Help Make Cal’s Home (and Life!) Accessible

Our family is setting up this go-fund-me to help pay for the accessibility and mobility needs of our beloved Cal! 

Cal (they/them or he/him) is a queer, disabled, amazingly talented grad student who loves woodworking, making music, and loving on our sweet pets. They spent many years as a dedicated disability organizer, and since coming out two years ago have also given as much of their free time and energy as possible to serving their queer/trans communities by starting a support group for those of us coming out later in life! 

For all the joy these last two years have brought, it has not been without struggle. During these same years the progressive neuromuscular disease Cal has lived with for twelve years caused a sudden and rapid decline in their mobility. Fortunately for us, Cal has a truly stellar doctor who has written orders for a variety of durable medical equipment and other assistive devices that will help them gain back their independence in our home and out in the world! 

Unfortunately, even with decent insurance coverage and the ability to cover some out-of-pocket expenses on our own, there is still a significant expense we cannot cover and so we are turning to our communities to ask for help.

The amount we are asking for will help to make our kitchen, bathrooms, and bedroom accessible as well as help cover the cost of a wheelchair and power assist device for outside use! This includes:

• An ultra light-weight wheelchair that Cal can load in and out of the car independently

• A power assist device (SmartDrive) to help propel the chair when they are fatigued or lacking muscle strength

• Ramps for the entrances to our home 

• Assistive devices to allow for independent use of the shower and toilet (safety bars, tub transfer bench, toilet frame, etc.)

• An in-home mobility device called the Zeen that assists them in daily tasks (like laundry and dish washing) by making it easier to move from a sitting-to/standing position and maintain a standing position

• Other assistive devices to help with symptom management (things like cushions for hard chairs/surfaces, floor mats to prevent slipping, grips/bars for the side of the bed, etc.)

We are so close to getting Cal to independence and effective symptom management! Any help you could give, either by donating or sharing, to get us over the finish line would be so deeply appreciated and any amount (of money or effort!) helps so much!