Wheelchairs

 In class this week, we were assigned to read two chapters from the book "50 Abilities, Unlimited Possibilities: Wheeling Through 50 States From Jackson to the Boston Marathon Bombing" by Paul Erway. Each chapter in the book is about a marathon in a different state that Paul Erway participated in. The two states I chose to read and reflect on were Florida and Louisiana. 

Florida:

Miami, Florida was the 4th race Erway competed in. When Erway and others arrived in Miami, he had arranged for a wheelchair-accessible rental van for the weekend. It turned out that the van was not wheelchair-accessible, but the company said it was accommodating, meaning that the driver was strong enough to lift them into the van. They were later able to secure a wheelchair-accessible Caravan for the weekend through the help of the National Mobility Dealers Association. Their mission is to "unify and improve mobility equipment industry and help people with disabilities lead happy; healthy and more mobile lifestyles through the use of quality wheelchair accessible vehicles."(Erway, 2017). While in Miami, Erway was able to explore the area, eat at local cuisine restaurants, and visit the Miami Physical Therapy Association. At the Miami Physical Therapy Association, they got to meet Sabrina Cohen, a patient that had just completed her rehab after suffering a spinal cord injury. Erway expressed that he had a great experience teaming up with Team Achilles. Team Achilles picked up their race numbers, provided them with a special parking area, and tents were set up with pre-race and post-race food. When it was time for the pre-race line up for Team Achilles, they had vehicle escorts to the starting line. Erway described the race as filled with excitement and great weather. There were only hills at bridges and the they were always near water, with smooth roads. Wheelchair racers got a 10 minutes head start of the runners and as Erway was nearing the finish line he noticed a female runner was coming up behind him. He could see the finish line ribbon being set up, and he realized it was for the female racer to get the perfect picture. Erway didn't want to ruin her picture so he pulled off to the side until the winner's moment was captured and then he continued and crossed the finish line with the crowd applauding and cheering for him. Erway was inspired by the woman who had won the race and this race will be put on his list of repeats. 

My main takeaways after reading this chapter is to use the appropriate language. In this chapter the rental van company said they were accommodating for wheelchair users. Imagine the surprise when they found out that it was not accommodating for wheelchair users. Having the driver lift you into the van does not make the van wheelchair-accessible. Another takeaway I had from this chapter was that Erway was accomplishing an amazing goal by completing this marathon, yet he let someone else who was not in a wheelchair get the spotlight. He pulled off to the side so that runner could get her picture perfect moment and then he continued. I have such respect for him for doing that when it is a major accomplishment to finish a marathon whether your running it on foot or in a wheelchair. 

Louisiana: 

Marathon #7 took place in New Orleans, Louisiana. The trip to New Orleans was sponsored by Superior Van & Mobility. This company is able to adapt vehicles for a person with a disability. The first stop on their schedule was at Baton Rouge Rehab Hospital. There, Roxane Bingham, the rehabilitation liaison gave then a tour of the hospital. The next stop was the Touro Rehabilitation Center, this center is a regional referral center and home to a nationally recognized program for brain and spinal cord injuries, and comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation. It was one of the first hospitals in the United States to have a physical therapy department. This race was apart of the Rock 'n' Roll series. During this race, assistance was needed as it was termed a point-to-point event. This means it required someone to get their everyday chairs from the starting area to the finish area, once they were transferred into their racing chairs. This race was a very flat race. There were live jazz bands during the race and the local community was cheering everyone on. 

My takeaways from this chapter was that it is very valuable to have a team that helps you. Erway said that this race in particular required you to have someone to get your everyday chairs from start to finish. If they didn't have this person they wouldn't have been able to participate in the race. Another takeaway is that it is very rewarding to have sponsorships. This trip was sponsored by Superior Van & Mobility. This sponsorship helped cover some of the cost of the trip. Erway went to 50 different states and races in 50 different marathons. Having partnerships like this makes it a little bit easier to be able to accomplish this big goal. It is also important for the company to get their name out in the community so they can help those in need. This company adapts vehicles for a person with a disability. In my opinion, this is a very important company. For instance, in the previous chapter I read, the van they rented was not adaptable but this company could help to make it adaptable. 

References:

Erway, P. (2017). 50 abilities, unlimited possibilities: Wheeling through 50 states from Jackson to the Boston marathon bombing. Silver Tree Publishing.