UNLESS someone like you cares - wheelchair accessibility

Picnicking with McDonald’s french fries under sunny skies on a 66˚F (18.8˚C)afternoon only got better when followed by a movie and popcorn. In Patti’sworld, after two decades of Multiple Sclerosis sometimes eating for tastetrumps eating for health.

While dysphagia is always a clear and present danger at least thesecomfort foods require no assistance for self-feeding and are easy to monitor.Empowerment can also be a treat.  

"The Lorax" was 90 minutes of pure enjoyment, practicallyan animated musical. Of course there was a 'message' about protecting theenvironment but as with all Seuss stories the telling of the story is just sodarn entertaining and fun.

While we are blessed to own a wheelchair accessible van that empowersPatti’s freedom, not everyone is. Perhaps even most families caring for some needing a wheelchair do not.

With budget cuts looming, people in wheelchairs, their caregiversand families that depend on subsidized public accessible transportation orcontracted providers face an unknown tomorrow. Everything from access tomedical care to independence to access to family and friends could shrink.

Like everywhere, Pennsylvania’s budget in these economic times is createdwith scissors. Gov. Corbett is proposing $620 million in cuts to human servicesprograms; $422 million from basic education on top of the $765 million cut fromlast year’s budget, 20% cuts to colleges, 35% from State parks, and ‘zerofunding’ for public transportation.

Yet this is democracy and these are ‘proposed cuts’ it is time forall interested parties to speak up and be heard. 


MS Awareness in particular is not about one month or one week a year or glitzy ad campaigns. It's about keeping your eyes, ears, and mouth open.

That’s why I found this most disturbing for it is the double whammyof cuts to social services and zero public transportation funding that couldmost affect the lives of those needing wheelchairs. “Able-bodied people hadunfettered access to stairs and elevators that lead to Gov. Tom Corbett’soffice on Wednesday. People in wheelchairs did not.” Disability activists targeted in enforcement of Pa. State Capitol's restricted access policy

"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

nothing's going to get better: it's not."

“The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer 

videos: www.youtube.com/daddyleer

disability perspective / MS

Q ...What is a disability perspective?

A ... disability perspective is a viewpoint that considers the needsand aspirations of disabled people and their families.

I offer as an example a tale of two stories...

“Christmas By The Lake” Boiling Springs, PA

When surreal becomes real, you’re just glad you were part ofit.  “Christmas by the Lake” hosted bythe Boiling Springs High School Alumni Association could not have been a moreenjoyable winter outing.

Upon arriving we found wheelchair van accessible parking availablein front of Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Lowering our van ramp we found ourselves also in the staging areaof the Pioneer Girls (a variation of Girl Scout Daisies) and parents. Our‘transformer’ van quickly became show and tell to young inquiry minds who inturn shared with us all their exciting adventures lighting the luminaires. Welaughed and smiled as the curious ‘heart of childhood’ embraced differences sohonestly and innocently.

Our push and roll around the lake was mesmerizing with hundreds ofreal luminaries plus a fully lit Christmas Tree floating in the lake. Patti inher wool cape, mittens, hat and buggy bag wheelchair lap blanket declared shewas “quite toasty” in spite of a ‘real feel of 29˚F (-1.6˚C)’.

When we needed to abandon the path and use the side of the streetfor a block, the reflective strip on Patti wheelchair lap blanket shone like abeacon in the lights of approaching cars.

Christmas music filled the air, Santa roamed about ho ho hoing and chestnutsand marshmallows were available for roasting over a fire pit.  Everything was free including hot chocolate,hot dogs, and Christmas cookies. MS symptoms of dysphagia restricted us to hotchocolate and cookies but that was ‘no problemo’, they were delicious.

Horse drawn carriage rides were also available but we did notexplore as rarely are they easily accessible and Patti could care less - shealready has me, her trusty one-man open sleigh horse.
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Now the same event as reported by mainstream media … Lights line the lake in annual Boiling Springs event
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12% of Americans are affected by disability, add in theircaregivers and families and you are talking about a quarter to a third of anycommunity’s population.

Including disability perspective into news or promotions is notabout political correctness, it is inclusive and welcoming to people of allabilities.

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer 

videos: www.youtube.com/daddyleer