A personal recollection on air travel from a wheelchair user

This past week, I attended a lengthy and historic Department of Transportation (DOT) about air travel for wheelchair users with around 1500 people in attendance. The Transportation Secretary himself spoke. The discussion started with the 1986 Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) but opened up to focus on experiences of air travelers. I heard horror stories about wheelchairs and other mobility devices being destroyed or even entirely lost because they went on airplanes.

These traumas reminded me of my own horrible time in an airport. In 2012, I went to Pakistan and came back with my younger sister (she was 18 and I was 20). Flying back, we arrived in the massive JFK airport – they were supposed to give wheelchair assistance (it was requested) to the next flight. But they never came and time began to run short so we had to go walk quickly. …Only for more waiting. I remember sitting on the luggage while in line and my sister had to go ask for help. We walked more without help and missed the flight – though they gave us a hotel room, we were ecstatic to leave JFK behind. But afterwards, my legs felt very numb and kinda shaky. They held my weight but with far less confidence. For a long time, I felt entirely unlike myself. Really weird feeling. A few months later, doctors told me that I had overexerted myself (which is rather bad for my condition).  Though I heard of worse stories in the meeting – such as people suffering open wounds from poor treatment – I see this event as a turning point for my condition.    

My JFK saga lives on. Ten years later, I am well recovered. Last year, a fellow Toastmaster pointed out how much stronger I had become since 2016 (when we had met). The presenters in the DOT meeting reminded me of the struggles many still face for air travel. They helped me realize how absolutely right my mother was to place demands on the airport, airlines, and staff to help me travel through air. Even simple things like calling 2 days ahead to report taking a scooter onboard. Those actions were all in fact, as I learned from this event, best practice with the current airport setup for wheelchair users. Imagine that, my mom understood the air travel system after arranging my flights for years on end. After three hours, I decided to move on to give myself space to process everything I just learned.

Awakening from a Slumber: March 2021 through March 2022

Photo of sakura in bloom taken by my mom on March 24, 2022.

Reminiscence

Returning from Canada (March 24 2020) forced me to figure out the process of moving without the direct support of my parents. Feeling overwhelmed, I never noticed that winter had ended – until I was en route to home. My mom told me to look out the car window. I noticed cherry blossoms gloriously in bloom, in defiance of the rain. To me, cherry blossoms now represent the spirit of Spring prevailing across pandemic and the turn of the world.

This year

This year, I moved to Columbus, Ohio to learn and grow as a person and as a professional. The PhD must be the first thing that comes up right? Moving to a new area always brings a gust of change: living in a new place, seeking out new healthcare, and resuming studying. A pandemic mixed in added to the turbulence of this time. Overall, this has been worth the great challenges coming my way.

My life goes on behind the veil of PhD. I have continued studying Japanese and driving, with hopes of one day demonstrating unambiguous proficiency. I watched all 276 episodes of the sitcom show Cheers in 6 months (March to September 2021). I sent a Christmas card to a friend across the US-Canada border (for the first time!). I was visited by three friends individually, including one person coming for my birthday. I attended school while my laptop went off for repairs in October 2021. In April of the same year, I got a new scooter to replace my old one of 8 years – and it is right now (March 2022) waiting for repairs.

Time is strange. That’s why I want to focus on the numerous exhilarating sights still in my life. After these grand visual observations, I will dive into all that remains: Toastmasters, other professional activities, and the PhD itself.

Grand sights
As said before, sakura (cherry blossoms) are an especially dear feature of the (Oregon) Spring glow up to me. These sightings also line up with the anniversary of my trip back home.

The local sakura gradually opening up (March 25).

The same tree soaked with rain (March 28).

A beautiful riverside sakura tree joined our hanami (April 2).

A sakura in the Portland Japanese Garden (April 10).

As beautiful as the cherry blossom are, one must admire the other great flowers like tulips, roses, and lavender (not depicted).

Greeted by colors at the tulip festival (April 18).

In May 2021, I took my first trip outside of the Pacific Northwest since the pandemic began. This brought my family and I to Florida for my first time in probably two decades. A number of beautiful birds and trees met our eyes, though the beaches were a tad disappointing. While there, I met two different friends in the flesh for the first time, which was maybe the greatest excitement for me.

Embracing the quintessential Florida experience (May 11).

Afterwards, we regained our senses and went back to beautiful Oregon. A week later, a friend came to visit me on my birthday, which is an experience like none other. It was incredible getting to banter back and forth with him in person and not just online!

Admiring roses (June 15).

The days when Oregon was hit by an infamous multi-day heatwave with high temperatures soaring to 45 degrees Celsius (115 F). Not depicted: one of my paintings in front of the window to block the sun.

After the historic heatwave subsided, we headed to the mountains of Washington for cool relief.

A trip to Washington gave way to the great North Cascades (not depicted, July 3) and the sublime Olympic National Park (July 4).

The great Troll of Seattle (July 4).

After my many trips in 2020 and 2021, I had to settle down a little bit. The move to Ohio took me away from the glorious parks of the Pacific Northwest. It was time to buckle down and get serious work done. My activity levels on anything not related to science took a big tumble.

That said, there are many parks. In August, we saw the Park of the Roses (undepicted), which was lovely but not on the level of the Rose City. Just a few weeks later, I decided to stretch my wings. With a fellow of my cohort, I checked out the Glen Echo Park and saw an incredible mural there. (There was also a rainbow, but this is just slightly the better photo.)

Embracing my avian spirit at the Glen Echo Park in Ohio (October 9).

Unfortunately, Fall 2021 was filled with difficulties even beyond trying to make friends and make progress in my program. A mere day after the wonderful park visit, my Laptop slid off the desk's curved edge and the screen was fragmented in several places.  All this just because the desk is not well designed and the tendency of the charger cable to pull the laptop. I got a cruel lesson in ergonomics and worked to reorganize my desk space. Of course, I also had a take home test to work on while this all went on. It kinda was rough!

Martin Crane from the show Frasier describing my exact expression when my laptop fell to the ground (October 10).

I cooled my head in Oregon while my laptop was fixed. With my younger sister, I saw a great Halloween event put on north of Portland in a town called St. Helens.

A beautifully blurry demonic creature last seen in St. Helens, Oregon (October 16).

With the university Fulbright group, I saw the Columbus Zoo where we saw majestic creatures like red pandas, spectacular birds, and penguins. That day was surprisingly cold, even with seasonal fall temperatures, and I had to wear layers. The whole day encursion was incredible worthwhile.

Penguin perfection at the Columbus Zoo (October 23).

This was the year that I realized I could be sort of popular. An online friend of mine from Chicago area came to visit me in Ohio on the way to his parents. We saw the very popular exhibition Otherworld -- which is located in a massive, entirely abandoned area of stores. Spooked by this deserted vibe, we headed in to see the weirdness.

The grand alien planet of Otherworld in the outskirts of Columbus (Nov 11).

Perhaps the above image seemed tame to you. So let me present the exhibit that got my friend the most excited. A cow with holes representing udders had to receive the right magnetic cables. Once solved, the cow turned golden and a Legend of Zelda (which is a video game series) jingle played.  My friend  solved this puzzle three times just to hear the jingle again a few more times.

A golden cow last spotted at Otherworld (Nov 11).

Afterwards, I appreciated the fall colors settling in Ohio. The season seemed delayed, with unusually warm temperatures, but I witnessed a veritable show.

Ethereal Autumnal Ohio  (Nov 19).

School kept fighting, but I kept my wits about me. Over Thanksgiving, I went with family to see great East Coast sights. Though DC has many a great sights, I especially enjoyed seeing West Virginia for (possibly) the first time.

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (Nov 27).

With the hustle and bustle at a temporary low, I went home to Oregon for the winter break. There, on my mom's recommendation, I took my COVID-19 booster shot, realizing that the side effects would be better at home. To my surprise, a trip to the doctor for a checkup became the booster shot trip (thanks to my dad). To make up for the trick, my parents took me to great Chinese. Shockingly, I began to feel sleepy during the meal, just a couple hours after the shot.

Enjoying a Chinese meal at the local favorite (Dec 17).

 

Shockingly, I began to feel sleepy during the meal, just a couple hours after the shot. Feelings of exhaustion overwhelmed me as the booster shot symptoms took hold. The next day I developed a fever, my first since before the pandemic (fortunately). This all gave me the excuse to continue my rest. By being at home, I was taken care of far better than on my own. Once again, my mom was completely right.

Of course, the rest of my time in Oregon was spent taking photos of the landscape. In the mean time, I mailed a Christmas card to a friend in Canada (and vice versa).

Another funny squirrel photo (Dec 21).

Rare snowfall gently coats the Portland area (Dec 27).

Blue Jays and crows square off against the backdrop of melting snow (Dec 30).

The Blue Jays drove off the crows and played an incredible cacaphony to signal the end of the year. This happened perhaps a whole *day* after I told a friend that Blue Jays were rare. That sure showed me.

The very last day of the year, I went to Mt Hood where we were greeted with frosty temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius or possibly lower. This was the coldest I felt since leaving Canada. Defrosting in the car and even while at home. The brain fog was fierce, blocking most of my thoughts. But at least it was from the outdoors and not school. We saw beautiful snow on this day, and then came back on January 7th. Here we faced a tremendous snowfall and spent time trying out sliding and hiking through the snow. Though incredibly difficult, it was excellent exercise, surrounded by a beautiful scene.

A blizzard creates a winter wonderland in Mt. Hood (January 7).

We headed to the Timberline Lodge afterwards, only to find a terrifying whiteout blizzard. For the first time in my life, I knew what it was like to have low visibility -- where you see white, truck lights, and nothing else at all. The conditions were poor enough that we resolved to head back. However, I took one chance to march towards the Lodge for a last photo.

Flying past Mt. Hood on my way back to Ohio (January 12).

This serene shot underlies the time where I *wanted* to go back to school as soon as possible. After three days of delays, including an unsuccessful trip to the airport, I was desperate for my flight to take off and take me to the Midwest.

Columbus decided to put on something of a winter show the next few weeks. I can assure you that my boots saw consistent usage over this time. We had one day with wind chill values around -20 Degrees celsius without snow, recalling my experiences on Mt Hood. But we also received snow heavy enough to delay my scooter. This was compounded by the city not taking care of the snow, leaving piles to freeze and block everything. Some days I had to just walk without access to my scooter, like below. That said, the beautiful sight almost balanced out every inconvenience from the wintry weather.

The campus lake entirely frozen over and coated in snow (February 4).


A friend of mine visited me with his mother just a little over a week later and we saw the Franklin Park Conservatory and the Van Gogh Exhibition. In the process, we also saw the Easton Town Center, considered a great outdoor mall for the area. Personally, though, I know better ones in Oregon. The massive Macy's store at Easton will forever haunt me.

Naturally, the Conservatory was the most impressive sight seen with my friend.

The Franklin Conservatory Himalayas exhibition (February 12).

Franklin Park Conservatory koi pond (February 12).

Franklin Park Conservatory butterflies (Feburary 12).

The Franklin Park conservatory, located in the Columbus area, is famous for its butterflies. February was, unfortunately, a little too early for them. But the fact that we saw two beautiful ones was incredible. Other than that, my favorite exhibit was the Himalayan biome.

Just after, my friend dropped me home and surprised me with a gift: it was Chitanda Eru from the show Hyouka. This show got me through tough times. I hope that I have played the same role for this friend. The visit was an incredible time and definitely offset the gentle misery that would soon come my way.

Historic rainfall bounces off a frozen lake (February 17).

Rainfall of close to 2 inches fell in one day. Though it was majestic in a way, I underestimated the effect of rain upon myself moving in a mobility scooter. I was thoroughly soaked in the process but made it back home in one piece. The next day, however, I noticed that my scooter would not turn on. Later that day, I dropped my ten year old Blue Yeti microphone, breaking its USB port. Right now, I am still fretting over both issues, with resolution to come hopefully soon. On March 4th, I moved my sleeping scooter (with the help of paratransit) to the repair place with relief on the way.

There were great moments, however, even with calamity on the horizon.

Noticing my struggles, a kind friend in my program suggested we meet (in February, not long after the scooter went silent). This was in fact the person with whom I saw the Glen Echo park. We ate pizza and played games. Despite not playing chess for years, I was able to full off a shockingly satisfying victory. With my advantage set in stone, my friend suggested we stop, rather than bring the game to full completion. (The checkmate could have taken 5 or even ten minutes!)

Coming back home to Oregon was my excuse to eat a lot of good food once again (while eyeing the emergence of Spring). March 11th, the great snack festival where I had strawberry lemonade, a cookie, and gyoza. While away, I had a chance to eat food from back east (if by east one can include the Midwest). At a farmer's market, I ate Chicago style pizza.  Later that day, I experienced the glory of Nashville chicken with the help of Dave's Hot Chicken. The highest spice level of Reaper reduced my mom -- the most stalwart of spice enthusiasts -- to mild tears and I struggle a touch with the second-spiciest option.

Once back in Ohio, I returned to school. But not without going to the North Market to try out food with the Fulbright group. Most of us got Somali food, which was surprisingly good. Somehow not as spicy as I hoped though (even with a three pepper rating on my dish).

Now I hope you understand in detail how strange this

Toastmasters

This was an unusual time for doing Toastmasters. As society picked the pace back up, doing Zoom meetings became more challenging. Spring 2021 compelled me to think about advancing my career – at this time, I selected my PhD school. Despite these forces, I remained active. I ran over ten meetings and presented at least 10 prepared speeches. Among these meetings, I led two  exciting roleplaying-themed meetings (inspired by my United Nations theme from early March 2021), giving me a chance to stretch my creativity.

The in-person BBQ, which landed in August 2021, was the very first meeting not held over Zoom since early 2020. While there, I gave a humorous toast to myself in advance of my move away from my familiar home. Despite this development, we remained on Zoom after. Afterwards, in December, the club held a Holiday Party over Zoom, helping me remain connected.

I closed the proverbial book on my Innovative Planning path. This required me to perform a High Performance Leadership project, which started around April 5^th. For this project, I assembled a committee consisting of 8 individuals to help me organize a workshop that I hosted. With two fellow speakers, I hosted the workshop itself on June 17^th 2021. I learned about professionalism in leading meetings and giving precise and important decisions to my team.

Throughout this time, I gave a number of exciting speeches meant to push my growth. The focus especially rested on more intimate or challenging subjects. These are listed below.

1. Toasting the former president of my home Toastmasters club (June 28) – I spoke from the heart about what his leadership meant to me. The first Zoom meeting was held on March 23, 2020 – the day before my forced flight back home. It was all thanks to his leadership that we transitioned so fast.

 

2. Describing someone so close yet so far (July 28) – I spoke about living in the same building as my previous protégé in Toastmasters. We learned about this coincidence over a year after I had left Canada.

3. Discussing the feeling of losing contact with someone important (Jan 3 2022) – Another speech about someone I met in Canada. But we never spoke after I left. This was the third time I spoke about this person. This time, I wanted to speak with my body, rather than simply my words.

4. Speaking from the heart about my muscle condition (March 2022) – I gave this speech to both of my clubs so they could know about my own experiences.

 

 

Work beyond school

During this period, I brought a close to my lingering research work from Canada. I was truly fortunate to attend the June 2021 PhD defense of the student who trained me. During these remaining interactions, I coauthored multiple papers that came out in 2021 while supporting a database analysis. The most recent one came out just this past November (during my PhD program), bolstering my confidence in my scientific writing.

During my program, I have pursued other avenues for growth. I gave an interview with a newspaper about the events of 9/11 for the 20^th anniversary. Against the backdrop of these tasks, I reached out to the Muscular Dystrophy Association advocacy wing to renew conversation about topics such as economic opportunity for persons with neuromuscular disorders. This connection led me to a historic Department of Transportation meeting that I attended for three hours. 

The one film I saw in theaters during the pandemic gave me a chance to reflect on my own experiences as a wheelchair user. Last year, I worked the courage to see a film in theaters in the pandemic. Josee the Tiger and the Fish is a beautiful film set in Japan that follows Josee  (real name Kumiko) – Josee is a nonambulatory wheelchair user. Though I can walk, I have experienced some of the same barriers, including during my 2014 trip to Japan. In particular, I was forced to leave my mobility scooter at a train station and use a loaner wheelchair. Just earlier this month (March 2021), I gave a speech on this film as it corresponds to my own experiences with disability. I then delivered the speech a second time! All of this in preparation for me to study disability rights in Japan and write an article on Josee.

School

In some ways, going back to school is not unusual. Not too long ago, I was learning about genetics and biology. This time, however, the focus is drawn away from anatomy. The main goal of a PhD student is in fact to graduate rather than take classes. During my first year, I have been immersed in the process of finding a lab “home” for my PhD. The idea in theory is that you spend three 7-week rotations in three different labs and choose from among those labs. However, I am continuing to look for the lab that will support me in writing and defending a dissertation.   

While here, I have attended interesting events on muscle biology, immersing myself in this field. This included some prestigious events like the Myology course – before the pandemic, it even drew international attendees interested in both therapeutic and clinical research. Only several months in, I am still hard at work continuing my march forward.

Finding groups to join has been tough because of the pandemic. My most regular club, the university Fulbright association, has met only three times since I came here. Recently, I mentored a 9^th grade student in putting together a science fair project and judged 4 other science fair projects. Training young minds in the scientific method was a great joy for me.

Though this work is only loosely attached to my PhD work, I felt great enjoyment in  helping train young minds in the scientific method. Taken together, these experiences prepare me to advance as a research scientist.

Conclusion

This unusual span of time has given me chances to envision new choices in a new land – as the pandemic ebbs slowly, and I build upon myself once more. May the next year bring great challenges and unique oddities to keep life as exciting as it has been.

 May everyone reading this post stay safe and well!