Drive from Wheelchair Car for Kayla
Donation protected
About me
My name is Kayla. I'm a 26 year old uni student who was born with a muscle condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. As a result of this condition I require the use of an electric wheelchair full time due to being too weak to stand and having limited use of my arms. My life requires me to rely a lot on people helping me with daily tasks such as showering, dressing, cooking, cleaning etc. it feels like I am NEVER alone lol. With all that said though, I am very grateful for all those people who have helped me physically as it has allowed me to work towards my goals of studying to become a psychologist and give back to my community.
An example of the type of car that I would like to be able to buy.
The reason for this campaign is that I need an almost brand new car in order to be able to achieve my dream of being able to drive and regain my indepen
My name is Kayla. I'm a 26 year old uni student who was born with a muscle condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. As a result of this condition I require the use of an electric wheelchair full time due to being too weak to stand and having limited use of my arms. My life requires me to rely a lot on people helping me with daily tasks such as showering, dressing, cooking, cleaning etc. it feels like I am NEVER alone lol. With all that said though, I am very grateful for all those people who have helped me physically as it has allowed me to work towards my goals of studying to become a psychologist and give back to my community.
An example of the type of car that I would like to be able to buy.
The reason for this campaign is that I need an almost brand new car in order to be able to achieve my dream of being able to drive and regain my indepen
ce without having to rely on others to take me everywhere.
The reason that I need such an expensive car is that in Australia we have a government funding agency called the NDIS that provides money for the modifications to vechicles but they do not provide funding for the car itself. Which makes it all the more frustrating when they require a car to be less than 3 years old and less than 45000 kms. The reasons for this is that the NDIS in Australia wants value for money, and applying such expensive vehicle modifications onto a new car is better value for money than on an old car. See here for more information about the criteria.
As such, because I am a young person with a physical disability that severely limits my job opportunities and receives barely enough government assistance, I am not personally able to raise all of the money needed on my own. If I were to raise the money on my own, it would take me 5 years. However, in doing this I would be further subjected to social isolation, unable to purchase my textbooks for university and be unable to gain employment.
Why do I need a car? Why can't I use public transport? Or get a taxi? Great question! I need a car over public transport as wheelchair accessible public transport in my area is not readily available for all services and does not allow me to get to certain areas. I also tend to find that particular public transport can be quite unsafe for wheelchair users and I often find I try to avoid them for that reason. Wheelchair Taxi's while excellent, are quite expensive to travel in - a 30 minute drive costs $60 one way! Getting to and from university which is only a 7 minute drive, costs me $20 a day which adds up when you have classes all on seperate days.
When do you need the funds? Ideally in the next year or two. The reasons for this is that I have already started the process of obtaining funding for the vehicle modifications by gaining my license and meeting with a driving assessor occupational therapist who will recommend the best modifications for me and allow me to test various vehicle modifications as well as lessons in a borrowed modified car. The scripts that the assessor writes are only valid for a few years, before I then have to start the whole process all over again. If I can get this money before Feburary 2020, I will only have to wait on funding for the vehicle mods themselves and can restart my life over again.
The reason that I need such an expensive car is that in Australia we have a government funding agency called the NDIS that provides money for the modifications to vechicles but they do not provide funding for the car itself. Which makes it all the more frustrating when they require a car to be less than 3 years old and less than 45000 kms. The reasons for this is that the NDIS in Australia wants value for money, and applying such expensive vehicle modifications onto a new car is better value for money than on an old car. See here for more information about the criteria.
As such, because I am a young person with a physical disability that severely limits my job opportunities and receives barely enough government assistance, I am not personally able to raise all of the money needed on my own. If I were to raise the money on my own, it would take me 5 years. However, in doing this I would be further subjected to social isolation, unable to purchase my textbooks for university and be unable to gain employment.
Why do I need a car? Why can't I use public transport? Or get a taxi? Great question! I need a car over public transport as wheelchair accessible public transport in my area is not readily available for all services and does not allow me to get to certain areas. I also tend to find that particular public transport can be quite unsafe for wheelchair users and I often find I try to avoid them for that reason. Wheelchair Taxi's while excellent, are quite expensive to travel in - a 30 minute drive costs $60 one way! Getting to and from university which is only a 7 minute drive, costs me $20 a day which adds up when you have classes all on seperate days.
When do you need the funds? Ideally in the next year or two. The reasons for this is that I have already started the process of obtaining funding for the vehicle modifications by gaining my license and meeting with a driving assessor occupational therapist who will recommend the best modifications for me and allow me to test various vehicle modifications as well as lessons in a borrowed modified car. The scripts that the assessor writes are only valid for a few years, before I then have to start the whole process all over again. If I can get this money before Feburary 2020, I will only have to wait on funding for the vehicle mods themselves and can restart my life over again.
What would this car mean to you? Being able to have my own car that I can drive from my wheelchair will mean that the world is opened back up to me and allow me to go out with friends again, attend concerts and other social activities in areas that were unreachable to me. It would allow me to finish university quicker and not have to take days off due to weather limitations. It would allow me to see family that I have been unable to see for years due to living in inaccessible places and in the future, it will allow me to gain and keep employment.
If you could help make my dream come true, I would be enternally greatful for this. I have opted out of this option for a long time because I do not think that I am worthy enough for any help that I may receive but if I can achieve my goal of gaining indepence through this vehicle, I will be over the moon with gratitude! Any excess money will not be spent on me, but will be spent on others campaigns who are similiar to mine as we all deserve the freedom of independence!
If you could help make my dream come true, I would be enternally greatful for this. I have opted out of this option for a long time because I do not think that I am worthy enough for any help that I may receive but if I can achieve my goal of gaining indepence through this vehicle, I will be over the moon with gratitude! Any excess money will not be spent on me, but will be spent on others campaigns who are similiar to mine as we all deserve the freedom of independence!
Organizer
Kayla Reichel
Organizer
Emu Plains NSW
