50 Abilities, Unlimited Possibilities Review

I read about Paul Erway and his team’s experiences traveling and racing in Vermont and New Mexico. I am amazed by the amount of racing and traveling they did to complete races in all 50 states. By detailing encounters he and his team found meaningful toward explaining the lives of wheelchair users, he conveys the challenges and triumphs they navigate in everyday life. 

With every story, Erway shares a few insights about the trip to the state he and his team visited. When he traveled to Vermont, it was apparent how much extra planning and patience is required in navigating an airport when you are in a wheelchair. Erway explains how he was lucky to find a parking spot that has enough room for him to deploy his ramp, struggled to fit his luggage/ racing chair into the elevator, and had to wait on all the able-bodied people in order to leave the airplane once he arrives in Vermont. Another example of the planning that it takes just to travel for wheelchair users is when Erway’s team traveled to Roswell, New Mexico. There were no flights available in the time frame they were looking for, so they had to recruit a friend to assist in driving and endure a 7-hour car ride. 

The team also had to account for unexpected hurdles as they encountered a local, small marathon race in New Mexico. The race included long sections on bike paths, which were narrow and winding. Because their chairs took up more space and allowed for less mobility during turns in the course, they were worried that they would impede on others ability to pass by on the path. The racers took action prior to the race by thoughtfully coordinating with an official, who allowed an accommodation for the wheelchair racers to start 2 minutes early to get ahead on the bike paths. Although these encounters with obstacles may seem simple to solve, there are often a lot of extra steps that a person in a wheelchair must take in order to achieve the same outcome as a person who is not in a wheelchair. They have to plan for the inconveniences and inconsistencies within an environment that does not always provide equitable measures for their circumstances. 

One example of an event that had a more developed sense of equity was the race in Vermont. Before the race, the technical coordinator reported to the team that enrollment of push rim users and hand cyclist in the wheelchair division had grown quickly over the last few years. This race was more inclusive of wheelchair users because it provided an opportunity to compete in a division for wheelchair users, but also against all competitors outside of the division who varied in age and method of racing. By including this division, the Vermont race advocated for the inclusion of wheelchair users in marathon races; this allows for increased publicity, because a wheelchair user will be announced as a winner of the division, and accessibility to the division for wheelchair users to enroll in future races.

The stories of Paul Erway and his friends remind me that people in wheelchairs encounter obstacles within our everyday world that are both societal and environmental. We are surrounded by systems that are bias toward what is considered normal with little consideration to people who function differently. Although we have made great strides toward equality within these systems, it is important that we give weight to the needs of others living outside of the typical experience so that we allow for opportunities for everyone to live life to the fullest. In the case of wheelchair users, we can do this by applying ADA guidelines to spaces even if not required, advertising events that are usually for able bodied people to wheelchair users, or using more inclusive language when writing rules for athletic events. We can increase inclusion by building a space and community that is supportive and equipped to meet the requirements of wheelchair users and in turn, other wheelchair users will be more encouraged to participate in activities that they might have considered to be outside of their abilities.

                                                                        References

Erway, P. (2019). 50 abilities, unlimited possibilities: Racing to the final finish line from Salt Lake City to the mountains of Montana. Silver Tree Communications.

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