ROAR

10/18/2026

♿️ EDUCATION AFTER A SPINAL CORD INJURY

Before my spinal cord injury, my life revolved around service—in the United States Marine Corps and law enforcement. I had no aspirations of pursuing advanced college degrees. I had a direction, and higher education wasn’t a major part of that plan.

Then a C7 spinal cord injury left me a quadriplegic, and I had to reconsider what my future could look like.

🎓 Pursuing higher education seemed like a logical next “step”—an opportunity to build new skills, regain direction, and find another avenue to contribute. My desire to serve hadn’t disappeared. I needed to explore how to carry it forward and what knowledge and tools would help me do so.

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center’s 2026 report, approximately 312,000 people in the United States live with traumatic spinal cord injuries.

Among participants represented in its education data, about 24% had a college degree or higher at injury, compared with approximately 30% at 10 years and 44% at 40 years after injury. These figures describe educational attainment at different points after injury, rather than the percentage who returned to school. Still, they underscore the relevance of education in conversations about life after SCI.

However, earning a degree and finding sustainable employment are two vastly different challenges.

Someone can have the education, knowledge, and motivation to succeed in a job while needing flexibility for personal care, fatigue, pain, medical appointments, and unpredictable health complications. A diploma doesn’t eliminate those needs.

⚖️ Then there are the financial decisions. Will higher earnings affect the healthcare or personal assistance you depend on? Can a job’s wages and benefits actually replace that support? Work incentives can help some people maintain coverage, but eligibility and individual circumstances matter.

Some people find themselves qualified for more than their jobs offer, yet unable to pursue additional hours, higher earnings, or career advancement without serious concerns about their health and support systems.

We need accessible education, flexible employment, inclusionary college campuses, fair pay, and benefit policies that make advancement practical while accounting for the complexities of living with permanent disabilities. Educational opportunity must be accompanied by realistic pathways to put that education to use.

College isn’t the right path for everyone. A certificate, vocational training, entrepreneurship, advocacy, volunteering, or focusing on health and family may fit someone’s life better.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach in the disability world. Our worth is not measured by a degree, a paycheck, or how many hours our bodies can tolerate. This is just part of my personal SCI trek and the advocacy that continues to grow from it.

📸 Also pictured is my Marine Corps brother, fellow quadriplegic, and fellow Lander University alumnus, Michael Rousey. Our injuries occurred at different points in our lives, but our journeys share many similarities and experiences—from military service to navigating life with quadriplegia and pursuing higher education.

Joining us in these photos is another fellow Lander University alumnus, Cameron Dorn, who is pictured helping me hold the Lander flag after we completed the Marine Corps Marathon in 2023. Cameron is the founder of The Suitcase of Courage, a business development leader, an extreme athlete, and a motivational speaker among so many other things.

Sharing that finish-line moment with Cameron brought together several meaningful parts of my journey: my Marine Corps roots, my connection to Lander, and the opportunity to continue challenging myself after injury. It also speaks to the importance of having people beside us as we pursue our goals. Cameron not only pushed me physically to help finish a bucket list. Dream, he continues to motivate me to push myself to be the best version of me that I can be.

Education and life after SCI are personal journeys, but the support we receive along the way matters. Whether someone helps us navigate a classroom, pursue a career, or hold a university flag at a marathon finish line, those connections become part of our story. 🤝

💬 Did you return to school after your injury?
What degree, certification, or training did you pursue?
What helped you—and what barriers did you encounter?

Your experience may help someone else see a possibility they haven’t considered. 🤝

No matter where you currently find yourself, continue striving to be your best version of you. That may mean pursuing a new goal, adapting an existing one, or giving yourself the time and care you need to move forward.

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Challenged Athletes Foundation. The Suitcase of Courage. ROAR. Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. United Spinal Association. Mike Hudson. United Spinal Association Advocacy Network. Lander University Alumni Association. Lander University. Shepherd Center.Facing Disability for Families Facing Spinal Cord Injuries. Marine Corps Marathon.

10/17/2026

🙌 A huge shoutout to Greenville Tech’s PT students for making this morning a highly productive workday! Several volunteered their time to stain the pier and clean up along the banks, and I truly appreciate their hard work and generosity.

♿️ Living with a spinal cord injury has reinforced for me how much our surroundings influence our independence and ability to participate. Maintaining the places where we gather, enjoy the outdoors, and connect with others is part of building a more inclusive community.

Advocacy takes many forms—including showing up, lending a hand, and putting compassion into action. These future practitioners demonstrated a commitment to serving people that extends beyond the clinic and into everyday life.

Thank you for giving your time and energy today. As we advocate for greater accessibility, let’s keep encouraging mutually beneficial partnerships like this—and include people with disabilities in the conversations and work that shape our shared spaces.

P.S A special thank you to Caesar for coordinating.

. . . .
. Greenville Technical College. Challenged Athletes Foundation. Mike Hudson. ROAR. United Spinal Association. Cabela's. Bass Pro Shops. Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Trackchair. TALK Greenville. Greenville Business Magazine

10/17/2026

🌱 I never imagined I would be this excited about cutting grass.

🥵There was a time when mowing meant sweating in the heat, getting dusty, and thinking about everything else I would rather be doing.

Then life changes. Something you once took for granted becomes something you miss—the simple satisfaction of getting outside, doing a job, and looking back to say, “I did that.”

📦 We received a special delivery the other day, a remote-controlled lawnmower with tracks. And I’m beyond excited about what it could make possible.

🎮 For someone with limited hand dexterity, operating equipment can come down to something as small as whether they can reach and move a control. The remote is responsive, but its recessed controls can be difficult to access with limited hand function. We’re working on 3-D-printed handle extensions to make those controls easier to use. Quad friendly. ♿️

Sometimes, a small adaptation opens a much bigger door. 🔓

This mower has a practical purpose on the property, too. We have steep areas where we want to avoid putting someone on a tractor near an embankment. With careful operation within the equipment’s limits, remote control offers a way to maintain those areas while keeping the operator farther from the edge.

🙌 What excites me most is the opportunity to participate, to help care for this place, and contribute alongside family and friends.

♿️Wanting to do something for yourself doesn’t disappear when your physical abilities change.

🎣 Outdoor adaptive recreation can mean fishing, archery, or exploring a trail. It can also mean tending a garden, moving materials, or cutting the grass. Everyday work can bring enjoyment, purpose, and a connection to the outdoors that I didn’t fully appreciate before my injury.

🏡 There is something deeply restorative about fresh air, time in nature, and a task that gives your mind somewhere else to go. For me, getting outside can change the perspective I bring back inside.

🛠️ No single piece of adaptive equipment will meet everyone’s needs. That’s why we keep exploring, listening, and adapting—looking for ways to make activities safer, more accessible, and more inclusive.

🌳 Rediscovering Outdoor Activities & Recreation doesn’t have a particular season. It has a defining reason: helping people reconnect with what brings them purpose, freedom, and joy.

Find those things that excite you, however big or small. Keep looking for new ways to pursue them.

Even if that excitement comes with tracks, a remote, and a yard that needs mowing. 🌱

💬 What everyday activity did you once take for granted that you would love to do again? Have you found an adaptation that helped make it possible? Share it below—your idea might open a door for someone else.

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. . Challenged Athletes Foundation. Mike Hudson. ROAR. Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. United Spinal Association. Shepherd Center. American Association of People with Disabilities. Accessible Hunter Podcast. Cabela's. Invisible Disabilities Association. United Spinal Association Advocacy Network. SPINALpedia.

10/16/2026

☀️ I love being outdoors. But as a quadriplegic who cannot sweat, cooling off takes planning.

Some days, one of the hardest parts of paralysis is simply fighting the elements.

The temperature might feel comfortable to everyone around me while my body is struggling. Once I get hot, cooling back down can be difficult. I have to think about the sun, shade, airflow, and how long I can stay outside enjoying something I love.

That affects more than comfort, it affects time with family, activities with friends, and the freedom to get outside without the heat deciding when the day is over.

Over time, I’ve found a few things that help me:

🧥 Breathable, long-sleeve shirts to keep the sun directly off my skin.

💦 Spray bottles to mist myself, wetting my skin to help with cooling since I cannot sweat.

🧊 Frogg Toggs cooling towels that we keep in the bottom of the cooler so they’re cold when I need them.

🌬️ Portable fans that plug into the USB port on my power chair, giving me airflow wherever I go.

🦺 A cooling vest that looks a lot like a ballistic vest, but holds frozen cooling packs inside to help me stay cool.

These are some of the tools that help me spend time outdoors. They take preparation, space, and sometimes another person’s help—but that preparation can make a real difference in what I’m able to enjoy.

Functional accessibility includes shade, places to cool down, opportunities to take breaks, and flexibility when someone’s body needs a different pace. Those details can determine whether someone gets to participate and stay with their family.

What helps YOU stay cool?

☀️ What tricks or equipment help you keep from overheating?

💦 What do you always pack before heading outside?

🌳 What do outdoor spaces often overlook that would make your experience better?

Whether you live with paralysis, another condition that affects temperature regulation, or support someone who does, share what works for you. Everyone’s needs are different, and your lived experience may give someone else a useful idea.

There is too much life to enjoy outdoors. Let’s keep finding ways to make it possible together.

Building Access. Restoring Adventure. Strengthening Families.

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Challenged Athletes Foundation. ROAR. Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. United Spinal Association. Mike Hudson. Shepherd Center. American Association of People with Disabilities. Invisible Disabilities Association. Cabela's. Accessible Hunter Podcast.Accessible Hunter. United Spinal Association Advocacy Network. SPINALpedia.

10/14/2026

♿️🌲 BUILDING ACCESS. RESTORING ADVENTURE.

Sometimes you need a change of scenery—a chance to get out of your head, out of the house, and back into something you enjoy.

That is part of what we are building.

We are wheelchair users developing opportunities for other differently-abled individuals to get outdoors, participate, and spend time with family and friends. Our vision reaches beyond an accessibility checklist. We want a place where access works in everyday practice, shaped by the people who need it.

Can you reach the activity? Use the equipment? Participate alongside your family? Make choices without needing someone to handle every part of the experience?

Those questions guide our work.

🥏 Take disc golf, for example. Throwing the disc is only one part of playing. How do you retrieve it when it lands on the ground?

Some people with paraplegia or limb loss can reach down and pick it up. Others use a reacher or a Quad-Reacher like the one pictured. Hand function, balance, trunk control, and equipment all influence what works for each person.

A basket in a field creates an activity. A way to travel across that field, throw the disc, and retrieve it creates an opportunity to participate.

🦽 Track chairs can help people travel beyond the pavement. Adaptive tools can make an activity manageable. Thoughtful design can help families stay together throughout the experience.

As I’ve said before: “My everyday wheelchair is my pair of tennis shoes. A track chair is my pair of work boots.”

That same thinking connects our plans for fishing access, trails, archery, gardening, and gathering spaces. The objective is not to pave nature away. It is to create a pathway into it. Something more “wheelchair friendly”.

🔥 Advocacy also happens outdoors.

Sometimes it happens around a campfire, where someone shares a frustration, demonstrates an adaptation, or explains what would make an activity possible. Those conversations can inform better equipment, better spaces, and a deeper understanding of life with a disability.

Lived experience belongs in the design process—and so does the opportunity to enjoy life while sharing it.

💬 What outdoor activities have you tried, or would you like to accomplish?

What adaptive equipment would help make those adventures possible?

If you play disc golf from a wheelchair, how do you retrieve your disc? What works for you, and what still needs improvement?

There is no one size fits all in the disability world. Your experience can help us build opportunities that work for more people and ability levels.

🌿 We’re not just building a property, we’re building possibilities.
This is very much still a work in progress, as are we. .

. . Challenged Athletes Foundation. ROAR. United Spinal Association. Shepherd Center. Invisible Disabilities Association. Mike Hudson. Jeremy Kerr. Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Upstate Disc Golf Club. American Association of People with Disabilities

10/13/2026

The disability world can be a small world—but the connections we make can carry a whole lot of strength.

A few years ago, while vacationing in Daytona Beach, I had the pleasure of running into this fella. Calling him charismatic is an understatement! He definitely gets around, knows the Daytona area, and has plenty of stories and knowledge to share.

Last week, Greg and I
had the pleasure of having him on the Accessible Hunter Podcast. We talked about outdoor adventures, getting caught in the rain, advocating for your home care and healthcare needs, and not letting your past dictate your future.

Meeting on vacation and reconnecting through a podcast reminded me how powerful this community can be. We learn from each other, share hard-earned experience, and help one another see possibilities we might have overlooked.

People with disabilities can be a mighty force, especially when we turn our individual experiences into a shared purpose.

Be proactive in your own life and healthcare, ask questions. Speak up about what you need. You deserve to be heard and involved in the decisions that affect your independence and daily life.

Find those things you enjoy doing, make time for them, and look for ways to turn that passion into a mission bigger than yourself. An outdoor adventure, a conversation, or sharing something you’ve learned might open a door for somebody else.

Take some time and tune in. You won’t be disappointed!

Tune in wherever you listen and on YouTube
https://youtu.be/C_rVJMVy6CM?is=aYUnrKGRTiNCyw5s

Challenged Athletes Foundation. ROAR. Mike Hudson. Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Shepherd Center.Invisible Disabilities Association. United Spinal Association. Muscular Dystrophy Association. Accessible Hunter. Daytona Beach. Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

10/11/2026

Life in Full Motion: A Wheeled Perspective

Disability outreach and advocacy are a team effort. Sometimes, that means taking a seat in the hot seat—stepping outside our comfort zone and sharing what daily life actually looks like from a wheelchair.

During a live interview at Michelin for Life in Full Motion, I had the honor of sharing a few moments of life from my level. Talking about wheeled perspectives with people who make tires offered a meaningful connection— what keeps us moving, where we want to go, and what stands in our way.

After years in a wheelchair, my desire to be outdoors, explore, and enjoy life with family and friends is still very much alive. The chair hasn’t taken away that desire, in fact, it has enhanced it. However, a gravel path, a steep pond bank, or equipment I cannot use can put an experience out of reach.

Sharing those realities helps others understand why inclusion requires more than an invitation.

♿️Can I reach the fishing spot?

♿️Can I participate in the activity?

♿️Can I stay alongside my family and make choices for myself?

That is the perspective we bring to light. Lived experience helps shape pathways, equipment, and outdoor opportunities that allow people to participate fully.

A live interview opens the door to honest conversation. Being open about the frustrations, adaptations, and joy of everyday life gives others a glimpse through our lens. Being receptive to that perspective is where understanding can grow into action.

Where there is a wheel, there is a way. Finding that way takes creativity, access, and people willing to work together.

It is always an honor to share life from my level—and help create more opportunities for all of us to keep life in motion.

Building Access. Restoring Adventure. Strengthening Families.
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. Challenged Athletes Foundation. Mike Hudson. ROAR. United Spinal Association. Shepherd Center. Paralyzed Veterans of America. American Association of People with Disabilities. United Spinal Association Advocacy Network. Friends of Disabled Adults and Children. Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

10/10/2026

A broken wheelchair part can bring daily independence to a complete stop.

It can mean missing work, canceling appointments, depending on someone else for basic tasks, or being confined to bed while waiting for a repair.

For those of us who rely on a wheelchair, this equipment is how we move through life. Our responsibilities don’t stop when our chair does.

Yet repair approvals, delays getting parts, limited access to technicians, and out-of-pocket costs can leave people waiting for equipment they need every single day. Families and caregivers carry the burden, too.

Timely repairs and access to replacement equipment must be treated as essential healthcare needs. We need healthcare and durable medical equipment (DME) policies that recognize the real consequences of leaving someone without safe, working equipment.

What has been your biggest hurdle getting your wheelchair or other essential equipment repaired or replaced? How long did you wait—and what did that wait cost you beyond money?

Share your story below. We believe lived experience belongs at the center of the push for better policies.

Independence shouldn’t be left waiting on an approval or an extended period for a medical procedure appointment.

. . . United Spinal Association. Shepherd Center. ROAR. Mike Hudson. Challenged Athletes Foundation. American Association of People with Disabilities. Friends of Disabled Adults and Children. United Spinal Association Advocacy Network. Permobil Foundation. MobilityWorks. Paralyzed Veterans of America.

10/10/2026

BEING DISABLED IS EXPENSIVE.
What does independence cost you?

After more than 31 years as a quadriplegic, I know that a household budget cannot tell the whole story without accounting for what it costs to function each day.

Beyond groceries, housing, and utilities, disability can bring additional expenses: wheelchair repairs, specialized seating, personal assistance, medical supplies, accessible transportation co-pays, and accessible home modifications. The combination differs for every person, disability, and family.

Research supports what many of us experience. A 2020 U.S. working paper drawing on four national surveys estimated that households including an adult whose disability limits work needed, on average, 28% more income to achieve a comparable standard of living to similar households without disability. That is a study estimate for a particular population—not a fixed surcharge that applies to everyone.

Think about what those costs can mean-

• Access: An entrance, bathroom, or vehicle you can actually use.

• Equipment: A properly fitted wheelchair, communication device, or other assistive technology, along with maintenance and repairs.

• Care: Assistance with everyday tasks and the time family members contribute. In many states spouses can still NOT be compensated as a provider.

• Independence: Having the support to work (if capable), participate in your care plan, make personal choices, and remain connected to your community.
Without fear of losing assistance from the systems that many of us have already paid into such as SSDI.

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies high costs and insufficient funding among the barriers to assistive technology. It also recognizes that appropriate equipment can support education, employment, health, and community participation. Access is an investment in what people can do. But some cannot afford to bridge the gap.

I believe that tough sconversations about affordability must account for the resources people need to participate. A paycheck alone does not tell us how much financial security someone has, and a disability should not feel alike a financial punishment.

Let’s make these costs visible:

♿️What disability-related expense do people mostly often overlook?

♿️Is there equipment or medical devices that insurance pays for, but they insist on sending a “cheaper”
version that does not work as well for your body or needs?

♿️Have you had to delay equipment, repairs, care, or an accessibility modification because of cost?

♿️What one change would make the greatest difference in your independence or health care needs?

Share only what you are comfortable sharing. Family members, caregivers, and professionals—your perspectives matter, too.

Our lived experiences can help educate the people making decisions about our lives. Advocacy takes us all.

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ROAR. ABILITY Magazine. Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. United Spinal Association. American Association of People with Disabilities. Friends of Disabled Adults and Children. Mike Hudson. Paralyzed Veterans of America. Shepherd Center.

10/08/2026

Accessible Housing: Designing for Everyday Independence

Finding a home should not mean compromising on the ability to meet your basic needs.

Housing accessibility deserves to be evaluated through everyday function: Can a person enter their home, use the bathroom, prepare a meal, and move between rooms safely and with the level of independence they choose?

Zero-step entrances, roll-in showers, adequate doorway clearance, wheelchair turning space, reachable controls, and usable kitchen surfaces should be central considerations in housing design.

The essential question is, Does this home support the daily life of the person living in it?

A feature described as “accessible” may still be unusable for someone’s particular mobility device, reach, balance, or transfer needs. Meaningful design requires listening to people with disabilities and evaluating how spaces work in practice, not just theory.

As we advocate for better housing standards, lived experience must help shape the conversation.

Which housing feature is most critical to your daily independence—and what happens when it is missing?

Share a specific example below. Your experience can help identify the design priorities that matter most.

Accessible housing is a foundation for dignity, choice, inclusion, and community participation.

We won’t get into the astronomical price it cost to rent these days or the extra zeros attached to adaptation… Or will we?!?
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. Challenged Athletes Foundation. Mike Hudson. ROAR. Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. United Spinal Association. United Spinal Association Advocacy Network. Paralyzed Veterans of America. Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Semper Fi & America's Fund. Jay Youngblood. Jeremy Kerr