Recommendations. Reflections. Advocacy.
Support Claire Facing adversity is the acid test of our character. At no time in my life has this been more true than when confronted with the impact of a rare disease called facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD or FSH). As muscle groups from the face to the feet atrophy, affecting my ability to walk, lift, … Continue reading Bending Focus: Lessons from a Rare Disease
Support Claire A woman on a mobility scooter, her husband on a bike, and their caregiver in a transport vehicle roll into a parking lot of the Grand Canyon when a stranger approaches them and says, "I'm disabled, but you're more disabled than I am. Good for you for seeing the park." (No joke.) The … Continue reading How to Successfully Engage with People with Disabilities
Support Claire This is a spin for the bucket list! With breathtaking vistas of ancient sandstone formations flanked by scented junipers spiring into bright blue Arizona sky – some of the most photographed scenery in the world – this scooter ride is spectacular! Getting There From Phoenix, take the I-17 north, exit 298 onto SR-179 … Continue reading Scootering Sedona’s Red Rock Scenic Byway (Arizona SR 179)
Support Claire McDowell Mountain Road McDowell Mountain Road The longer the pandemic lingers globally, the more my husband Lou and I discover places to spin locally. In doing so in 2021, we came upon a favorite new route: McDowell Mountain Road, a super scenic, eight-mile stretch connecting Fountain Hills to Rio Verde, AZ. Mountainous southwestern … Continue reading Our Favorite Spin of 2021
Support Claire Not far from Scottsdale lies a scenic gem of the Tonto National Forest known as Needle Rock Recreation Area. Its sole byway is Needle Rock Road. Pictures don't do justice to the beautiful vistas that unfold along this 3-mile stretch, (though I will certainly post a few). Four Peaks in the … Continue reading Spinning Scenic Needle Rock Rd – Rio Verde, AZ
Support Claire Traveling differently abled has never been better. ADA legislation coupled with ever growing consumer demand has greatly improved the availability of quality accessible travel in the USA and abroad. That said, as someone who travels as often as possible while managing FSH muscular dystrophy, I find that the following measures best ensure successful … Continue reading Top Tips When Booking Accessible Travel
Support Claire Given beautiful weather, my husband and I often head to Peoria's New River Trail for some scenic urban spinning. This popular trail system has it all, including easy accessibility for mobility devices. Getting there Handicap parking and ADA restrooms are readily available at Rio Vista Community Park (8866 W. Thunderbird Road, Peoria). This … Continue reading Scootering New River Trail, Peoria, AZ
Support Claire Spoiler alert: This ADA accessible desert adventure will make others pale in comparison. It has for us. Since discovering Apache Wash Trailhead, my husband Lou and I go a couple of times a week. For spectacular spinning, it's simply one of the most beautiful accessible trail systems we've encountered in the Phoenix area … Continue reading Best Scootering in the Sonoran Desert – Apache Wash Trailhead, Phoenix
Support Claire Santa Fe, the country's oldest state capital, is chock full of accessible adventure. Whether you're going for the art, a fabulous meal, incredible (window) shopping, or an outdoor spin, this picturesque city delivers in spades. Maximize your experience by knowing the best places to play and stay for accessibility. Here are our top … Continue reading Where to Play and Stay in Accessible Santa Fe
Support Claire Uplifting and informative, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum is an accessible travel must. This collection of works by the "Mother of American modernism" exudes the empowering dynamics of a talented artist who learned the rules, and then unabashedly proceeded to reinvent them on her own terms with great commercial success - yeah, she rocked … Continue reading Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe
Support Claire Note: Although this post specifies my Scottsdale home base, its cautionary message applies nationwide, urging increased driver awareness of mobility device users sharing the road. Dangerously so, it happened again this morning: Scottsdale drivers came close to hitting my mobility scooter while I was transiting a crosswalk. Many of these chronic traffic violators … Continue reading Scottsdale: Hell on Wheels
Support Claire Mobility is nobility in any form it takes, including riding a mobility scooter. Whether I'm cruising around the block for some fresh air or scootering the biking trails of a national park, I'm happy to be moving on my own accord. Pride Pursuit To that end, my candy apple red Pride Pursuit mobility … Continue reading 10 Top Tips for Buying a Mobility Scooter
Support Claire With over 10,000 roses on display, there's a lot of ground to cover--4.5 acres to be exact--at Portland’s International Rose Test Garden (commonly referred to as Portland Rose Garden). Thanks to voters’ passage of the 2014 Parks Replacement Bond, enhanced ADA accessibility makes exploring this beautifully landscaped park easier for those of us … Continue reading Accessibility at Portland’s International Rose Test Garden
Support Claire Access advocacy works! Many thanks to everyone who contributed constructive comments regarding the need for ADA automatic front door openers at Regal Cinemas. After my original post (Where are the ADA automatic front door openers at Regal Cinemas?) and other collaborative calls for action, this critical accessibility feature was added in Fall 2018 at … Continue reading Regal Cinemas Bridgeport Improves Accessibility
Support Claire The unassuming city of Cottage Grove is the home of one of Oregon’s most gorgeous recreational multi-use trails, the Row River Trail. The paved, mostly flat path offers the perfect adventure: spectacular scenery, interesting history and great accessibility for mobility devices of all kinds. It’s a perennial day trip from Portland for my … Continue reading Scootering the Row River Trail, Oregon
Support Claire Sure, like so many others on mobility devices, we took in dinner and a show after cruising The Strip. (I got around easily in my Jazzy red power chair.) But, by far, the most interesting thing my husband Lou and I did in Las Vegas was to take a one-hour guided tour of … Continue reading Neon Boneyard, Las Vegas
Support Claire When service is selfless, it brings joy and peace. When it is rendered with attachment, it brings pain and suffering. If we experience suffering in service, we can examine the way we offered it. An exquisite path of awakening!—Ellen Grace O'Brian There was a knock on the door, the entry from the open … Continue reading Confessions of a Caregiver, Vol. 3, When Opportunity Knocks
Support Claire For travelers with or without disabilities, Las Vegas is becoming less about the casinos, and more about “The Experience.” Whether you’re looking for award-winning cuisine, color beyond compare, or a blast of contemporary culture, you’ll find it in “the city that never sleeps." And with great accessibility. I’ve never seen more scooters per capita … Continue reading Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden, Las Vegas
Support Claire As frequent travelers to Ashland‘s Oregon Shakespeare Festival, my husband and I have stayed all over the city. By far, Lithia Springs Resort is our favorite accommodation for several reasons, starting with accessibility. I always aim to book early to get the ADA compliant room we most prefer, which is the patio bungalow … Continue reading Accessible Travel: Lithia Springs Resort, Ashland, OR
Support Claire You can tell a lot about a city by the way it greets visitors with disabilities. Palm Springs does a good job in this regard at its Visitors Information Center North. Even though you may have sorted your desert paradise accessible vacation online, it’s still worth a twirl to this iconic building (if … Continue reading Palm Springs Visitors Center