In 2024, the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Human Services, set out to understand how to better serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the state. They tapped Neuro-Inclusive Housing Solutions, LLC, led by Desiree Kameka Galloway, along with the Colorado Inclusive Housing Coalition and the Autism Housing Network, to take on the challenge.
Over nearly a year, Desiree listened, not just to policymakers and developers, but to self-advocates, families, and neighbors who live with the realities of housing every day. The result is a landmark report that shines a light on what works, what doesn’t, and how design can make the difference between control and choice, isolation and belonging. Her research underscores a truth we take to heart at KEPHART – when design works for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, it works better for everyone – families, seniors, and communities as a whole.
That’s why KEPHART, together with The Espinosa Group, joined the effort to bring these findings to life through design. Our role was to translate complex ideas into clear, visual tools through architectural diagrams and communication graphics to make inclusive and trauma-informed design easier to understand and apply.
These visuals help:
- Show the contrast between institutional and inclusive community models.
- Make neuro-inclusive and trauma-informed design principles accessible to more people.
- Demonstrate how inclusive design overlaps with senior-sensitive and universal design to strengthen community for all.
By making the research visual and actionable, the report becomes more than a reference – it becomes a toolkit for shaping real neighborhoods.
At KEPHART, we believe design isn’t just about buildings, it’s about people. It’s about safety, autonomy, and belonging. Everyone deserves a well-designed place to live, work, and play.
When housing is shaped by trauma-informed and neuro-inclusive principles, it creates places where people don’t just live, but thrive.
Inclusive design isn’t a niche concept. It’s simply good design.
For more information about KEPHART’s work designing for Neuro-Inclusive Communities, call 303-832-4474.
