Having your dreams of studying abroad dashed is something many college wheelchair-users have had to go through (me included), but it has finally happened to the wrong dude. Reid Davenport, a senior at George Washington University (GWU) with cerebral palsy, is channeling his anger into something constructive, and thanks to Kickstarter, will be leaving for Europe for three weeks where he will document the real heart of the issue – rampant inaccessibility in Europe.
When I was told I couldn’t study in Cuba for a month during my senior year (my 324lb wheelchair was too much for the 1950’s architecture), I just accepted it and moved on. If I could’ve paid for someone to come with, someone who would’ve literally been my slave the entire time and carried me whenever I needed it, it might have worked. But such wasn’t my luck and even though it’s been 10 years, it’s still something I‘ve never really gotten over. And that is why Reid’s story is so inspiring.
When Reid was told it was impossible to study abroad in Florence, Italy when he looked into it (he has family roots there and assumed since he didn’t need a PCA he could make it work). The program director said it was still too hard. There are stairs all over Florence. If you need a powerchair, she told him, don’t even bother.
Here is why living in 2011 is so much cooler then when I was in school. As a journalism major, Reid is doing the natural thing and has decided to not only document his story, but also the bigger question: Why are so many civilized Western European countries are still lax in providing accessibility? He used Kickstarter (Wheelchair Diaries: The Quest for Accessibility) to supplement a grant his school gave him, to try to pay for all the expenses to make a documentary. He not only met his $5,000 goal, but ended up with $8,500.
Reid, aided by the help of his trusty cameraman, is headed to Europe on a mission to talk to people with disabilities, from Paris to Italy, to highlight the struggles of what it’s really like to live in an inaccessible society. We all know it’s hard. It’s not hard to imagine, but for a film crew to take a raw look at what it’s like, day in and day out, has not been done. I cannot wait to see what he ends up with.
To keep track of Reid’s documentary, visit his blog: “Wheelchair Diaries”
Watch Reid’s video: “Student Denied Study Abroad, Decides to Shoot Documentary“
What inaccessibility challenges have you faced? Do you feel that this documentary is important?
Photo courtesy of axmai
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