Author: Sheri Denkensohn-Trott
After a busy fall getting ready to move, moving, unpacking most everything, and developing a new routine, we needed a break. I can’t necessarily say it was a total break, but December brought holidays and lots of visiting with family. I made a concerted effort to rest, read, and do things to restore and refresh.
Right now, I’m fighting the winter blues. We went through an extremely cold spell, and that made it hard to go out and do anything. It takes a significant amount of time to put on a coat and all the layers make it hard to move. I can cover my hands to some extent, but I need most of my right hand free so I can drive my wheelchair. Not the safest for my extremities to be exposed. Then, after little to no snow in Virginia for many years, we got a storm that brought about 6 inches. While that is not large for someone from the 
Northeast like me, here it creates significant disruption. The schools closed for days, and the cleanup was lacking. There is plowing on the main roads, but the curb cuts are blocked with snow that becomes slush and ice as they melt. Not especially conducive for rolling around the neighborhood. To top it off, the automatic door on our van had some problems and needed a new part that took time to arrive. As a result, I limited usage until it was fixed. Everything combined made me feel housebound.
I know that I am not alone. Winter takes a toll on everyone, especially
individuals with disabilities. I’m trying to make the best of it. I make sure to go outside on a “warmer” day, work on indoor projects, exercise to keep up my endorphins, and enjoy the plant on my desk as a reminder that in the not-so-distant future there will be blooms outside.
transportation and objects. I’d like to think it is not intentional, but unfortunately it represents a lack of knowledge about individuals with disabilities, laziness, and a general lack of interest in the surroundings.
medical appointment. The vehicle did have a hanging handicapped parking tag, but it was parked on the hashmarks instead of in the parking spot. Therefore, when I pulled in, I was unable to get out of the van because my ramp opens on the side.
habitual practice for individuals to get off the scooter, leave it in the middle of the curb cut and go off to their destination. Or individuals park the scooter near the curb cut and a brisk wind blows the scooter over and it completely blocks the curb cut. This makes it impossible for me to navigate and cross the street.
in a handicapped parking spot, call the nonemergency police number. They are authorized to ticket.