A West Shore woman created a mobility scooter club after realizing the independence her new scooter affords her falls short without people to share the experience with.
“You have freedom and independence but you have nowhere to go,” said Nancy Ann Rose. Since getting her mobility scooter two weeks ago, she said she has mainly just been going around the block.
Frustrated with this new sense of loneliness, Rose created the West Shore Road Runners on Oct. 25 and started posting about it on sites such as UsedVictoria. Club membership is open to anyone with disability or mobility limitations who is 18 or older.
“If I’m in the situation where I’m looking for people to get together with who have similar experiences to share, then other people are too and don’t know where to go either,” Rose said.
A few people have reached out so far, but Rose said it’s difficult to get the word out without any money to spend on advertising and considering some people don’t have access to the internet.
Her hope is that the club eventually creates a network of people with similar experiences.
“I would love to see a community form where people can feel comfortable because we all share the same experiences,” Rose said, adding that she would love to have a space where she isn’t looked down upon because of her mobility limitations.
Rose said she knows it will take time for her club to grow, but in the future she would like to have weekly events. “I’m just hoping to reach as many people as I can,” she said.
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