ACTING ON ACCESSIBILITY
Through the National Youth
Leadership Project, YMCA's Minnesota Leadership for Empowerment
Program, and the Center For Independent Living, a hands-on project
for an inclusive group of youth was undertaken this summer. The
project was to build wheelchair ramp sections. While planning
the project, it was discovered that some of the participants helping
to make the sections would themselves benefit from having a ramp.
It seemed only natural for the group to build a ramp where the
ramp would be appreciated day in and day out, by a youth, who
himself, was there to help others. So the task was set and everyone
involved worked with sincere dedication to making sure a quality
ramp was built, and it was.
The Star Tribune even captured the moment in the paper. What a reward for a job well done. Not only was the youth excited to be able to easily enter and exit from his home without help, and spent hours at first doing just that, but his parents were also grateful for the group's devotion to the project. Since the project's completion, more and more families have come forward expressing their needs for a wheelchair ramp as well. That is a good sign that this project could remain ongoing, and passing the knowledge of ramp construction on to more groups will hopefully keep it going and going and going...
Article accompanied by picture of "The Volunteer Ramp Building Team from National Youth Leadership, YMCA Leadership for Empowerment, and Center for Independent Living Programs."