Making It Accessible - Week of May 19th

"Accessibility allows us to tap into everyone's potential." ~Debra Ruh

As we live in Cameron's world, we realize the difference in accessible options. We've encountered places advertised as barrier-free, but entering certain areas won't work for a 450 lb power wheelchair like Cam's.

Jane had to fly out early Tuesday morning for an overnight business trip. Her layover in Detroit led to a very cool discovery.  The Detroit Metro Airport now uses automated wheelchair service in their Delta wing.  Cam's mom did a double-take as the "robot power wheelchair" went past her. When she asked an airport employee about the self-propelled "robots" they explained that it's a new program they're using and it's been very successful thus far.

On Friday, Cameron had the day off of school for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.  For lunch, Jane and her son hosted Ms. Jill and Ms. Sandy from the Renew Mobility board to discuss a summer celebration they're planning to thank the staff and volunteers.  

Cam looks up to Jill because she uses a power wheelchair, works at Aquinas College and drives her own adaptive van.  He was able to see it close up when she got ready to leave.  Cameron had never seen a van without a driver's seat to accommodate a wheelchair.

Saturday was a long awaited reveal for our family.  Thanks to Oma, a new completely accessible boardwalk was nearing completion at the cottage!  The old walkway to the cottage was over 55 years old and needed replacing. 

Cam's grandma made it possible for a walkway without steps or stairs to be built and connected directly to the cottage. We are so grateful for Oma! Cameron had never been able to drive his power wheelchair into the lakeshore home.  Being dependent on someone else versus using your own independence makes a world of difference.

With the longer weekend, we stayed over two nights. It was unreal watching Cam relax in his own chair.  

We played with our little cousins since it was too cool to be on the beach.  An outdoor cookout in the lake breeze felt like the first taste of summer.

As an added bonus, Cam can have our new cart attached to his chair so he can help with the transportation of items to and from the cottage.

We were the recipients of two gorgeous sunsets, lazy breakfasts, and delightful relaxation.  Here's hoping there are multiple repeats this summer. 

Camology Quotes:

With time to himself over the weekend, Cam took advantage of some down time by watching a few shows on his tablet. At one point, Jane had to ask him a question multiple times and was laughing, saying he must be in a different world, to which her son commented: 

"In my defense, I was paying attention to my iPad!"