Lee's Right Seat Driver

Lee was an active participant and advocate for people with disabilities long before she adopted a handicapped child, and before she, herself, because disabled. In this column she shares her experiences as a handicapped RVer and answers your questions.

The Rving life style is a great equalizer. You might not think so when you consider the wide range of prices, and the scope of amenities available in RVs today. But where else can you share a campfire with an attorney, a pilot, a truck driver, a pyrotechnical expert, a teacher, and a recently widowed stay-at-home-mother all at the same time?

Seldom have I ever come across a person who considered their style of travel or camping superior to their neighbor. We all seek our own comfort levels and are satisfied that what type of RV we have is best for us. The view of a campground is exactly the same from the windows of a bus conversion, or the flap of a tent.

Campers and RVers share a sense of community. They freely exchange information concerning interesting places they have been to, or good campgrounds to stop at along the way. They also help one another when someone has a break down or gets sick on the road. I know of at least two instances when fellow Rvers drove a sick person across several states, or drove a rig home for someone. This is especially apparent among special groups of RVers … like singles or people with disabilities. We seem to have a greater sense of comrade among us.

Many people get on the road for a while before they learn about events and gatherings that bring special groups together. Sometimes they meet someone at a campground who tell them about a club or rally. Or perhaps a friend or relative shares the information. However it happens, eventually most people will find their way to a place where people who share similar interests gather. I hope that this web site, and this column, will be one more link in the network being built to help people with disabilities find a comfortable place to exchange information.

We will cover any topic so long as it can be linked to camping, travel, or RV life. We will share resources for all ages, so families with disabled children as well as disabled adults can find their place at this campfire.

My daughter and I are both disabled and we have been RVers form many years together. Now we have an opportunity to share what we have learned with readers of this column. But even better, we can learn a lot of new things from you, the readers of this column. Your feedback, comments questions, and suggestions will be a big part of what will appear here in the future.

Lee and Bev Find Each Other

"It's funny", Lee says, " that I have been an active participant and advocate for people with disabilities since the early 1960's. And now I am one of them."

"Four years ago I was hospitalized with pneumonia in both lungs. It was really bad. I lost the function of over half of my lungs. COPD now keeps me tied to an oxygen machine 24 hours a day. But that has not stopped me from fulfilling Bev's and my dream of becoming full timers. It only limits some of the things we can do and places we can go. But we are not stopped in our tracks by any means."

Bev came to live with me as a foster child when she was not quite 9 yeas old. I adopted her the following year. We have traveled a lot of miles together (in more than a motor vehicle) since then. :0)

She is autistic and mentally retarded. She was a child no one wanted, but became the child every mother dreams of. She had such a sweet disposition most of the time. And she is thankful for the smallest things anyone does for her.

But the most amazing thing about Bev is that she empathizes with others ... what a tender heart she has!

Camping with a Special Needs Child

This past Valentines Day my daughter and I celebrated our 27th anniversary of being a family. That is the day her adoption was made final. We have covered many miles in those years.

Some of the roads we have trod were pretty rocky at times. And some were smooth sailing. But no matter what, we have managed to continue to uphold the promise made that day in 1980 - that I would always be her mother and she would always be my daughter - we are a Forever Family.

Bev was just nine years old then. She had recently been evaluated and diagnosed as server/moderate mental retardation and severe/profound autistic. She tested at about 6 - 18 months of age. The prognosis for any substantial growth was doubtful no matter which professional I talked to.

They all held a pretty bleak view of what this child’s future was going to be like. The next day I had a tee shirt made for her that said on the front, “This kid has potential”.

I never wanted a teacher or therapist to forget that for one minute because I knew Bev was going to make huge strides in growth over the next few years. She has never let me down in that respect, and she continues to learn and grow every day.

From the beginning I was determined that she would learn to love the outdoors, camping, and traveling. At first our case manager thought I was insane thinking I could take her into the mountains hiking or camping.

After all, she was severely disabled and would likely get lost out there in the wilds. So we had to learn ways to keep Bev safe and still give her some measure of freedom to explore and learn in new environment.

At first I kept her tethered to me with a twenty foot long cord. She was on that line night and day as long as we were camping or hiking. After several months she learned that I expected her to stay within that distance of me at all times, I quit using the cord.

The very first time we camped she demonstrated that she loved being in the outdoors, playing along a creek, walking in the sand at the ocean, scrambling up large boulders, or hiking a trail. Watching her discover the world has been more reward that any money could buy.

She still does not like to swim in rivers or lakes. I suspect that is because the water is cold. She loves jeep rides. The wilder the better. And fast boats are just the thing to make her laugh out loud. She does not like amusement parks, but loves zoos, aquariums, concerts, and small town fairs.

She has also discovered casinos. She likes to play a certain nickel slot machine. As soon as we enter the front door she signs to me that she needs money. Then off she goes in search of that one certain machine she likes to play. Oddly enough on a stop in Las Vegas a few years ago, we met another mother with her developmentally disabled son who also likes to play slot machines.

But the one thing that Bev loves the most is ridding in the co-pilot seat of our 1959 GMC 4104 bus conversion. She has become a true RVer with a love for travel and meeting new people wherever we go.

This past spring we came off the road for a while after over four years as full timers. I am going to do some major up grades to the bus over the next couple of years. Then we plan to go back on the road again for a while. Not a day goes by that Bev does not sign to me, "Go in the bus". We both miss the joy of starting the engine and heading down the road for a new adventure.

We will be doing some short trips around the Northwest in our car with all the camping gear. That is going to keep us in touch with all our road friends. Once work on the bus is completed it is going to make being off the road a few months worth while I’m sure.

Contact Lee:

lee@campingandrving.com

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