Accessible Transportation for Isaiah

Introducing Isaiah

To those of you who don’t know Isaiah Goodman already, let me introduce him to you. He has compromised limbs and a weakened immune system because he has Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy.  He is five going on six, and like many kids his age he loves drawing and painting, watching Sesame Street, reading books with his parents Nadia and Matthew, wrestling with his big brother Selah, and learning dance. 
 

Unlike a lot of other five going on six year-olds, he needs extra equipment to do the things he loves and get around. He uses a wheelchair and the only way he and his family can travel is in a customized wheelchair accessible van. The van requires retrofitting to create a rear-entry so Isaiah's wheelchair can fit in the back.

Currently, Isaiah and his family have to depend on hiring Accessible Lyfts to bring Isaiah to places near their home. However, this is not sustainable as a long term solution. To make transportation fully accessible to the Goodmans, they need their own vehicle. 


This need has been compounded by the pandemic. Isaiah is at high-risk for illness, and therefore impossible for the Goodmans to travel any other way than by van.  

Thus, I have started this GoFundMe as a way to lean on the community and help raise the funds for this wheelchair accessible family van.

Introducing The Goodmans

I would like to share with you why I care so much about Isiah and his family. I love the Goodmans like they are my own family. 

Nadia has been my dear friend for over twenty years. She is the kind of friend who knows not to leave your side the night you find out your father is about to take his last breath, and stays over to be able to catch you, quite literally, the moment you get the news that he is gone. She is a phenomenal parent to Isaiah and Selah , and her perseverance through difficult times is beyond admirable. For Nadia, this van means being able to get Isaiah to appointments, and being able to do things as a family without having to travel on foot.

Matthew, a published fiction author, poet, and high school English teacher, is as sensitive and funny as a person can be, and his love for, and commitment to his family is evident in all he does.  For Matthew this van means being able to take his family on the adventures he loves to dream up for them, as well as the more practical uses.

As for Selah, Isaiah’s big brother, he is a fifth grader at Bank Street this year and loves to read to Isaiah. He is the most caring and funny big brother a 6 year old could ask for. When I talked with him about what getting this van mean to him he said that he would actually be able to sit next to his brother in the back of the car, and play with, and tease him.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and help out.  Let me know if you have any questions or think you know someone who might want to send the Goodmans some love.

Isaiah thanks you. <3