Poly House renovates Atascadero home for family with disabled daughter
Jocelyn Dyer, 21, center, sits with her mother, Jennifer, and brother Jaden. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Dyer
Single mom Jennifer Dyer has been carrying her daughter, Jocelyn, up and down the stairs of their Atascadero home for the last 21 years. That ended Sunday when Cal Poly’s Poly House unveiled the renovation they did on the Dyers’ home. Dyer has lived in that home since she was 14 years old and now lives there with her two children, Jocelyn and Jaden, 12.
Jocelyn Dyer’s renovated bathroom, which allows for her wheelchair to be pushed directly into the shower and transferred to the shower chair. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Dyer
“It’s unbelievable,” Dyer said of the renovation. “It’s a completely different house. I’m really shocked at the whole renovation … it’s a good change.”
Jocelyn has Rett Syndrome — a rare genetic postnatal neurological disorder of the grey matter of the brain — of which symptoms arose when she was 2. Since then, she has undergone three major surgeries. The 21-year-old is dependent on her family to assist her with daily living needs: feeding, bathing, dressing, transferring to and from her wheelchair and using the toilet.
All of the bedrooms and bathrooms are on the second floor of the home. Over the years, Dyer said, it has become increasingly unsafe for her to do that. Even though Jocelyn weighs only 75 pounds, she is 5-foot-2, which makes it difficult to navigate up the stairs because her feet catch along the way.
As well, Dyer is in her 40’s and the years of carrying her daughter up and down the stairs has taken a toll on her body.
That’s where Poly House came into the picture. The students installed a stair lift that will transport Jocelyn from the first floor to the second. They also renovated her bathroom and widened many of the door frames to accommodate her wheelchair.
“The bathrooms are usable now,” Dyer said, adding that using the shower was nearly impossible, now Jocelyn can been wheeled directly into the shower and transferred onto a shower chair.
The Dyers’ stairs with the newly installed lift. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Dyer
A friend asked Dyer if she could submit Jocelyn’s name for a home renovation. Dyer agreed and the next day, a person from the program went to their house, took photos and heard their story. Photos and stories were compiled of all nominees before a decision was made. It wasn’t long before the Dyers knew they had been selected.
By May 15, about a month after the whole thing began, work began on their house. The Dyers relocated to Dyer’s father’s property in Santa Margarita until the unveiling.
Poly House began in 2004 is part of the industrial and engineering department and is an annual spring project. The students work together to plan the work and fundraise. More than $100,000 was raised for the Dyers’ renovations.
Seventeen students in all worked together for framing, renovating the bathroom, flooring and installing the stair lift. Hardwood flooring and carpeting that the wheelchair can be pushed on were installed in the house.
Dyer said that she is excited that Jocelyn can now be pushed right up to the table in her wheelchair when the family has game nights.
