Ángel Franco/The New York Times
Shaniqua Freeman holding the keys to her new apartment in Harlem. For Ms. Freeman, a 31-year-old who has cerebral palsy, the new home symbolizes living as an independent adult.
It was a mix of shock and utter disbelief for Shaniqua Freeman when she unlocked the deadbolt on the door of her first apartment and slowly moved her wheelchair into the living room.
"Is this really mine?" she said as she smiled and looked around the room, recently renovated and decorated. "I still can't believe I did this on my own."
Months had passed since Ms. Freeman, 31, heard she had been approved for the one-bedroom apartment in the King Towers in Harlem. But the excitement of securing the apartment had not dwindled, she said. As a person living with cerebral palsy, acquiring her new home symbolized something more: it was the first day she would live as an independent adult.
"So many others like me have tried to do the same but have failed," she said as she looked out the window onto Malcolm X Boulevard. "I can only thank God and the people who have helped me for this. Prayers have been answered."
Ms. Freeman said independence seemed impossible when she was younger. She has had to rely on other people for the vast majority of her life, she said.
Her childhood included myriad intensive operations to increase mobility and interact with others. She has had surgery to straighten her legs and intricate throat operations so she could speak, as well as grueling physical therapy so she can walk, though with difficulty.
But through it all, she said, her family taught her that physical conditions do not define your character. Instead, they provide opportunities to test your abilities.
"They would say if you want something, go for it," she said. "If you fall, we will pick you up and dust you off. Don't let this chair limit you."
Complications arose from ordinary tasks, she said, and she continued to live under her mother's care in the Bronx. But at 21, and with only a special education high school diploma and a dream, she pushed herself to leave her mother's home.
"I can't let this chair stop me," she said. "I'm going to live."
Her family was uneasy with her move and tried to encourage her to stay, Ms. Freeman said, but she was not persuaded.
She applied for an apartment with the New York City Housing Authority in 2002 and was placed on a waiting list. She then moved among various homes with job programs for people with physical disabilities, sponsored by United Cerebral Palsy of New York.
In the summer, after a 10-year wait, the housing authority confirmed her new apartment.
Ms. Freeman's grant coordinator from United Cerebral Palsy, Claire McLoughlin, says that from the day the two met, Ms. Freeman has always been a strong person.
"Her cognitive abilities definitely outweigh her physical abilities," Ms. McLoughlin said.
The two worked closely to prepare for Ms. Freeman's future in independent living, even though they had no idea how long the wait might be.
"It was worth it," Ms. Freeman said as she looked into one of the closets. "This still feels like a dream. I just can't believe this is really happening."
Ms. McLoughlin and her Medicaid service coordinator, Billy Franklin, were next to Ms. Freeman as they helped organize last-minute renovations with a crew of repairmen. Additional locks were installed on the door; the housing authority had already lowered the closet space and kitchen cabinets to make them more accessible. In the bathroom, handrails were installed above the toilet and near the sink along with a larger shower that could accommodate a chair.
Ms. McLoughlin said United Cerebral Palsy had also provided a grant to help stock the apartment with pots, pans and plants for Ms. Freeman and to help facilitate the move. Despite that help from the organization, Ms. Freeman was unable to afford furniture on her monthly income of $1,000, which is a mix of Social Security, food stamps and pay from an internship. With the assistance of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, one of the agencies supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, Ms. Freeman received a $1,500 grant from the fund to buy a bed, a dresser, a television stand and a couch.
"I wouldn't be able to buy this without help," she said in her bedroom.
Now, as she settles in, she said she had already created a list of goals.
She said she wanted to attend college for a business degree and open a hair and nail salon that catered to customers with wheelchairs. Her first step, she said, would be to obtain a traditional GED.
"People ask, 'Why do it?' " she said. "I say because it's my goal. I want to get better."
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