Despite having a wheelchair with a smorgasbord of other disabilities with Bridger, we are determined to live a life of inclusion. So we press on in our pursuit of the accessible.
We will turn the inaccessible into the accessible.
Pretty sure that even our off-road wheelchair couldn't take this on. . .
So we found some wheels that could.
We try to find a way for Bridger to participate in all of the adventures and fun that our family wants to experience. I spoke with the tour operator months before to ensure that they could manage Bridger's requirements - which included adequate support and restraint, a cover for seizure protection from the sun and the ability to "abort mission" and end the tour at any given moment should Bridger not be able to manage the tour.
They fit the bill so our accessible "hike" through the famous Hell's Revenge of Moab began. It is rare that there is an activity that causes both a 12 year old boy and his 7 year old brother with special needs to simultaneously scream with delight - but THIS was a win for both! The commotion coming from the boys caused me to overlook the quiet little mouse who sat scared stiff in her seat. Shortly into the ride I turned around to see how Eliza was loving it.
She wasn't.
She had buried the water bottles into her eyes to cover them up and there they remained for nearly the entire ride. The color was completely drained from her face. One more thing to add to the list for her future therapist to revisit for sure.
I pulled her up to sit next to me in the middle row and together we made it through. Because, secretly, I was wanting to push two water bottles into my eye sockets too.
Everyone was fascinated by the dinosaur footprints that we got to step in.
The girls were a bucket of shrills in the backseat.
We traveled through a few steep [insert understatement] parts and enjoyed the beautiful sunset over the desert.
It doesn't just take a wheelchair path and a wide doorway to be accessible to us. Accessibility is something that we find or otherwise create. A Hummer tour over the red rocks of Moab = Accessible fun for everyone!
