Rhonda's Advice for Anne

The only thing I could add is how I handle PITA's and people who I think will be a PITA. I generally give a big enthusiastic smile and exclaim that my scoot has changed my life (it has) and that whatever activity I am doing would not have been possible before. I agree with KM, never apologize. Some people will still be a PITA but that really is their problem, not mine.

See Rhonda demonstrating the TravelScoot at the NAAFA Fashion Show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ1AtmfBkIc

(Kay, a PITA is someone who is a pain in your accelerator!)

TravelScoot Workshop at NAAFA Convention

The focus of my workshop at the 2009 NAAFA Convention was on movement for supersize bodies. In the first part of the workshop we talked about exercise, both in group classes and with personal trainers. In the second part we talked about using scooters as mobility aids to expand our worlds.

Melissa Waldron, who is certified to teach group fitness by the American Council on Exercise (the same folks who certify the skinny instructors), and who is also a supersize woman, led us in a yoga demonstration. Melicia Lemoine talked about her experiences with a personal trainer. Melissa emphasized that it's possible to modify many classes, especially water aerobics, to work for people of all sizes.

I started off the scooter part of the workshop with a confession...

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of the TravelScoot, and I hope you're all
ready to try one out!, I have a confession to make. When I was
younger (but still the size I am now) and I saw supersize women using
scooters at the convention, I swore to my friends that I would NEVER do
that. That I would never give in to using a scooter. Have any
of you felt the same way? Maybe you still feel that way today and you're
here to hear the other side.

I began using a scooter to shop at the grocery store a few years ago.
I have arthritis in my knees and it's painful for me to stand for long
periods of time. I was scared to death that someone I knew would
see me and I'd just die of embarassment. Well, someone did see me.
She told me later that when she saw me she wanted to run and hide.
She was one of the friends I'd made my "no scooter" pact with. But
she didn't want to run and hide because *I* was on a scooter, but
because SHE was.

I went on to tell them about buying my first scooter, a Rascal 235, off eBay, and the problems we had transporting it. I was searching the internet for regulations about taking that scooter on a plane when a Google search led me to Hardy Huber's TravelScoot website.

Rhonda and Lynn Ellen shared their experiences and answered questions from the audience. Hardy Huber, the TravelScoot inventor, gave us a demonstration on preparing a scoot to be stored on an airplane.

I wish I had wonderful things to tell you about what Rhonda, Lynn Ellen and Hardy said, but the only reason I remember what I said was because I had my notes written out in advance. I can tell you that we closed the workshop with mass chaos as we took everyone out in the hall and let them ride our TravelScoots. I saw a lot of smiling faces zooming down that hallway. The response was just overwhelmingly positive.

TravelScoot at the NAAFA Convention

I was barely in the hotel for the NAAFA Convention before I started getting questions about my TravelScoot. It's all pretty much a blur now, but it was hard to go ten feet without getting stopped for questions. For my workshop on Friday afternoon there were 50+ people in the audience. I am certain the majority of the people attending the convention -- and some who were just staying in the hotel -- rode one of the five TravelScoots that were there, whether they needed a scooter or not.

Hardy Huber brought his personal scoot and one more to use as a demo model. Anyone who bought one had it shipped to them. Cynth asked me if there were people there who were as excited about the TravelScoot as we are, and I think there were. Since buying any scooter is a big purchase, I'm sure that some people who wanted to buy them had to go home and figure out how to work it into their budget. It will be interesting to see how many TravelScoots are at next year's convention, which, if you're curious, is going to be in San Francisco.

One lady (who follows this blog) and her husband drove to the hotel to buy a TravelScoot. It was wonderful to meet them and spend time talking to them. There are just so many genuinely nice people in the world. She's promised us a picture of an adventure.

People asked a lot about the differences in the batteries, if you could ride it in the rain (light rain - yes) or snow (no), if Rhonda was being paid to constantly ride through the hotel on hers (no), if I'd ever flipped mine or fallen off (no and no), if it was as much fun as it looks (yes!), how much does it cost (about $1400-$1900, depending on the battery), how does it work at the airport (great!), any problems with airport security (no, but they swabbed it both times it went through security), and how does it fold/unfold? Thank goodness for Alan, because there are only so many times I am willing to fold and unfold it.

There were lots of people at the convention using standard mobility scooters, some were rented and some owned. The standard mobility scooters and the TravelScoot each have their own advantages and disadvantages. For someone who owns a traditional scooter, I could still see them having a TravelScoot for when they need their scoot to be the most portable. To make a standard scooter really useable for most people, you need a lift and a vehicle that will accommodate that lift.

Hopefully others who were at the convention will post comments about the questions they were asked or questions they heard asked. They may even have some good stories to share.

I know this isn't a TravelScoot picture, but I used my scoot to ride to Big on Batik's vendor room! The woman standing up is my sister Kay, who had many adventures on Rhonda's TravelScoot at the convention, and my friend Melicia is sitting next to me. We were in full shopping mode. Big on Batik is where I buy almost all my clothes. The batik fabrics are beautiful, they're very cool, and the colors don't fade even after many washings. I even dry mine on a very low heat.

TravelScoot at NAAFA Convention in Washington, D.C. area

Hardy Huber, TravelScoot inventor, will be at the NAAFA Convention July 31st - August 2nd.

NAAFA is a human rights organization for large people that's celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. I will be giving a workshop on Friday at 2:45 p.m. about movement for supersize bodies.

The first part of the workshop will focus on exercise. Melissa Taylor Waldron will talk to us about exercise and give a short yoga demonstration. Melissa is a supersize woman who is certified to teach group fitness classes by the American Council on Exercise. We'll also have supersize women who have worked with trainers talk about their experiences.

The second part of the workshop will be about scooters, and how using one can expand your world. Hardy will talk about the TravelScoot and we'll be letting everyone try it out. If you've been wondering if the TravelScoot will work for you, this is a great opportunity to test it out!

For more NAAFA Convention information, click here.

NAAFA Convention

This is an announcement for the NAAFA Convention, being held in Washington, D.C. from July 30 through August 3, 2009. I will be giving a workshop where I'll talk about the TravelScoot, and Hardy Huber (the TravelScoot inventor) will be there too. More information about the convention is available on NAAFA's website, at http://www.NAAFA.org.

Founded in 1969, NAAFA is a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support.

NAAFA Is Turning 40 and we are having a convention celebration that you won't want to miss!

Join us for our annual fund-raising Convention being held July 30 thru August 3, 2009 at the Dulles Airport Marriott in Washington D.C. You may register to join us through our website at www.naafa.org. We are forty years old and going strong with the strength we need to build the future.
This year's convention will be packed with learning, networking, community building, swimming, dancing and more. Friday night's 2009 NAAFA Fashion Show is promising to be the country's premier plus size fashion show with dinner and fashion plus our well-known Not-So-Silent Auction. Don't forget your prettiest party clothes for Saturday Night's Awards Dinner and Masquerade Gala as we share a sumptuous meal and dance the night away.

Sunday we will learn from knowledgeable experts the most effective ways of working to change our laws then on Monday August 3rd we will visit key representatives and organizations to present our case for changing this country's anti-discrimination laws. You won't want to miss this opportunity to be involved.

We have worked hard to keep the cost of this convention down and have made it easy for you to register for the convention as well as the hotel at www.naafa.org. Our earlybird special thru June 1 is only $199.00. We encourage you to register for the full package today and to fully participate in this exciting, life-changing event.