10-06-25 Story Rolling: Outdoor Wheelchair Access
Guest Tina Guenette, Founder, President and CEO of RAMP ( Real Access Motivates Progress)
An astonishing number of people rely on wheelchairs and mobility aids… veterans disabled in war… young victims of driving accidents… patients harmed by failed medical procedures… people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases… elderly moving from a cane to a walker and on to a wheel chair, as their bodies age and weaken… and pediatric brain cancer patients being wheeled around in strollers. We all know someone, and yet we are unlikely to see many of these people out and about, because so much of the environment is ill designed for those with restricted mobility. Guest Tina Guenette explains the massive scope of such limited accessibility and brings the bigger story out into the light.
Tina is the founder of RAMP, which stands for Real Access Motivates Progress. RAMP is a national non-profit dedicated to smashing barriers for people with disabilities. The organization champions accessibility and promotes equal opportunities through innovation, advocacy and education, fostering a more equitable future for citizens with mobility disabilities.
Tina is both a motivational speaker and a living testament to the power of perseverance. After surviving four battles with cancer, multiple strokes and heart attacks, Tina faced her greatest challenge in 2014, when a spinal stroke during routine surgery left her paralyzed from the waist down. Her firsthand experience, navigating a world not built for her, ignited a fire to educate, empower and create systemic change. Refusing to let her wheelchair define her limits, Tina channeled her journey into action and founded RAMP in 2019. As its President and CEO, she fights tirelessly to transform inaccessible spaces and mindsets, proving that true progress begins with inclusion. She shows how we can all make a difference for those less mobile than us, and her impact has earned nationwide acclaim.
INFORMATION RESOURCES
Visit the RAMP website – https://www.rampisinclusion.org/
Download the AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit – https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/getting-around/aarp-walk-audit-tool-kit.html Learn how to assess and report on the safety, walkability and wheelability of a street, intersection or neighborhood — and inspire needed change.
Download an AARP Street Use Worksheet
https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/livable-communities/getting-around/2022/walk-audit-worksheets-english/2%20Who%E2%80%99s%20Using%20the%20Street%20%E2%80%94%20and%20Why-fillable.pdf
Download an AARP Walk Audit Worksheet
https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/getting-around/aarp-walk-audit-worksheets-english/
Find other worksheets – https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/getting-around/aarp-walk-audit-worksheets-english/ These worksheets help guide real world infrastructure assessments.
Learn more about Walktober – https://states.aarp.org/rhode-island/stepping-up-for-safety-access-in-providence
Visit the Providence Streets Coalition website – https://pvdstreets.org/
RELATED EPISODES
Walk & Roll to School: The Positive Environmental and Health Impacts
https://dreamvisions7radio.com/walk-roll-to-school/
Great Streets: Safe, Walkable, Bikable, Equitable and Sociable https://dreamvisions7radio.com/great-streets/
Purchase Wendy’s book, The Angel Heart – https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Heart-Wendy-Nadherny-Fachon/dp/1967270279/ref=sr_1_1
Read about DIPG: Eternal Hope Versus Terminal Corruption by Dean Fachon begin to uncover the truth about cancer – https://dipgbook.com/
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