Design for a Difference’s renovation of Association for the Rights of Citizens with handicaps (ARCh) is about to take off, with its first phase of the makeover starting on March 18. We shared ARCh as Milwaukee’s Design for a Difference recipient in June 2023. With the project’s delay, renovations to this community space and office will be revealed in early April.
Founded in 1952 by parents of children with disabilities, ARCh supports both children and adults with disabilities through social and educational programs and events. Design for a Difference is a movement and national organization that brings flooring showrooms, interior designers and other businesses together to redesign spaces at local nonprofits.
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Design for a Difference partnered with FLOOR360, a flooring showroom and design firm with locations in Milwaukee and Madison, to enhance ARCh’s Waukesha space with adaptations for those with sensory sensitivities and mobility issues.
“Because we’re a nonprofit, the interior, as far as the furnishings and things like that, was literally cobbled together,” said Jennifer Horth, ARCh’s executive director, about the building. “Somebody would say, ‘Hey! I have a filing cabinet for you!’ or ‘I have a desk for you!’ So there was never any rhyme or reason, never any plan for any kind of concept, so we have furniture that’s 40 years old and falling apart.”
Horth’s concerns are centered less on the building’s aesthetic appeal, and more on the safety of the community it serves. The Design for a Difference team and volunteers will begin to remedy that issue during the first phase of the makeover: painting.
“You come in and it’s very, very dark – the paneling is dark, the carpeting is dark,” said Horth. “For someone with a vision impairment, they literally can’t see where they’re going. We were thrilled to be chosen for this, because we just really had some pretty significant needs that we never could’ve addressed on our own.”
The Design for a Difference team hopes to assist those with mobility challenges travel throughout the building by repairing rough flooring.
ARCh’s doors are open to parents as well, another aspect of its services in consideration for this project.
“I do know that part of the plan is to make sure that we have some confidential meeting spaces, and that’s going to be really important,” said Horth. “Right now, if somebody comes in and they have something confidential they want to talk to us about, we’re kind of out in the middle of everything, and it’s hard to have that privacy. I think that having this project done will help parents feel more comfortable being able to come in here and talk to us about their concerns.”
Many of the project’s details are being kept secret until the reveal celebration in early April, according to Kelly Kuehn, the Kashou Design Studio Manager at FLOOR360 and Project Leader for Design for a Difference Milwaukee.
“ARCh has a long history in our community, but those who most need its services are often not aware of ARCh or all the assistance it can provide,” said Kuehn. “We hope to raise the visibility of the organization, grow the audience it serves and help expand its programming with welcoming, accessible, friendly designs in all its spaces.”
Design for a Difference makeovers rely 100% on donations from businesses and individuals. Wish lists for Wayfair and Amazon and a Home Depot gift card are available on FLOOR360’s website to assist in providing necessities for the design.
ARCh is hosting an open house on May 7 at 6 p.m. to inform the community of the upgrades to its facility and celebrate the future of the organization.
