Maggie Davis and her husband Ken followed the Independent Living Movement, opening a housing scheme in the UK at Grove Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield in 1976.
They, along with other members Paul Hunt and Vic Finkelstein, of the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS), initiated the ideas that led to the development of the social model of disability.
In September 1972, Maggie and Ken established a cooperative to buy land, commission architects and design their own housing scheme, consisting of six flats three of which are wheelchair accessible.
[2] Through working with the architects, they were able to ensure that the building and adaptations met their needs and enabled them to no longer be reliant on non-disabled people helping them.
Their story was showcased in 2018 at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London in their 'Without Walls: Disability and Innovation in Building Design' Exhibition.