Even the small stuff takes effort when you are learning to navigate life as a paraplegic.
A drive by shooter's bullet struck Shannon Richmond as she pumped gas near her Cleveland home in 2015. She moved to St. Pete last year for intense therapy that could one day help her to walk again. But Richmond says she feels like a prisoner in her rented condo.
There's no ramp outside the door step and no way for her to get in and out on her own.
Richmond doesn’t have the strength to wheel her chair up and down the 6 inch drop between her door and the sidewalk.
Tom Rogers a volunteer with Service Source a non-profit that assists disabled veterans says he contacted the property manager for permission to build Richmond a ramp but was told no.
Turns out blue prints and permits are required when it involves a condo complex.
We reached out to the property manager's office and they agreed to a temporary ramp.
Service Source donated pavers and a temporary ramp.
We watch as Richmond maneuvered her chair on her own down the ramp. It was the first time in a year she’d been able to leave her condo under her own power.
Next Service Source will be contacting a contractor and an architect to submit plans for a permanent ramp but for now Richmond can come and go as she pleases.
