Monday, March 18, 2024

MUSEUM HOPPING IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT

MOTOR CITY WHEELCHAIR MOBILITY


To maximize your time or simply save your energy, the QLINE, Detroit’s free streetcar, runs along Woodward for 3.3 miles from a point near the Detroit River to the New Center area.

It has accessible seating near its doors, and each boarding station has a gently ramped boarding platform so the streetcar can be rolled onto directly with no worries about broken lifts or driver-activated ramps.

As a lifetime Detroiter and an ADA coordinator for Disability Network Wayne County Detroit, Jaime Junior is no stranger to the QLINE and the dos and don’ts of accessing the urban core.

Junior, who has cerebral palsy, notes that while the QLINE is a great amenity, sometimes its tracks can interfere with crosswalks when they are not well maintained.

She also urges caution traversing crosswalks, as a surprising number of them are riddled with manhole covers.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

MUSEUM HOPPING IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT

MOTOR CITY WHEELCHAIR MOBILITY


For several decades, some very bad policy, politics and the loss of tens of thousands of good jobs placed Detroit pretty low on many people’s travel lists.

Much has changed, especially for those who love urban vacations highlighted by historic architecture, world-class museums, countless entertainment and sports venues, eclectic eats and reliable public transportation.

All this and other amenities give Detroit an enduring sense of place and significance befitting a great American city.

The core of Detroit is thriving and surprisingly accessible.

And yes, for those who ask — the streets are safe, even far into the night

Woodward Avenue is an excellent place for any wheelchair user to start exploring downtown Detroit.

Often referred to as “Detroit’s Main Street,” Woodward runs 27 miles from the Riverfront to Pontiac, Michigan.

Over a century after making history with the first mile of concrete-paved road in America in 1909, Woodward now is ideal for wheelchair users, with wide sidewalks and densely packed attractions.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

I HAVE AN IMDB ENTRY

NEVER THOUGHT I’D BE ON INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE


Thanks to Ron Small, Paul Bookman and the wonderful team making the documentary “Mark – A Call to Action” – I’m on IMDB.

I appear in the 90-minute film portraying a life well-lived by Ivy League-educated global disability leader/influencer Mark Bookman. Mark achieved 100 years of brilliance in a life the ended at age 31.

To continue his legacy of inclusive design and much more, I’m on camera talking about the positives – from safer pedestrian mobility to aging in place – that come with Universal Design and town planning that includes people with disabilities.

As a cast member, I have a brief listing on IMDB – one of the 50 most-visited sites on the internet.

The film debuts in Tokyo in February. I hope to be there – with the team that has made me a part of the family.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26931769/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49tk8fKAJxo



Friday, March 15, 2024

SHE CONSIDERED SUICIDE BUT FOUND US — AND HOPE – INSTEAD

OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORT TEAM RALLIED AROUND A PERSON

AT WIT’S END – LITERALLY SAVING HER LIFE


Ultimately, Sarah found an affordable unit to rent that is accessible to enter and adaptable inside.

She lives in a temperate rural area – which is good for managing her MS.

With her resiliency restored and United Spinal in her corner, Sarah is ready to begin sharing her story.

She wants the government to address disability not with assisted suicide but with meaningful access to housing, transportation, employment, education, plus health and attendant care.

She has picked up the advocacy megaphone again and is grateful to United Spinal for saving her life.

 

 

Thursday, March 14, 2024

SHE CONSIDERED SUICIDE BUT FOUND US — AND HOPE – INSTEAD

OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORT TEAM RALLIED AROUND A PERSON

AT WIT’S END – LITERALLY SAVING HER LIFE


“It’s not that she wanted to do it, but she couldn’t find any way to sustain herself. Matt, Jane and I had a Zoom call with her,” Steve said of Sarah’s contemplating the end of her life. 

“It was a very tearful conversation, where we basically assured her, ‘You are safe in our hands — you do not need to take that drastic step of going up to Vermont to surrender to death.’”

“She was like, ‘OK, I see you’re in my corner, you’re going to fight with and for me and help me,’” said Steve, noting the team then started researching every potential solution and making calls.

“In the end, she did a lot of work on her own.  

Our role in this particular case was to be human, passionate and empathetic.”

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

SHE CONSIDERED SUICIDE BUT FOUND US — AND HOPE – INSTEAD

OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORT TEAM RALLIED AROUND A PERSON

AT WIT’S END – LITERALLY SAVING HER LIFE


Working with an acclaimed disability rights and inclusion advocate who now had a disability and was running out of options resonated with Matt.

“Our team works hard to break down barriers.

But we also have an empathetic ear.

I gave Sarah my cell number. 

She called at 9 p.m. sometimes.

I don’t want someone to feel that isolation and disconnection that I felt post-injury,” says Matt, a C6 quadriplegic.

Steve, who has been instrumental in expanding United Spinal’s grassroots network of member-advocates in virtually every Congressional district, knew Sarah from her days as a fierce advocate.

They had lost contact for a couple of years, and then he found his brilliant and resourceful friend contemplating a path toward exiting from life.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

SHE CONSIDERED SUICIDE BUT FOUND US — AND HOPE – INSTEAD

OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORT TEAM RALLIED AROUND A PERSON

AT WIT’S END – LITERALLY SAVING HER LIFE


Sarah’s lifetime of advocacy familiarized her with United Spinal, especially its Community Support group, formerly the Resource Center.

After the webinar, she reached out and soon had a whole team behind her: Matt Castelluccio, Vice President of Community Support; Lindsey Elliott, Senior Director of Community and Peer Support; Stephen Lieberman, Director, Advocacy & Policy; and Jane Wierbicky, Nurse Information Specialist.

“Some organizations meant to help people are short-staffed, so the person seeking assistance gets passed from one resource to another.

Or they reach voicemail, not a person,” says Jane. 

“What sets us apart is that we are a small team, but we try to get people on the phone to hear them out. 

We are not miracle workers but doing it with passion and human feeling is what people get from United Spinal.”