“Can’t” isn’t part of Toni Martin’s vocabulary.
Martin, whose neck was broken in a vehicle accident in 1982, has made it her mission to find ways to adapt to the paralyzing results of her injuries and to help other people work around their own disabilities as well.
“I just love helping people with disabilities,” she said. “I don’t want people thinking that if they have a disability they’re useless. If I can be a living example of that ...”
Martin already has done plenty to help herself learn ways to work around her paralysis.
“I’m a quadraplegic but I function like a para(plegic),” she said.
Martin was 14 years old and living with her family in Liberal when the accident happened.
“I was with a drunk driver and of course I was the only one hurt,” she said.
Her parents loved her enough to let her find her own ways to be independent within their family unit and outside.
“I was treated like everybody else,” Martin said. “I had to make my own bed and stuff ...”
In high school, she was vice president of Students Against Drunk Driving, now Students Against Destructive Decisions.
She came to Emporia State University because of its accessibility for disabled students.
“I just loved it,” she said. “I got real excited that you push a button and a door opens for you.”
She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a minor in business, got married and had a daughter, Ashley, who is now 19.
Martin and her husband, John, own and operate John’s Electronic Repair at their rural home north of Emporia.
“I garden,” she said. “I plant my own peach trees and pear trees. ... I just want to be as productive as God will let me, and if I can spread that little bit of love and let people know whatever their disability is, they still can be productive if they’re willing to take that step.”
She also works part-time for Resources for Independent Living, and emphasizes the agency’s build-a-ramp and computer programs that help disabled people become more independent.
Money is available through a variety of sources for loans or donations for durable medical supplies and ramps. Ramps, she said, are a key part of transitioning into the outside world for many disabled people.
She now is working with RCIL on an “awareness of accessibility” project that will be headquartered at White Memorial Park at Sixth Avenue and Merchant Street during the Great American Market next month.
RCIL clients and employees will hold a Walk Through Main Street at 10:30 a.m., and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. will have a live band, The Usual Suspects, entertaining at the park, where the agency will serve free hot dogs. The event is open to the public, she said.
Martin also has volunteered to work with Emporia Main Street on its fall clean-up project, even though she lives outside the city.
“If it’ll bring awareness that people with disabilities aren’t useless, than I want to get out there and show them that I can pick up trash,” Martin said. “I can volunteer to do whatever needs to be done.”
This month, she received a state award from the Kansas Disability Caucus to honor her for “her endless pursuit of civil, human, and equal rights for people with disabilities.”
It is her goal, Martin said, to reach people and let them know that their disabilities do not mean they are not able.
“But we’re going to find another way of going around it to be productive in society,” she explained. “I just want everybody to have that right to make those choices.”
In addition to family and job responsibilities, Martin volunteers time to help disabled people become more independent. She serves on numerous boards and works with many organizations, among them the KDC the Emporia accessibility committee, Kansas Assistive Technology, and American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT).
She lobbies legislators and talks with them to explain the advantages of helping disabled people stay in their homes. U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback is one of the officials she has tried to convince to support the Community Choice Act.
“What it means is that you have a choice,” she said. “You either live in a nursing home or get attendant care (at home).”
Disability, she emphasized, is not a condition exclusive to people who have suffered life-changing accidents or illnesses. Most everyone will become disabled to some degree during their lives, whether it is through a minor accident or natural deterioration from age, or from wars.
“When our heroes come home, I want to make sure they have some attendant care, that they can live, integrate into society, and be productive, because that transition is hard,” Martin said.
The Community Choice Act would help those soldiers function outside an institutional setting, just as it would help others who are disabled, whether permanently or temporarily.
“The point is, say that you break your leg. Would you want to go to a nursing home (or) would you like to go to your home and have somebody come in and help you out?” Martin said.
Monika (anonymous) says...
WOW! I recently met Toni and her daughter at the Kansas Disability Caucus 2009 in Topeka. I was truly moved by this article which informed me of her condition. I was suprised to learn the cause of her disability because the woman I met was so remarkable. She did not have any trouble getting out on the dance floor in her wheelchair and dancing with her daughter, Ashley. I myself have been recovering from being a quadriplegic and am no longer in a wheelchair, although I do use a walker. I am very lucky to have met such an inspirational woman! She has inspired me to get involved in these important issues that we have to deal with on a daily basis. Thank you Toni!
September 3, 2009 at 7:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )