Help a visually impaired person
Donation protected
Please help a visually impaired person gain more mobility and happiness.
My name is Kevin and I am 34 years old, I was born with ptosis (lazy eye) and strabismus (eyes do not always work naturally in unison) in my right eye, although I have had several eye surgeries, beginning at 6 months of age my vision is still not the best. When I was 16 I was told I could get a "limited" license, I tried, but I did not feel comfortable behind the wheel. I have been living a car-free lifestyle, not necessarily by choice, but out of necessity. I rely on my own two feet, and some public transportation to get through my daily life.
On average I walk over 100 miles a month both for daily activities and for fitness. Though in the past few years I have really seen the need for another way to get around rather than always walking or relying on public transportation which is quite limiting. When I talk to people about this their first thought is "you need a bike", and they are right. Though due to my vision, balance tends to be an issue, so a regular two wheeled bike is out of the question, but another option is a recumbent trike.
A recumbent trike would help me to live my car-free lifestyle to its fullest. A recumbent trike would help with many challenges in my life: the biggest one would be to expand my mobility, help with my feeling of being trapped, help with my health, help to meet more people, and help to cure my need to be more adventurous (would like to do some bike touring).
Unfortunately a recumbent trike is a specialty bike so I cannot just go into any typical bike shop and find one, and with it being a specialty item it carries a higher price than a typical bike. After doing much research I have set my sights on the GreenSpeed Magnum. I have chosen this trike for a couple of reasons, the first being that it is has an adjustable seat height (higher for good visibility while bike commuting in traffic or lower for speed), and the fact that it folds, making it easier to store and transport.
As well as the trike I am also looking to outfit the trike for all weather bike commuting and touring. All in all, with shipping and the GoFundMe fees I am looking at a final price of around $3000. Now that is a good chunk of change, but with your help I can make this happen.
Asking for help is very hard for me to do, and I bet it is hard for you to do as well. When it comes to asking complete strangers it is even harder, especially these days when it seems like every one is struggling just to get by. If you take a look around this site (gofundme.com), you will see people in much greater need than me, especially those people who are suffering from all sorts of illnesses and tragedies. While I may not be suffering from cancer, or some other tragedy, I could use your help, and anything you might be able to give would be deeply appreciated.
Peace & Happiness,
Kevin
My name is Kevin and I am 34 years old, I was born with ptosis (lazy eye) and strabismus (eyes do not always work naturally in unison) in my right eye, although I have had several eye surgeries, beginning at 6 months of age my vision is still not the best. When I was 16 I was told I could get a "limited" license, I tried, but I did not feel comfortable behind the wheel. I have been living a car-free lifestyle, not necessarily by choice, but out of necessity. I rely on my own two feet, and some public transportation to get through my daily life.
On average I walk over 100 miles a month both for daily activities and for fitness. Though in the past few years I have really seen the need for another way to get around rather than always walking or relying on public transportation which is quite limiting. When I talk to people about this their first thought is "you need a bike", and they are right. Though due to my vision, balance tends to be an issue, so a regular two wheeled bike is out of the question, but another option is a recumbent trike.
A recumbent trike would help me to live my car-free lifestyle to its fullest. A recumbent trike would help with many challenges in my life: the biggest one would be to expand my mobility, help with my feeling of being trapped, help with my health, help to meet more people, and help to cure my need to be more adventurous (would like to do some bike touring).
Unfortunately a recumbent trike is a specialty bike so I cannot just go into any typical bike shop and find one, and with it being a specialty item it carries a higher price than a typical bike. After doing much research I have set my sights on the GreenSpeed Magnum. I have chosen this trike for a couple of reasons, the first being that it is has an adjustable seat height (higher for good visibility while bike commuting in traffic or lower for speed), and the fact that it folds, making it easier to store and transport.
As well as the trike I am also looking to outfit the trike for all weather bike commuting and touring. All in all, with shipping and the GoFundMe fees I am looking at a final price of around $3000. Now that is a good chunk of change, but with your help I can make this happen.
Asking for help is very hard for me to do, and I bet it is hard for you to do as well. When it comes to asking complete strangers it is even harder, especially these days when it seems like every one is struggling just to get by. If you take a look around this site (gofundme.com), you will see people in much greater need than me, especially those people who are suffering from all sorts of illnesses and tragedies. While I may not be suffering from cancer, or some other tragedy, I could use your help, and anything you might be able to give would be deeply appreciated.
Peace & Happiness,
Kevin
Organizer
Kevin J. Colle
Organizer
New Haven, CT
