Brian Iorio

Brian joined the MAHO Board of Directors in January, 2019. He chose to serve on the MAHO Board because he is an enthusiastic advocate for safe, sanitary, and affordable housing as a human right. Brian has a seven-year-old daughter with multiple physical and cognitive disabilities and finding a home that works for the entire family is difficult. Brian has noticed that the difficulty increases as neighborhoods get older, but those neighborhoods are sometimes more walkable. Parents and guardians often must decide between an accessible home or a neighborhood that is easy to get around without a car. Brian has found MAHO to be the advocate and educator for families like his.

Brian lives in Mayfield Village and works in Cleveland Heights. His favorite thing about Mayfield Village is the access to trails, parks, and other recreation facilities. He likes to garden, exercise, and make things. Since working with MAHO, he’s learned that while he thinks he knows what his daughter needs, he cannot fully know her experience. Even with his proximity to these issues, he cannot know how accessibility works for everyone. That’s why to Brian, “accessibility for all” means extending to everyone the same access to living a fulfilling and happy life that those without disabilities are privileged to experience. It means advocating for the entire community through an intersectional lens. It means accessibility not just in the homes of those with disabilities, but accessibility in the community: access to transportation; access to public amenities and accommodations, like restaurants, stores, and entertainment venues; and accessibility to the community, being able to visit other people’s homes and be a fully engaged member of the community.