An Outing with Nick :)

About Nick:

First and foremost, Nick is a musician. He is the third of four children born to Frank and Marilyn Malloy in Macon, Georgia. Over the years, Nick has been a member of several bands, playing guitar, writing his own music, and singing his heart out. He has recorded music in Nashville, Tennessee with artists like Dierks Bentley, and was destined for musical greatness before half a second asleep at the wheel changed his life forever.

About Nick’s injury:

Nick was involved in a single vehicle accident on March 28, 2012. On his 23^rd birthday, he fell asleep at the wheel while driving home on Interstate 75. The accident is believed to have taken place at around 2:30am, however, due to the isolated nature of this stretch of interstate, he was not noticed until after 8am. Nick sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) at the 8th thoracic vertebra. In addition to his SCI, he also broke several ribs, collapsed a lung, and suffered massive muscle and soft tissue damage to his left forearm.

After several weeks in the neuro intensive care unit at the medical center of central Georgia, Nick began three months of intensive rehabilitation at The Shepherd Center in Atlanta. While at Shepherd, Nick learned the skills he would need to return to a functional life following his injury. I had the opportunity to spend an average of three days per week with Nick while he was in treatment at Shepherd and got to see first hand how his physical environment was so critical in his life following his injury.

 I have been on many outings with Nick both before and after his accident. For this assignment, we ventured around the Metro area and made stops at the following places:

·      Ikea

·      The Watershed Restaurant, Buckhead

·      Lenox Mall

·      Nick’s home

Sociality is Nick’s biggest personal struggle since his accident. Because he walked for 23 years, waking up with a paralyzing spinal cord injury was life changing. Since Nick was an active young adult at the time of his injury, he experienced social withdrawal and isolation in the months and first year following his injury. Playing guitar and using his music has been a vital part in his recovery process. Because he sustained so much damage to his left hand, playing the guitar was a challenge at first, but it also gave him the motivation to reach his physical therapy goals. He is still not writing or playing like he did before the accident, but he has come a long way from the days when he did not want to look at a guitar.

On our outing, the easiest place with the best accessibility was at Ikea. It has nice, wide aisle ways and easily accessible elevators to all the floors. The salespeople there were willing to help us with lifting if we bought things, which was nice since Ikea is kind of “do it yourself” when it comes to getting the pieces you need to assemble your furniture. There were several places that were hard to get around in, but the two hardest were a restaurant we attended in Buckhead and the True Religion Brand Jeans store at Lenox mall. True Religion was not very accessible because the store was long and narrow with little floor space. Crowding became an issue when a group of people came into the store. Because of the counter’s placement in the center of the store, it was impossible for Nick to see all the things he wanted to see once more people came into the store. It was very frustrating, especially because the people who were crowding us did not realize how it affected Nick. Eventually, Nick made some selections and rolled out of the store while I stayed behind to pay. Even when stores are technically ADA- compliant, which I am sure True Religion is- crowding can become a big problem when the store is small to begin with. At the Watershed Restaurant in Buckhead, Nick and I had to eat outside because it was late and the bar had turned into a sort of “standing room only” joint by the time we got there. Needless to say, we could not stand, so out we went. During dinner, I made several trips to the bar for both of us- something I usually let the man do

on the date. Navigating through a bar crowd to order drinks when you are in a wheelchair is easier said than done, though, and even if he got through the crowd the bar was too high for him to order comfortably.

Privacy and adaptability have been considered in all aspects of Nick’s home. After his accident, a group of friends worked hard to get his house ready for him to come home to. His room at his parent’s house, which used to be upstairs, was moved downstairs to better adapt to his new needs. The carpeted floors were changed to hardwood, and the bathroom had to be totally adapted and outfitted with a new shower, sink, and toilet to be more manageable for Nick. The room Nick uses now used to be the entranceway to the house, so the front door had to be moved to give him the privacy that he needed. The adaptations to his bedroom and bathroom allow him privacy and the chance to function independently, which is important for Nick.