LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — 41-year-old Christopher Ryder is comfortable in his own apartment. Born with cerebral palsy, he is living for the first time on his own, but he still has the help he needs.
"It opened a lot of possibilities that I never thought could be available to me," Ryder said.
He gets that help through No Boundaries, a Lexington-based service founded by Brandon Griffith. They come up with innovative solutions to allow people like Ryder the freedom to live on their own terms.
Griffith explained, "We help them find an apartment, we help them get set up, and then we develop a technology profile that allows them to live independently."
Each home is tailored to that individual's specific needs, and most of the features can be controlled through something as simple as a smartphone.
"Some of them are systems specially built for this type of thing, others are just your typical smart home technology that we've used to utilize in different ways like smart locks, smart thermostats, smart smoke alarms," Griffith said.
Ryder signed the lease on his Lexington apartment two and a half years ago. Since then, he says his life has changed and he's been empowered, now living out lifetime goals of pursuing a criminal justice degree and working full time.
"It makes me feel like I'm actually a part of the community. It also shows people with disabilities it can be done. It just takes a little technology and some other things that are available for you," Ryder said.
No Boundaries is a service available through a longtime Medicaid waiver program called Support For Community Living.
For more information visit http://www.noboundariescm.com/
