Page 26 - AAA Magazine – AAA Ohio Auto Club – November 2018

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Lessons in Life
Continued from page 23
installed incorrectly, experts agree, this is an important step for any parent or caregiver. That’s why AAA offers free car seat checks by appointment for all parents and caregivers at participating store locations.
“With or without a diagnosis of a special condition, you should be aware of your child’s positional needs to feel safe and secure,” said
O’Riordan. “Every child has challenges. We just look at that child’s considerations that we have to consider for safe travel.”
Those challenges can vary, from a 2-year-old unbuckling himself while the car is moving, to a premature baby going home from the hospital for the first time. It might be a child with autism or ADHD getting out of the restraint and head-butting the driver, or even a child with cerebral
palsy that slumps in the car and has poor head control. O’Riordan has witnessed all of these.
“The main thing is we just want families to know they have options,” said O’Riordan.
Those options extend beyond the day-to-day travel around town. Rako and his family have taken many vacations over the years. When he was younger, they were able to lift Rako onto airplanes to fly. Today, they load up their wheelchair accessible van and drive to their vacation destinations.
As far as I’m convinced, it’s just another gentle reminder from the universe that the only real limitations we have exist solely in our minds and attitudes.”
“There are other considerations when you travel,” said Clark. “In addition to safety, it’s accessibility. How can you get from here to there when you have a child with special needs?”
When visiting cities like Washington, D.C., where Rako’s older sister Morgan lives and works, the family has used public transportation to get around town. This is often inconvenient with a wheelchair and results
in long wait times. On a recent trip to Chicago to see Rako’s beloved Cincinnati Reds play at Wrigley Field, they discovered Uber WAV (wheelchair accessible vehicles). It’s not in all cities yet, but it was a game-changer for Rako and his family. (Lyft provides a similar service in some markets.)
At home, it’s up to Rako’s tribe to transport him around town. His younger sister Claire often takes him to football practice in her small Mitsubishi Mirage. At 4-foot-11, Rako is tall enough to safely sit in the front seat, and Claire is able to put the back seats down and wedge the wheelchair into the vehicle’s hatchback. It’s a bit of a challenge, but nothing compared to what the family has gone through. Clark says their philosophy has always been to live life as if you had no limitations.
“My paraplegic son has three high school letters in varsity football,”
said Clark. “If you would have told me that 20 years ago I would have never believed you. Never. As far as I’m convinced, it’s just another gentle reminder from the universe that the only real limitations we have exist solely in our minds and attitudes.”
Kimberly Schwind is public affairs senior manager for AAA Ohio.
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