Our Focus
Elevating voices. Advancing accessibility. Being community.
What is the COAAST Network?
The Communities of All Abilities Succeeding Together (COAAST) Network is the Family Network serving Clatsop, Tillamook, and Lincoln Counties.
The COAAST Network builds relationships among individuals and families experiencing I/DD, and any efforts supporting I/DD on the North Coast of Oregon. Too often we can feel isolated, or unheard, and need to meet someone who has been there. Or, it may be that we know what is best for our own child and want them to shine in their personal strengths, and we need ideas on how to get there.
If you are looking for community, if you are looking to connect with local individuals and family members that have been through what you are experiencing, or if you simply want to feel empowered to support yourself or your family member, we, the COAAST Network, are here for you! We want to support all Oregon Coastal efforts that support those living with disability.
Sammy’s Place is with friends. Sometimes we all just need someone to talk to, someone who knows and understands our experience. From a young person with I/DD looking to make new friends to a mother needing a little respite, the COAAST Network seeks to bring people together to support each other in their Oregon coast community.
Sammy’s Place is in the meeting room. Let’s face it, we all have a lot to learn. Our community is facing many challenges and many opportunities. The COAAST Network provides opportunities for person-centered, strengh-based learning and conversation so that we come together in creating choice so everyone can fully participate in our coastal communities.
Sammy’s Place is in community. And it is not always easy to get around in our community, but do you ever notice little things that make life a little bit easier…like the automatic door that lets you push your grocery cart outside without stopping, or the curb cut that lets you roll that cart right to your car. These are examples of Universal Design that makes public space more accessible.
Universal Access is when the principles of Universal Design are used strategically so that our communities naturally include the supports and accommodations needed so any individual can participate and enjoy any place, product, service, or role they choose, and do so independently.
Sammy’s place is in her own home. Everyone needs housing, but not all housing is built for everyone. Most housing is not built for most people. We know that approximately one in four people in the USA experience some kind of disability, and we also know that less than 5% of dwelling units in multifamily buildings meet specs for physical disabilities and 2% meet specifications for sensory disabilities. (Allen Hines, April 2024. ‘Access Denied, An Overview of the Housing Crisis for People with Disabilities‘ p. 33 Portland, OR) That is, most housing is not built with people experiencing a disability in mind. This is unfortunate because, in some form or another, we are all aging into disability if we are not currently experiencing disability.
Sammy’s Place brings a model of housing to our community, based on the principles of Universal Design, that would allow anyone who is capable of independent living and desires to live independently to have the choice to live independently in their community of choice.
Thompson Springs
Sammy’s place is living in a community that is universally accessible to all people. Thompson Springs will be such a place. Thompson Springs is a model for affordable, accessible homeownership in Nehalem, OR where people of all abilities can live independently and in community. Thompson Springs will blend the principles of universal design and construction of each unit with a model of permanent affordability, making these homes truly universally accessible to all homebuyers and giving choice and access to homeownership to people of all abilities and disabilities.
