轮椅上的华丽冒险

2021-09-14重庆周国瑞

疯狂英语·新悦读 2021年8期

重庆周国瑞

科里很小就被诊断出患有脊髓性肌萎缩症。在妈妈的爱护下，他坐轮椅游览了七大洲，他决定在博客上分享他的旅行知识，帮助其他像他一样的残疾旅行者探索世界。

题材旅行体裁记叙文文章词数难度建议用时201 ★★★ 6 分钟

1Cory, aged 30, was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy （脊髓性肌萎缩症） at a very young age. So he began using a wheelchair at 4. His mother, Sandy Gilbreath,raised him as a single parent. Although taking care of a child with a disability was challenging, she ensured that Cory didn't miss out the fun things in his life. Sandy took him on road trips during summer breaks throughout his childhood. The exciting experiences of exploring new places inspired him to set a lifelong goal of visiting all seven continents.

2Fortunately, Cory was able to do that just before the COVID-19 started. He and his mother traveled to Antarctica in February in 2020, just before the borders closed. It was the seventh and the final continent on his list. He became the first wheelchair user ever to visit all the seven continents!

3According to Cory, traveling in a wheelchair requires a wide range of planning and research. He starts his research six to twelve months before each trip, making sure that there are accessible transportation options in the location. He would also call up hotels or rental homes to confirm if they are truly as accessible as they claim to be.

4When Cory started going on adventures, there weren't many online resources discussing accessible travel. To help other travelers with disabilities explore the world as he does, he decided to share his knowledge in his blog. Hoping to promote representation of the wheelchair-using community, Cory and his mother wrote a children's book, titled Let's Explore with Cor Cor, which is about a boy who travels around the world in his powered wheelchair.

5“Traveling to all seven continents wasn't something that I was sure was going to be possible,” he said. “But if you stay determined and keep a positive attitude, the opportunities are limitless.”