Diverse abilities showcased at skate park
Lincoln Porter can walk, run and even jump around like many other 4-year-olds, but a birth defect affecting his back and lower limbs prevents him from participating in some sports.
Over the summer, Lincoln’s family began taking him to Father Marinaro Skate Park, where his wheelchair could go down ramps and roll around the obstacles alongside other skaters, despite his spina bifida.
On Monday, Lincoln got a glimpse at how far he could take that skill, when wheelchair motocross (WCMX) athlete Jonathan Stark hit the ramps at Father Marinaro. This further emphasized the idea that people of different abilities can participate along with everyone else.
“The community we’re in is very open and willing to help in any way they can,” said Lincoln’s mom, Marie Porter, of Butler, “and we just want to make sure families have opportunities for their kids.”
Oct. 25 is World Spina Bifida Day, and Marie said she asked Stark to visit the park to increase visibility of wheelchair sports.
Spina bifida affects a fetus’ spinal cord in the womb, causing it to develop improperly. Marie said it affects everyone differently, and Lincoln had surgery on his back that helped lessen the impact of spina bifida.
The Porters took dozens of trips to Philadelphia for surgeries over the past four years, and now Lincoln is able to move around independently. About a month ago, the family received a wheelchair from Box Wheelchairs, a custom wheelchair company based in Wharton, Texas, which gives Lincoln even more ability to enjoy the skate park with his 7-year-old brother, Luke.
“He lives a very happy, 4-and-a-half-year-old (child’s) life,” Marie said. “The chair allows him to move around and have a lot of independence.”
When he arrived at the park, Stark, of Tarentum, talked to Lincoln about WCMX and gave him some tips along the way about how to pull off tricks in a wheelchair. These include wheelies, half-pipe runs and ramp dismounts.
Stark said he enjoys meeting with families and children who have mobility disabilities. Also, he loves the chance to check out a skate park new to him.
“It’s good for the mind and for the soul,” he said.
Danya Hefferan, of Center Township, brought her son, 8-year-old Calder Hefferan, who also has spina bifida, to the park as well. Calder gets around completely in a wheelchair but has not yet made the move to a custom one like Lincoln. He did still hit some of the ramps in his ride, however.
Danya said she wanted to bring Calder to see Stark do some wheelchair tricks to encourage her son.
“We love exposing our kids to other people who are like them,” Hefferan said. “To them, it’s just their normal.”
Marie said she and some other local families affected by spina bifida are planning to have a fundraiser next year to raise money to install additional wheelchair-friendly obstacles in Father Marinaro Skate Park.
It is her hope, she said, that if more people with different levels of mobility are visible in common public places, those modes of mobility will become more and more accepted over time.
“We’re trying to change the stigma and say that different is not bad,” Marie said. “It starts with parents that don’t give up.”
