Quick tidbits from Disabled Explorers

[jcbrandon]

Disabled Explorers at the San Diego Auto Show

Disabled Explorers showed off the WAVE 4x4 van project in the Sportsmobile booth at the San Diego Auto Show last week. Drew huge crowds. AutoTrader.com noticed:

"One-of-a-Kind Vehicles - San Diego Auto Show"

http://www.autotrader.com/research/...-of-a-kind-vehicles---san-diego-auto-show.jsp

 

[1leglance]

It's about time someone other than me was in a pic!
I keep saying it's not about me it's about the difference it makes in peoples lives.

We had huge crowds...signed up 4 sheets worth of people, far more than I expected.
Looks like the WAVE will be crusing I-8 often.

Big thanks to Jerry 1leg and Chris for the help at the show....oh and that tank tracked monster on the lift...yeah just keep watching for more on that.

Good to see Justin -Gear and SAR at the show...always nice to see old friends and meet new ones.

 

[jcbrandon]

Disabled and Thriving

Melissa Blake, columnist for the Psychology Today "Disabled and Thriving" blog interviews our own Lance Blair today:

Non-Profit Organization Explores The Road Less Traveled. How one organization goes off the beaten path

Ms Blake writes:

This week, I got to chat with Lance Blair, the founder of a non-profit organization called Disabled Explorers. Using independent, individualized, backcountry four-wheel-drive travel, the organization takes those with disabilities off the beaten path to show them the world.

More at:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...y-non-profit-organization-explores-the-road-l

 

[wanderer-rrorc]

Disabled Explorers stopped in at Coco's Corner in Baja on December 2. We were greetly warmly by Coco himself and learned about his life as a double amputee in a remote part of Mexico. He walks on thick leather pads on his knees as he is not able to get good functional prosthetic legs.




...]

that sucks about his other leg...he's in the Movie "Dust to Glory" (my fav!)...and really seemes like a great guy!!

 

[1leglance]

The guy is all heart...really inspiring to talk to and watch what he has done to carve out a life for himself.

 

[1leglance]

Great day yesterday....
got off work from a crazy night in the ICU and went straight to visits some folks about something fun down the road...
then stayed awake awhile longer to answer voice mails & emails..
including 1 from a para in the east side of town..
called him & went over after lunch to show him the wave and sign him up for a outing...
went home to hang with family then...
over to a Boy Scout Order of the Arrow meeting to present on the Disablility Awareness Merit Badge, signed up some of them as volunteers and even better a few knew disabled youth that had never camped but want to!
Then back home to work on emails and plan...
Awake for a total of 32hrs and love'n it.

 

[jcbrandon]

Disabled Explorers featured on BraunAbility blog

Disabled Explorers is featured on the BraunAbility blog:

http://www.braunability.com/ability...lorers-takes-braunability-to-the-backcountry/

BraunAbility is the largest company in the mobility industry. They make wheelchair lifts and other equipment for people with disabilities. Here's a quote from the article:

"Through an ambitious organization called Disabled Explorers, people with physical challenges now have the opportunity to explore even the most remote corners of the backcountry."

 

[jcbrandon]

Disabled Explorers attended the annual conference of the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association in Reno, Nevada February 10-12. We had met one of the officers of the organization in November at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. He strongly encouraged us to attend this conference and paved the way to make it possible.

It took us a couple of days but we found out why. The industry is small and is centered around getting disabled people into minivans. It is searching for something, anything, to get excited about. So that's why they wanted Disabled Explorers and our Wheelchair Accessible Van for Expeditions to join their party.

The WAVE is sort of the opposite of a minivan. It definitely drew crowds and got a lot of attention. We met with most of the manufacturers and distributors who shape the mobility industry in North America. Most of them were very receptive to our project and our organization. It turns out that overland travel for disabled people is just the ticket.

We'll be working with this association and its members to bring more choices to the disabled community.

Here's a photo of one of our new friends in the mobility industry investigating the WAVE as a model for his own camper van.