Sunday, April 22, 2018

Making the World More Accessible - Week of Apr. 16th

“We need to make every single thing accessible to every single person with a disability.”~ Stevie Wonder

Accessibility- the quality of being able to be reached or entered, the quality of being easy to obtain or use, the quality of being able to be easily understood or appreciated. 

Cam deals with the challenge of entering and moving through places on a daily basis.  Some places claim to be accessible, but there are most definitely varying degrees.  Without complaint, our son powers through a situation, often times indicating that we should contact the owner or business if something should be changed.
Our family considers the Lake Michigan cottage/aka Oma & Opa's home, the perfect getaway.  Since it was built in 1969, the doorways and design were not intended for wheelchair access.
Oma and Opa have wanted to assist in our mission to make areas easier to utilize for Cam.  Together, our families combined resources and funding to embark on the cottage bathroom remodel project.  Chris took the week off of work and joined forces with Emma's dad, Mr. Steve (a licensed contractor) to tackle the job.  Jane was very surprised when Monday was declared a snow day for Cam's school district.  With the mom vehicle full of supplies destined for the cottage, Cam and Jane ventured northward.  As they entered the highway, Cam declared "Huh, can you tell me why we have a snow day, Mom?"  We were very thankful for the clear roads, though, as well as our Aunt Joyce and Annie to keep Cam company while Jane dropped off the packed car.  Oma arrived to hang out with her grandson at the Schulze cottage.

Chris and Steve worked steadily, staying at the cottage for a total of three nights, while Oma and Opa stayed for two nights with Jane and Cam in GR.  As we were quick to recommend, the first portion of any remodel is loud and dirty.  We were not only thankful for Cam's grandparents staying with us during this time, but also for the extra help and great company!  The guys worked on through the week and made good progress gutting the bathroom, re-configuring the entrance as well as the build out of a new shower.


Saturday evening, we gathered together with the Raisch family for our weekly dinner.  It's funny how traditions begin and continue without one even realizing the importance or impact of its placement. 

On Sunday, Chris, his supervisor, Cam and Jane drove to the cottage to continue working.  Jane, Opa and Uncle Joe led cleanup duty while Chris worked on grouting and light installment with his trusty sidekick.
 
Of course, for a portion of the time, Cam also took a break from his supervisory role to entertain his grandma.



Camology Quotes:
Some evenings right before we say goodnight to Cam, he will recite his "deal" which includes a set of promises to his parents.  On one such night, it was apparent he has been listening to quite a few 'how-to' videos with his dad.

"Sleep all night, use your manners- please, thank you and excuse me... Go to my website and don't forget to subscribe to my podcast!"

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