BUENA PARK : Homeowner Group Bows to Quadriplegic

A homeowners association has agreed to work with the family of a quadriplegic who needs to modify her home to accommodate her disability.

Darleen Dano, 59, requested permission to add an extra room to her first floor and build a wheelchair lift on her garage in early July, but the association did not respond to her request.

Dano suffered severe injuries in a car accident in January and has spent months learning how to live with a broken spine. On Monday, Dano was released from St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton but went to a nursing home until her home is modified.

On Friday, the Highland Greens Homeowners Assn. asked for more details on the additions.

“The board of directors advised Ms. Dano that it could, in concept, agree to a room addition but required greater detail” about its architectural design, said a statement released Tuesday by the association’s attorney, Janet Powers.

The board asked Dano to submit her plans and agreed to “expedite approval,” the statement said.