From Benefits to Bricks: Disability Homeownership with the help of a Chartered Special Needs Consultant

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The “Accessibility Is Home” podcast, in a recent episode, special guest Hannah Magrum—a Chartered Special Needs Consultant—shared lived experience and expertise focused on accessible homeownership and innovative planning for disabled homebuyers, aging adults, and the professionals who serve them.

What is a Chartered Special Needs Consultant?

Chartered Special Needs Consultants (ChSNC) are uniquely qualified professionals who guide families and individuals through the complexities of disability planning. Hannah Magrum explained that this designation, offered by the American College of Financial Services, is extremely rare—less than 500 advisors in the U.S. hold it, compared to over 300,000 general advisors. Most ChSNCs are financial advisors, though a few are attorneys or CPAs. The key distinction is their expertise in addressing the particular legal, financial, and benefit needs of people with disabilities and those who are medically complex.

A ChSNC works with clients to navigate services and resources that go far beyond standard financial planning, including eligibility screening for public benefits, interpreting how trusts and accounts affect benefit retention, and providing essential knowledge about disability-specific programs. Their goal is to ensure families can maximize available supports, protect what matters most, and achieve individualized independence through homeownership and asset management.

Selecting a Chartered Special Needs Consultant

When choosing a Chartered Special Needs Consultant, Hannah recommends prioritizing those for whom disability and elder care planning are a central, ongoing focus of their practice. Because regulations and programs are constantly evolving, consultants working in this space regularly are best equipped to stay up-to-date. ChSNCs must meet continuing education and ethics standards, and families can use search engines for “ChSNC designation holders”—often working remotely due to the rarity of these professionals.

Hannah encourages homebuyers and professionals alike to seek out consultants who have both the skills and the personal perspective to understand the full scope of challenges and opportunities in this field.

Core Services and Advocacy

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Hannah described her role as both comprehensive and highly individualized: from evaluating which benefits a family or individual can access, to helping structure special needs trusts, coordinating financial plans, and devising retirement strategies—even for those receiving government assistance. Her work includes practical advice about navigating complex systems, such as understanding how access to Medicaid, SSI, or SSDI interacts with financial decisions and home ownership.

Notably, ChSNCs do not draft legal documents but collaborate with attorneys and other professionals to get the right protections in place. They can also help families advocate for educational services or address out-of-pocket school costs—using financial planning tools and language to help secure independent evaluations or additional services. Every plan is tailored, whether supporting families with medically complex children or adults seeking strategies to maintain benefits while exploring employment.

Integrated Financial Planning for Housing and Independent Living

Hannah emphasized how ChSNCs support both disability-related and aging-in-place goals by helping clients understand when, how, and why to use special needs trusts and other accounts for housing expenses. For example, she highlighted that using funds from an ABLE account (up to $100,000 without losing core benefits) for rent, mortgage, or modifications is often preferable to direct payments from a trust, especially for those on SSI. The rules are nuanced, requiring money to be spent for the benefit of the individual and within certain timeframes.

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Success in planning for independent living often comes down to navigating federal, state, and local resource systems, including Medicaid waivers, state funding, and tax-related strategies for accessibility expenses. ChSNCs provide ongoing guidance to ensure clients maximize their benefits and remain in compliance with changing regulations—whether buying a house, aging at home, or protecting assets for future generations.

The Economic Power of the Disability Community

A major point Hannah made—and supported by research from the American Institute for Research—is that the disability community possesses similar discretionary income to other marginalized groups, contrary to common stereotypes regarding enforced poverty. Many disabled individuals have income and purchasing power but encounter barriers when homes or businesses are not accessible. The implication for builders, realtors, and sellers is clear: accessible spaces unlock a significant market and create opportunities to serve more clients.

The Value and Market Demand for Accessible Housing

Accessible home ownership brings unique challenges and rewards. Hannah shared her personal journey of buying a home after becoming disabled, including a focus on finding ranch-style homes, considering the cost of structural changes like ramps or roll-in showers, and weighing the overall budget for modifications. She observed that demand for truly accessible homes is strong—her own home, built with universal design in mind, received multiple bids specifically because of its features.

As aging-in-place becomes more common, accessible homes not only meet immediate needs, but also become highly marketable assets for people of all backgrounds. Realtors, builders, and contractors would benefit from recognizing that features such as zero-step entries or widened doorways add long-term value, increase competition among buyers, and foster communities that support independence and inclusion.

Funding Sources and Resources for Accessibility

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Financing home accessibility is often state-specific, but several key resources exist. Hannah pointed to Medicaid waiver programs—created because of the Olmstead Act’s promise that disabled people should be able to live in communities with appropriate supports—as potential ways to fund bathroom modifications, ramps, or stair lifts. Some local governments and grant programs provide further help. ChSNCs can help clients evaluate eligibility, access funding, and even secure tax deductions related to medical or capital improvement costs.

The challenge is that not everyone will qualify for every resource, and sometimes there are waitlists. Financial planning with a ChSNC helps clients layer available benefits, coordinate assets, and ground decisions in long-term value for both investment and quality of life.

Organizations and Resources

• The American College of Financial Services: ChSNC credential, listings, and educational resources for identifying recognized consultants.

• ABLE National Resource Center: Information and eligibility guidance for ABLE accounts nationwide.

• State Medicaid Waiver Programs: Funding sources for home modifications, generally administered by each state’s Medicaid office.

• The American Institute for Research: Studies on economic participation, income, and spending power of people with disabilities.

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): Programs and grants for accessible housing and homeowner support.

  
  

Conclusion & Next Steps

In closing, Hannah Magrum’s interview illustrates how accessible housing, financial planning, and advocacy intersect to empower greater independence for people with disabilities and aging adults. Real estate and construction professionals can dramatically expand their impact—and their market—by designing homes and systems with universal access in mind. Disabled buyers, aging-in-place families, and industry leaders all benefit from working with qualified consultants and leveraging available resources to maximize independence and quality of life. For deeper insights, real stories, and actionable strategies, tune into the full podcast episode at Horizontal Houses, Apple, or anywhere you listen to podcasts on fourth Tuesday of the month. If you want even more insights about disability homeownership, follow my posts on Facebook and LinkedIn

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