Tommy Lee Lovett, Disabled Vet Says, "Doors Wired Shut"

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Tommy Lee Lovett, Real Estate Agent and author of the book, “Doors Wired Shut – The Truth about Discrimination and Disabled Veterans”. He was one of a panel of speakers talking about Fair Housing at a GTAR (Greater Tampa Association of Realtors) symposium. It was obvious after only a few minutes of listening to Mr. Lovett speak that he carried this topic close to his heart. You see, Tommy is a disabled vet himself. So he knows a lot from first-hand experience about hurdles encountered while trying to exercise rights for fair housing.

The book is about events involved in the purchase of a single family home. More than just recounting incidents of the purchase and putting his finger on problems that currently exist, Lovett offers suggestions for change – ideas whose purpose it is to make fair housing a reality for the disabled.

Included in the appendix are the Specially Adapted Housing (Veteran using wheelchair) Construction Guidelines for New and Existing Homes. Also, part of the book is reserved for “Discrimination Studies” by, Ellen Pader and David Winsor with James Palma. This is a detailed piece describing the problem of housing discrimination in Massachusetts. It was included in its entirety because it is such a complete and extensive narration on the subject of housing discrimination.

Besides the transcript of the deposition of Mr. Lovett in the Fair Housing Case described in this book, there is also a section from the US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Housing and Civil Enforcement Section, Frequently Asked Questions. This section includes about a dozen commonly asked questions and answers to help readers with questions about the Fair Housing Act, enforcement of the act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and more.

Lastly, the Bibliography includes excellent sources of information for those eager to learn more.

I encourage all readers interested in housing rights of the disabled to pick up a copy of the book, “Doors Wired Shut – The Truth about Discrimination and Disabled Veterans” by, Tommy Lee Lovett.