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Your site is called The Traveling Wheelchair. Why did you choose this name?

I named the site The Traveling Wheelchair because I love traveling to new places.

You have been to a lot of different places. Do you try to find out about disabled facilities before you go, and if so how?

Usually I only call a place ahead of time to ask about accessibility if it is a long distance from my home. I do always call hotels that I stay in ahead of time to make sure they have accessible rooms and roll in showers.

Which were the best and the worst of the places you have been to, and why?

The worse are places which are not at all accessible. The best places that most everything is accessible were the places I visited in Washington DC. The Marriott Hotels are the most accessible large chain of hotels I’ve stayed in.

Have you found that your blog had made a difference to these places?

Yes. The Middleboro Post Office posted a comment that they are looking into installing automatic doors so they can earn 5 stars. Also Best Buy moved their credit card/ATM machine so it could be accessible for us in wheelchairs. And my Congressman and Senator are looking into trying to make all post offices accessible even if they are an historical building. I think this is a very good start. You can check out the Middleboro PO and Best Buy reviews and read the comments. Small progress but progress is good.

You have a Quantum 600 tilt and space power chair - how and why did you choose it?

My Physical Therapist helped me chose it. I am prone to pressure sores and tilting helps relieve pressure and also recently diagnosed with mild stenosis of spine and tilting takes pressure off my back . We chose an electric chair so that I could have more independence. I am not physically capable of propelling a manual wheelchair.

What difference does having a power chair make to your life?

The power chair has allowed me to be much more independent to move freely on my own vs relying on someone to push me in my manual wheelchair.

Can you tell us a little about how people react to you - you mentioned on your site that some people in cafes ignore you and speak to your family?

Many people do tend ignore me at times and often waitresses or waiters in restaurants don’t even look at me and ask my friends what I want to eat. Yet many others are very kind and treat me with respect and dignity.

Why do you think they do this?

I don’t think they mean to do this but probably haven’t been around disabled in wheelchairs. Most likely uneducated. This is why I added the tab on my website and called it “understanding”.

How does this make you feel?

I find this insulting and humiliating and it saddens me.

How do you deal with this?

My friends and family ALWAYS speak up and tell the waitress/waiter that I am very capable of speaking and they can ask me directly what I want to eat or drink. My speech is slurred at times so if the waitress/waiter can’t understand me then I spell it on my knee or my friends interpret for me.

Have you got a message for these people?

Yes, I would like to tell them that I am a human being just like they are and expect to be treated with respect dignity as I treat others. I would also recommend that they read the “understanding" tab on my web site.

What are your hopes and plans for the future?

My hope is just like I stated in my Mission Statement: "To help make the world more sensitive, respectful and accessible to all." As for my future plans: To live a healthy, happy and productive life and to try to help other disabled persons.

Do you have any advice for other power chair users and people with limited mobility?

Make sure you are fully trained on how to use it and keep the speed down for these chairs are very powerful and heavy and you don’t want to bump into anyone and injure them. If you are legally blind, then ask a mobility specialist to help train you on using it.

For more information and images check out Kenny's great site: The Traveling Wheelchair