Creating a Differently Abled Community - Inspiring People & Helpful Tips

We often reflect on the most important aspects of the various communities we serve. Having recently attended an expo dedicated to these communities, we were reminded how important it is for these groups to find inspiration, and each other. This has been quite the year so far; we’ve compiled our favorite stories from this year. We’ve included notable people making a difference in their communities, extreme wheelchair athletes, and some of our favorite tips for interacting with wheelchair users.

Here are the most inspiring people and helpful tips we have highlighted so far this year!

1. Dr. Robert Cope has been a cattle vet for more than 40 years and isn’t letting his wheelchair deter him from doing what he loves - saving animals! He’s still doing what he’s passionate about, even if it looks a little different now.
   
   
2. Michael Wilson, a Vietnam war veteran finally receives a shed to store his power wheelchair after waiting 2.5 years thanks to his community coming together. The power of community is often underestimated and under-utilized.
   
   
3. Wheelchair Etiquette Here are ten tips for proper etiquette when interacting with wheelchair users. Always make sure you’re being mindful whether it's a stranger or a friend. It’s important to understand how to interact with people of all different abilities.
   
   
4. Looking to travel? Here are 5 easy steps to flying if you’re a wheelchair user. Travel season is coming up and you deserve to go somewhere fun!
   
   
5. Wheelchair Accessible Bathroom - A local business owner is making it his mission to build a wheelchair accessible bathroom for a teenage boy with quadriplegic cerebral palsy.  He’s taking great care to help someone from his community at cost.
   
   
6. Disability And Kindness - Making assumptions about disabilities can be more harmful than you think. Here is the perspective of a woman who’s been in a wheelchair for 30 years, and her thoughts on society’s treatment of disabled people as a whole.
   
   
7. Accessibility - Improving accessibility comes in many different forms, not just physical, and they are all vital in order to improve the lives of people with disabilities. It’s important that we’re all working as a community to make our communities more accessible for everyone!
   
   
8. High School - Dan McKena’s high school construction class has been quietly working on charitable projects to benefit their community for more than two decades. The kids get to learn useful skills and contribute to their community.
   
   
9. Advocate - Here are 4 ways you can become an advocate for yourself and disability. Learning to advocate for yourself (or someone else in your community) is a skill necessary for people of all different abilities.
   
   
10. Disney - After 8 years, Disney is finally implementing a new system to accommodate visitors with disabilities at its theme parks so that everyone can enjoy the magic.

    11. 2022 Abilities Expo - Here we highlight our experience and the awesome           friends we made at the Los Angeles Abilities Expo from earlier this year!