Barrier-free Travel around the Countryside

The weather was cool in the early morning of May 7, 2018. Many barrier-free taxis, Luxgen 7s, were waiting in line at Taiwan High Speed Rail Wuri Station. 9 families, 18 patients joined the trip this time. First, we went to tung flower trail, the total length of this flat trail is 2.4 kilometers. It was so amazing and touching that the community built barrier-free toilets on their own expense. Next, we went to Castle Wine & Vineyard. This village looks nothing special, but it will amaze you while you see the great vineyard inside. We tasted the hand-made grape wine under the grape trees with breeze. Lastly, we went to Lihpao Resort to take Ferris wheel. The wheel chairs went into the cart one after another through the slope which was built by the staff member one after another. During the 25 minutes of ride, we enjoyed the great scene of Taichung.

For families of rare disease patients, traveling is such a big deal. Many things must be considered, including weather, traffic, road pavement, toilet, meals, and so on. This time, TFRD held “Smiling Traveling in Taichung” with “OurCityLove” and “Luxgen.” This trip allowed rare disease patients to experience rare environment in countryside.

This travel gave the patients and their families, who could hardly go out on regular days, a chance to relax. It also let Ayu, a patient who has been staying in the institution for a long time, walk out. Ayu hesitated at first owing to a lot of problems he could have faced, including how to get to High Speed Rail station. We helped him by asking the barrier-free taxi to pick him up at the institution. Besides, Ayu didn’t have anyone to keep him company. As to solve his difficulty of using the toilet, we asked two of the fathers of other patients to help. After all the hard work, he finally had the courage to step out his first step, which took him ten years. He rode his electric wheel chair alone on the tung tree flower trail and between the grape trees. He also made a video call with his mother at the altitude of 384 meters. This must be the best Mother’s Day gift for his mom.

Translator: Newny Chiang (MS), Reviewer: Albert Kuo