Couples We Love
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(US) 866-800-2002 • (Canada) 888-570-1113 • quantumrehab.com • tfyi New Mobility.qxp_. 11/9/17 1:29 PM Page 1 QUICKIE® SEDEO® Ergo CONTENTSIssue 293 - February 2018 life beyond wheels COVER STORY SEX, WHEELS & RELATIONSHIPS REGAN LINTON profiles four couples we love, who speak candidly about their relationships in and out of the bedroom. An excerpt from BEN MATTLIN’S new book digs into the dynamics of “inter-abled” relationships, VERONICA SKYE shares an intimate look at how she hid her colostomy from people 26 she dated for half her life before finally opening up about it, and MITCH TEPPER has fun checking out the latest in adaptive sex toys. Cover and Contents Photos by Loren Worthington FEATURES DEPARTMENTS 4 BULLY PULPIT 16 HURRICANE RECOVERY The 2017 hurricane season upended hundreds of thou- 6 SHARE sands of lives. CINDY OTIS reports on United Spinal’s 8 NEWS relief efforts for those with disabilities. 10 EVERYDAY ADVOCACY 20 AN OTTER’S LIFE 12 LIVE WELL Curious about Christiaan “Otter” Bailey’s nickname? The 14 HOW WE ROLL humanitarian work of the world-class adaptive surfer/ 44 THE RUCKER REPORT skater may be an even better story. BY SETH MCBRIDE. 46 INNOVATIONS 41 ARTIST RETREATS 48 ERVIN If you’re looking to find your artistic inspiration in a 51 CLASSIFIEDS peaceful setting, MARK BRAUNSTEIN may have the 52 CRIP BUZZ answer for you (and its free!). life beyond wheels BULLYBy Tim PULPITGilmer NEW MOBILITY IS THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF UNITED SPINAL ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT & CEO: JAMES WEISMAN VP OF PUBLICATIONS: JEAN DOBBS INVITING OTHERS INTO OUR WORLD Amadeo Garcia Garcia might as well be the These words are rich with innuendo and last man on earth. He lives in the village of shared meaning. But the fullness of their EDITORIAL Intuto, Peru, on the banks of the Amazon, meaning is only appreciated by other mem- PUBLISHER: JEAN DOBBS and he’s the last survivor of his tribe — the bers of our cultural tribe. The great major- EDITOR: TIM GILMER last native speaker of his first language, ity of inhabitants of this nation have never MANAGING EDITOR: JOSIE BYZEK Taushiro [“Thousands Once Spoke His Lan- spoken Disabledese, nor will they ever. SENIOR EDITOR: IAN RUDER guage in the Amazon. Now, He’s the Only It is no doubt a monumental stretch ASSOCIATE EDITOR: SETH MCBRIDE One” — nyti.ms/2pzV1fH]. When he dies, no to compare our sense of isolation with SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: BOB VOGEL one will be left to speak his language. Now, that of Amadeo Garcia Garcia, but we do while he lives out his final years, he may be share certain characteristics that make the world’s loneliest man. CUSTOMER SERVICE true communication with others outside Imagine if no one spoke your language. our tribe difficult and, at times, seemingly Toll-free 800/404-2898, ext. 7203 The profound connection we have with impossible. Our specialized vocabulary our native language is lost on most of us who is at once unifying and divisive. At best it are American-born English speakers. Every ADVERTISING SALES day we hear our language spoken wherever 718/803-3782 Our specialized voices can be heard, in snatches of public “ MANAGER, CORPORATE RELATIONS: conversation, on radio, TV, movies, comput- MEGAN LEE, EXT. 7253 vocabulary is at once ers, cell phones and a host of electronic de- AD MATERIALS: DEANNA FIKE, EXT. 7250 unifying and divisive. vices and recordings. But Amadeo no longer ” PRODUCTION hears his own language. When he speaks, his creates a sense of community among us; PRODUCTION MANAGER: DEANNA FIKE words fall on silence — and no one responds. Does that ring a bell? at worst it erects boundaries that sepa- CIRCULATION In the United States, we hear many rate us from the mainstream. Like Trump’s proposed wall on our south- CIRCULATION MANAGER: different languages spoken, but our first BEVERLY SMITH allegiance, our primal identity, our ability to ern border, purpose is everything. If our pur- CIRCULATION COORDINATOR: communicate with others, is inextricably pose in speaking Disabledese is to enforce MARIA KURTZ linked to our first language, whether it is borders, it will have an isolating effect. On English, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, the other hand, if we make a real effort to POSTMASTER: Send address changes to New Vietnamese, German, Russian, Swedish, translate our specialized dialect into friendly Mobility, 120-34 Queens Blvd, #320, Kew Gardens NY 11415. Subscription rates: $27.95/year; $35.95/ Dutch, Hebrew, Arabic, Swahili, Samoan, or terms and make it more easily understood by year in Canada; $67.95/year international via one of countless other languages that make others who do not speak it, we break down airmail. New Mobility (ISSN 1086-4741), Volume 29, Issue 293, is published monthly by United up our uniquely diverse nation. And some of the great wall, and we invite others into our Spinal Association, 120-34 Queens Blvd, #320, us also speak a distinctly unique dialect of a world, our personal space, our lives. Kew Gardens NY 11415. Copyright 2018, all rights particular demographic group. Now is a critical time for those of us with reserved. Reproduction without permission of any material contained herein is strictly prohibited. We Those of us with severe disabilities, for disabilities to reach out to people who so welcome comments; we reserve the right to edit instance, speak Disabledese. Certain words often misunderstand and unconsciously submissions. or expressions yield their complete mean- limit our participation in the evolving na- Periodicals postage paid at Flushing, NY and additional mailing offices. ing only to others like us who also speak tional culture. Are we willing to help them Disabledese. When we use words like “walk- understand and appreciate our uniqueness www.newmobility.com ies” or “crips,” their connotations transcend as part of the greater “we,” not the marginal- www.unitedspinal.org the literal meaning of the words or phrases. ized “them?” 4 NEW MOBILITY life beyond wheels CONTRIBUTORSOur Staff and Freelancers CONTRIBUTING EDITORS MICHAEL COLLINS MIKE ERVIN ROXANNE FURLONG ALEX GHENIS life beyond wheels RICHARD HOLICKY KATE MATELAN ALLEN RUCKER ROBERT SAMUELS REGAN LINTON ERIC STAMPFLI An actor, director, educator and writer, Regan Linton is also artistic ELLEN STOHL director and acting executive director of Phamaly Theatre Compa- BOB VOGEL ny in Denver. She was recently honored with the True West award LOREN WORTHINGTON for Colorado Theatre Person of the Year 2017. She has performed professionally with Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Mixed Blood, La Jolla Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, Big-I, and Phamaly, among COMMUNITY PARTNERS others. She is a leading voice for diversity and inclusion throughout KIM ANDERSON the national theater community. She is also an adaptive swimmer, CHRISTIAAN “OTTER” BAILEY golfer and yogi, and enjoys traveling, new adventures and chal- MARTY BALL lenging the status quo. Visit her website at reganlinton.com. TIFFINY CARLSON LAWRENCE CARTER-LONG RORY COOPER MARK MATHEW BRAUNSTEIN JASON DASILVA Mark Mathew Braunstein became a T12 paraplegic from an un- DEBORAH DAVIS skillful dive in 1990. Lucky him, his injury and recovery were made TOBIAS FORREST into a short TV documentary (youtu.be/96EhHzN6RoI). After 30 JENNIFER FRENCH years as an art librarian and art curator at Rhode Island School ALLISON CAMERON GRAY of Design and then at Connecticut College, he retired to contem- MINNA HONG plate his navel as well as other people’s art and literature. A fre- MARK JOHNSON quently published photographer, he is shown here photograph- GARY KARP ing the ramp at Vermont Studio Center. You can view his nature NANCY BECKER KENNEDY photography and read his eight previous articles for NEW MOBILITY CORY LEE at MarkBraunstein.org BRITTANY MARTIN LINDA MASTANDREA LYNN MURRAY CINDY OTIS ASHLEY LYN OLSON Cindy Otis served with distinction as a CIA security analyst TEAL SHERER and manager between 2007-2017 on some of the top U.S. TARI HARTMAN SQUIRE national security priorities, including a tour as an intelligence MITCH TEPPER briefer at the White House. Prior to the CIA, she worked as REVECA TORRES a public affairs officer for the U.S.