For the non-disabled community, the COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home recommendations have been quite a culture shock, especially for those that enjoy fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Losing access to establishments like gyms and fitness centers has caused challenges to staying fit. For many in the disabled community, access to accessible and welcoming gyms and fitness centers […]
If you’ve been following Wheel:Life for a while, you’ve probably noticed we’ve featured several stories with our partner Yoocan throughout 2019. As we enter into a new year, we wanted to remind our readers of the power of storytelling. When we share our struggles, victories, dreams, and accomplishments, we may be opening someone else’s world […]
In 2003, Jeff Butler was on his way home from his middle school football game when the car he was riding in was t-boned. The accident resulted in a broken neck at C5-6 for the 13-year-old and several months at various rehabilitation facilities across the United States. Thanks to a family friend, Butler discovered wheelchair […]
By now, we’ve all heard the reports — our modern way of life is destroying the planet we call home. Plastic fills our oceans, burning fossil fuels pollute the air we breathe, and wild pollinator counts continue to decline, threatening our ability to produce sufficient sustenance for our growing population. Yet, simply being aware a […]
Editor’s Note: In 2012, the Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University partnered with LightHouse for the Blind and took over Superfest, the longest-running disability film festival in the world. As the associate director at Longmore, Emily Smith Beitiks had the opportunity to take on the producer role for the 2013 festival and […]
Editor’s Note: In 2016, Moshe Gaon, a successful businessman and investor, put his other endeavors on hold to create Yoocan. Inspired by his nephew, who was born with a host of health conditions, he set out to build a global platform for people to share their stories of living with a disability. Three years later, […]
Editor’s Note: At the age of 20, Jim Parsons became paralyzed in an accident and began using a wheelchair for mobility. A college student at the time, he finished his degree at Indiana University and went on to receive an MBA from the same institution. Upon entering the working world, his career in business and […]
Editor’s Note: When fitness enthusiast Richard Corbett fell 50 feet while out for a jog in 2010, he broke both his legs, shattered an elbow, and sustained an L2 incomplete spinal cord injury. The next few years were spent in and out of rehab, both to recover from his physical injuries as well as his […]
Editor’s Note: When Hydred Makabali became paralyzed at the age of 18 due to a spinal cord injury, early adulthood proved drastically different than she had ever imagined. But after battling depression and moving out on her own, she began to develop critical life skills as she faced complete autonomy for the first time. With […]
Editor’s Note: Playing in bands and attending music festivals was a big part of Southern California native Austin Whitney’s youth. But when he sustained a spinal cord injury at the age of 18, his life changed dramatically. As is the case for most SCI survivors, the first few months of recovery proved difficult for Whitney. […]
