Wheels 4 Lilac

"Disability justice dreams got me here and I’ll continue banking on them"

-Stacey Park Milbern

Dearest Comrades,

The struggle as a non-ambulatory wheelchair user this past year since medical negligence left me without use of my legs has been real. One of the biggest challenges has been transportation. Relying upon services like Access Paratransit, Kaiser Permanente's medical transport, or the Metro buses and trains has resulted in abusive treatment ranging from damage to my power wheelchair to sexual harassment to physical injury resulting from improper securement. Surviving such hardships has crushed my spirit and left me feeling afraid to leave home.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to earn and save some money to put toward buying a used wheelchair-accessible van that I can use as a safe and secure form of transportation that my caregiver or parents can drive to take me wherever I need, but I do not have close to enough to make this very expensive purchase. Wheelchair-accessible vans are tremendously expensive because they must be modified to include a ramp and the necessary securements to make traveling in a power wheelchair possible.

As a Disability Justice organizer and activist for over ten years, I've learned the power and importance of community and mutual aid. I am proud to be a part of a resilient network of interdependent multiply marginalized communities that have historically bound together to help one another. That is why I am asking for your support in gathering the funds necessary to make this purchase. I've seen the community come together to do amazing things before, so I am solidly faithful that this dream can indeed become a reality very soon with a little help from you. Thank you in advance for providing me access to a better quality of life.

ACCESS IS LOVE

Many Thanks,

Lilac Vylette Maldonado