support to individuals and businesses affected by the pandemic and economic downturn) can help them,” Gerrish said, noting that REALTORS – in good times and challenging ones -- help people find, afford, and protect their homes. 

“This is not the right time for everyone to buy or sell -- but if it is, we are trying to equip our agents with tech tools to be safe but also effective in this climate.”

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 13

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

Regarding remote closings, we remain in continued communication with organizations representing real estate attorneys, financial institutions and title insurers to ensure that closings can continue across the state,” NCR’s Palmer added.

“This has included recommending clarifications to local orders to require that Register of Deeds offices remain open in some fashion, as well as any additional allowances for closings to be completed in a timely fashion.”

Sara Briseno Gerrish is broker-owner of a family-operated, boutique ReMax real estate office in San Antonio. She assists buyers, sellers and tenants, as well as managing the agents in her office.

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 12

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

NC REALTORS, the statewide association in North Carolina, has an online platform that supports “Selling Homes from Home.” 

The resources, gathered from numerous sources including the National Association of REALTORS, discusses topics such as virtual showings and how to host virtual meetings. 

“Throughout the state, real estate has been both designated as and as not an essential business activity through local governments’ stay-at-home orders. This has resulted in a significant amount of disparity in how REALTORS are able to conduct business in different areas of North Carolina,” said Seth Palmer NCR’s Director of Regulatory Affairs and External Communications.

“In support of those who are able to conduct business in their area, we have created a Best Practices guide for members with important information about how to conduct any activities in compliance with health and safety guidelines.”  

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 10

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

Doerlich said the channels are now virtual versus in-person but it still is vital for him as a broker to keep in contact to encourage and mentor agents for continued engagement and returning to full productivity.

“On-line messaging and social media access were `nice-to-haves’ – now it’s essential to maintain continuity, communication and camaraderie among the agents and staff,” he said.

“We have started a weekly web conference with all the agents in our offices. It keeps the team in synch and is encouraging to hear the activity of our agents. 

We can also answer questions about new protocols and maintain the enthusiasm in a difficult market time,” Doerlich added.

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 9

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

Will Doerlich is Broker/CEO of Pleasanton CA-based Realty One Group in the eastern San Francisco Bay Tri-Valley area.

“As REALTORS, we need to support the efforts to contain and maintain the health of our communities – the economic as well as the physical and mental health of our communities. Each of these are intertwined together,” he said.

“And right now, a healthy community will be a strong economic community sooner when the market is fully opened and available to our clients.”

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 8

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

“What’s about to happen to Houston real estate reminds me of Hurricane Harvey in that we are bracing for impact, but don’t yet know what the full extent on the market will be,” said HAR Chairman John Nugent with RE/MAX Space Center. 

“There are consumers out there for whom finding a home is critical, however, HAR has urged all Realtor members to conduct as much business as possible online, using technology such as virtual open houses, virtual tours and electronic signature documents, in the interest of protecting everyone’s health.”

On March 20, all in-person open houses were removed from HAR.com out of an abundance of caution. 

The website introduced a virtual tour feature allowing REALTORS to host and post virtual open houses and conduct virtual showings. 

Consumers can watch them live on HAR.com at scheduled times and REALTORS can then share the recordings on their own websites and social media platforms.

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 7

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

The Houston Association of REALTORS (HAR) has member coronavirus FAQs on its website and has published columns that address business in the pandemic era. 

With more consumers home-bound, there has been a surge in traffic to its award-winning HAR.com website.

HAR is waiving Q3 MLS fees for both residential and commercial subscribers, which represents a savings of more than $5 million.

It’s an innovative strategy that proves REALTORS are committed to rebuilding the nation’s economy.

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 6

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

Rosshirt said prolonged work from home will show the weakness or benefits of current living arrangements.

“Flex space may be less desirable than a dedicated work area. Internet reliability, capacity and speed will be critical for some jobs. Areas with Google fiber may earn a premium,” he observed.

If two people are working at home, a shared work space may not be practical,” Rosshirt added.

“One couple I just closed with on a new house have been both forced to work at home. Her counseling work is transferring to the internet well enough, but she must maintain privacy in her work.

His work is high tech and he has been capable or working at home for a long time but now it is full-time and it can be loud (gaming). So, the floor plan they chose provided two workspaces very separate from the other.”

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 5

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

Ohio REALTORS has created a coronavirus resources page on its website, providing members with important links and top headlines from lawmakers, agencies and related groups in Ohio and across the nation.

Its best practices include conducting virtual meetings with its local boards and associations, as well as with elected Realtor leadership -- since the onset of the pandemic.

Rosshirt said with so many people working remotely, there likely will be a permanent change to facilitating virtual work in home design.

“A company may realize they do not need expensive real estate if their employees can be effective remotely,” he said.

Developers are already moving to multi-use plans where the office component is matched with nearby appropriate living and retail/entertainment.”

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 4

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

Ohio was one of the first states to adopt remote notarization three years ago.

The legislation requires notaries to obtain a separate certification, but the opportunity to process documents and finalize deals exists. 

Closings in the Buckeye State are now occurring with only one party present to ensure social distancing compliance.

“Ohio’s Realtor community has dramatically changed its individual and collective business practices – using proper social distancing protocols, tapping into technology to conduct virtual showings and remote meetings with customers,” said Chief Executive Officer Scott Williams. 

“Throughout, we’ve stressed to our membership that, while Ohio deemed real estate as an essential service, this is not a time for business as usual. It’s imperative that the industry make necessary adjustments to find the proper balance of serving our clients while also protecting society’s greater good.”

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 3

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

Rosshirt sees the pandemic focusing some homebuyers on high-performance, healthier homes – noting a house with a tighter seal and better air exchange and filters may now be well worth the expense.

These are features of High-Performance homes that may be called Energy Efficient or Green by some builder.  

As homeowners respond to difficult times, their house serves as the: office/boardroom, classroom, coffee shop, movie theater, gym and safe sanctuary to shelter in place.

Ohio REALTORS, a statewide association, is conducting weekly surveys to track the market’s condition in an effort to provide insight to members. 

Equally important, Ohio REALTORS are sharing the data with Governor Mike DeWine’s administration (lauded for quick action to stop Corona spread), the Economic Recovery Task Force of the Ohio House and other key policy makers to be influential partners in identifying initiatives to stabilize the real estate sector during the pandemic.

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 2

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

John Rosshirt, Associate Broker/Co-Owner of Stanberry REALTORS in Austin Texas, said more visuals are being added to many listings. He said agents are using high and low tech to add video.

“Some agents are just walking through their listing with a simple wordless video on their smart phone to have something extra to upload,” he said of low-tech solutions. “Photographers are adding 3D technology to their offerings to agents. 

Agents are using Zoom to stay in touch with their clients.

“I have set up special lighting and rearranged what is behind me so I make a professional impression. People who are isolated love this contact and I find they like to talk,” he said, reminding REALTORS that the personal touch is needed – even if it is virtual.

“Calls do seem to take longer because people have a need to talk about the new challenges in their life as well as the new challenges in achieving their real estate goals.”

REALTORS EXPAND USE OF TECHNOLOGY -- PART 1

CONTINUE CUSTOMIZED CLIENT SERVICE IN THE TIME OF COVID

The Corona Virus Pandemic is rapidly changing the way REALTORS conduct business. 

Virtual tours and app-based conferencing have played a major role while brokerages scramble to balance excellent client service with social distancing, stay at home orders and other elements of the new normal.

Perhaps the most profound lesson, in the view of leading residential and commercial REALTORS around the nation, is that COVID-driven changes will make lasting impressions on the industry – even after there is a vaccine, a drop in cases and a general return to life before the virus.

Virtually every top-producing pro contacted for this story believes virtual technology will play an even larger role – in a field already known for online video walkthroughs of houses and properties. 

Many feel remote work will greatly increase, changing the way firms large and small measure their need for formal office space.

TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KENT STATE SHOOTINGS

BUT AS MAY 4 HAS ARRIVED, I CANNOT

I have wanted to be a writer since as young as I can remember.

I wasn’t motivated by the news of May 4^th at Kent (as I was only 5.5 at the time), but Kent is where I went to journalism school.

My parents, who were endlessly irked when anything suggested the innocent shot and killed “didn’t get what was coming to them,” were not thrilled when I announced to them as my freshman year of high school was wrapping up in May 1980 that I wanted to go to Kent.

I guess they had largely given up resisting when I went off to Kent in fall 1983. To me, the shootings were long ago – but looking back, they we’re really.

Back then, the J-School was in Taylor Hall. The college newspaper was headquartered where the May 4 Visitors Center now reflects on events with dignity. 

My wife-to-be’s dorm window looked out on the Prentice Hall parking lot where vigils were held for the four dead.

I couldn’t help but confront what it meant when a right-wing governor decided a military operation was needed to crush the very dissent protected in the Constitution supposedly beloved by “God and Country” people like him.

I remember a ton of my colleagues at the Daily Kent Stater – many now superstars in the field of journalism and related pursuits – vowing to move out of the state if evil Jim Rhodes ever became governor again.

I also remember dozens of us talking about coming back for the 25^th and certainly the 50^th anniversary of the events (as the 15^th that we witnessed was important, but not exactly a huge milestone.)

I recall Kent’s administration struggling to deal with a proper memorial. 

A contest to design one was fumbled, declawed and screwed up just about every way timid leaders -- at a learning institution afraid to learn from its own past history – could think of.

I openly wept when I returned not that long ago, to find that the old Stater office was now the appropriate, comprehensive and dignified visitor’s center that the Kent State community had been yearning for, for more than four decades.

My wife had the same reaction when we returned to our native NE Ohio a few years later so she could see the displays.

I certainly was no campus radical. Not even close. I waned a job, at a large newspaper. My course load, night job and daytime work for the Stater dominated such ambitions.

But I’ve always been a progressive. 

Rooting for the little guy and railing against the privileged one percent (before we labeled it as such).

I always hoped May 4^th would inspire compassion, decency, fair play and above all, a lifelong commitment to non-violent approaches/solutions to even our most visceral and explosive problems.

But as I write this – empathy, kindness and the very notion that we live under a democracy are under siege by a mad king president who acts much more like a dictator than a statesman proud to be serving the same office as Lincoln and Roosevelt.

That evil being’s cabinet is hell-bent on destroying education for all, access to healthcare and any semblance of a safety net for those who need it the most.

When I wonder how this POTUS would have reacted to Kent State, I only have to think of Charlottesville. 

A vicious and violent Ohioan, doubtlessly emboldened by a white supremacist president, took the life of an innocent.

The great #45’s weak effort to unify the nation he takes joy in dividing – praising neo-Nazis and worse.

I want to be hopeful. I want to think that, even though Coronavirus has turned on-campus observances (star-studded and other) into online activities, people can learn from Kent State.

I want to think that bullying, might and power are not the end game…to commerce, the body politic or a life lived well.

But with a GOP owned by the gun lobby and the supposed leader of the free world goading people to take the law into their own hands while defying pandemic measures designed to save precious lives, I am struggling.

https://www.kent.edu/may4kentstate50