30 Days of MD: We Can All Help Make Our World More Accessible

Photo courtesy of Joe Jamison

Day 8 of 30

This is Joe Jamison’s (@visitablecertification) story:

My name is Joe Jamison, and my father has used a wheelchair my entire life. I grew up experiencing physical and attitudinal barriers on a weekly or daily basis when I was with him. Employees would ignore him, or we would show up at a location just to realize my father couldn’t receive the accessibility or accommodations he needed.

I decided I wanted to make a difference. I started a company, VisitAble, to enable organizations and businesses to create a better experience for visitors and customers with mobility challenges.

Although my personal experiences were with my father who has a spinal cord injury and uses a manual wheelchair, we have made sure to make our training, accessibility tests, and other offerings relevant and impactful for individuals with a wide rage of abilities. This has led me to engage with the muscular dystrophy community, and eventually connect with Dani Liptak.

Dani has helped me understand adaptive products and ways to enjoy the beach, innovative ways to increase independence, and even navigating the built environment with a power wheelchair. I have found a powerful advocate and supporter within the MD community through Dani.

We all deserve to enjoy an equal experience of going out in public, whether it’s on a vacation, to a graduation party, or to a nice family dinner. During the 30 Days of MD, I encourage every one of us to pay attention, as well as advocate with businesses, governments, family, and friends for more accessibility and inclusion.

Muscular Dystrophy News’ 30 Days of MD campaign will publish one story per day for MD Awareness Month in September. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more stories like this, using the hashtag #30DaysofMD, or read the full series.