A Wheelchair View

Beyond the Silver Lining by Etha Walters I took this photo while sitting on the patio of my new apartment. The blue sky and big fluffy clouds greeted me with such promise for a fresh new start. When my husband told me a year ago that he wanted a divorce, I had no idea how much my life would change. The last six months have been the most devastating. I sold everything that I could to move including much of my photography equipment, and literally felt stripped of everything. This heavenly view, right off my patio gives me great hope in what is to come. It is just me and Miss Cleo (My cat) now, and I am adjusting quite well to my new environment, and yes, living alone. Moving furniture and boxes around with my body and my wheelchair reminds me that I am still strong and I can still do this. Other challenges take a little more practice and commitment, but that is just life in a wheelchair. Now that I am settled, it is time to rebuild my life. The kids are gone and I am now single ...

It has become a long term goal to move to Cincinnati, Ohio from my small town of Hamilton, Ohio for quite some time. The reasons are countless, more accessibility in housing, transportation and jobs, as well as more opportunity to show and sell my artwork. My husband and I are going through a separation so I thought that this is the moment to make the big move happen. One more leap of faith into the middle of great hope and humble dreams. Here in Hamilton there are few resources for the kind of independence that a big city has to offer, but moving further away from family and into the arms of friends that I haven’t even made yet is both scary and exciting. However, I know if I do not make the effort and take the risk I will regret it. With every goal comes effort and resilience. I must keep a determination to go knock on the next door when the one I have been beating on closes. Sometimes I feel like I am just having a staring contest with a teddy bear and it is inevitable that I will ...

Of all the terrains I have been on this one looks fairly simple. I rarely challenge my scooter's mobility when I am on a solo shoot. I am comfortable with pavement and shallow gravel and trails through low cut grass. I did recently get into a situation that was a steep incline and of all of my concerns I never thought that a stall on a steep hill would happen. Especially with well charged batteries. That is exactly what happened. I almost topped a  steep incline, not much higher than the one pictured here and right before reaching the top my scooter stalled and stopped. Having a fear of heights I was determined not to look back the very long slowly rising incline. I pulled my key out and pushed it back in to try to restart it but nothing. The circuit had been thrown and the button I needed to reset it was out of reach from my position. This is typically when anger and fear ultimately kick in. I got my cellphone and called my husband. While I was wa...

This Election Day was an exciting and proud day for all minorities. Obama’s win is a profound example of how the face of America has changed over the last five decades. It is a representation of true equality and equal access to the greatest job anyone could have in the United States of America. This January 20th America will unite to swear in her very first African American President marking this Inauguration the biggest of our time. Despite claims of being the most accessible of inaugurations the International Press takes notice that equal access unfortunately does not apply; including seniors, the disabled and parents of young children, it's going to be a fierce challenge to see Barack Obama take the oath of office. Washington Metro has warned that the days before, during and after the Inauguration crowds and security conditions will limit access of service. Station escalators will be turned off which means long lines at elevators that are needed for wheelchairs, strollers and ...