Welcome & Introduction

Welcome to It's About Mobility!

First things, first. You may be wondering what “it” is and why it’s about mobility? Well, “it” is virtually everything that we do. And It's About Mobility because just about everything we do hinges on our #mobility; our ability to move from place to place. Moving from place to place could be as seemingly simple as getting in or out of bed, moving from room to room in your house, or getting to and from the car.

My name is Audrey. I use a walker.

This is a fairly new development for me and I was not prepared for it. I had no idea about the multitude of ways, large and small, that my changed mobility would affect my life. But change my life, it did. So this is personal. Very personal.

Limited mobility or mobility impairment is a #disability. Although it can be caused by a lot of different things there is one thing that is clear. And that is that whether it is caused by a disease, an accident, a congenital disorder or is the result of a neuromuscular or orthopedic #impairment, it is a disability. And like all disabilities, it limits a person's ability to participate in typical daily activities.

I am not the only one. Unfortunately, managing limited mobility has become one of the major issues that is also affecting many of my friends and family members. According to a report from The #UniversityofCalifornia - #DisabilityStatisticsCenter, “Just over 6.8 million community-resident Americans use assistive devices to help them with mobility.

So, when a friend suggested building a website that could be a resource for people with limited mobility, particularly in reference to access, I thought we were just having an interesting conversation. I certainly didn’t intend to give it any thought after that. The problem was that I could not shake the idea. And believe me, I tried to do just that. I thought of all the reasons why I couldn’t or shouldn’t but it just didn’t seem to matter. Finally, after some serious and almost tortuous consideration, I decided that instead of just being frustrated and making myself crazy I might as well give it a go.

Now here we are. I am creating this website with the goal of increasing awareness, advocacy, and support specifically for those of us with limited mobility. I recognize that the audience is small but that doesn’t mean that it should be ignored. We shouldn’t be ignored. I am passionate about being better, doing better and thriving in spite of the challenges of living with limited mobility. And I really do believe that “Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought life would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are actually living“ (Rachel Marie Martin). I am trying to do that and I am trying to encourage others to do it as well.

I am new to all of this . . . having #mobility issues, building websites, and blogging so I am sure that there will be pitfalls along the way. This is a work in progress and to be honest I have no idea where it will go or what it will look like along the way. My hope is that it will be a positive experience and as I grow through this process you, as visitors to this website will be engaged and supportive, and that you will bear with me as I find my way.

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. (Helen Keller)

Note: I originally wrote this post in October 2018. Then I started this note in 2019. It is now 2020 and we are in the midst of a pandemic.

In terms of this project 2018 seems like an eternity ago. Back then the idea was new and shiny and I was running full tilt with it. I was so hyped on the idea of changing the world by creating a website and a non-profit organization and doing whatever else I needed to do to address an issue that is very important to me and one that I thought (and still think) is being largely overlooked. That may have been a little naive, but hey, it worked for me at the time.

I am still very excited about the idea, however in the intervening months it seems like a lot has changed. The reality though is that nothing has changed . . . other than my perspective and the fact that some of our activities will have to be put on hold. I think that initially I bit off more than I could chew. I was taken over by a sense of urgency. I wanted to do it all right then and there. And the more I did the more I discovered I wanted to do. It was almost inevitable that if I kept going full tilt like that 24/7 at some point I would hit a wall.

The good thing is that I did not crash and burn. I have, however, had to re-examine what I wanted to accomplish and how. I now know 3 things for sure. The first is that I am still excited. Yay! The second is that I am completely in awe of the possibilities. And the third is that I want to accomplish way more than I originally thought. I see all kinds of things that can and need to be done in order to increase the quality of life for people with limited mobility.

So without further ado . . . here we go!