Carman's Corner

We so enjoy introducing you to the great people we meet and get to know in the course of our business. This week we introduce you to Carman Keene, whom we met first as a customer. She and her husband, Sam, came into our store and over the course of the past year have collaborated with us quite a bit. Carman and Sam lived and raised their three daughters in Colorado, Coal Creek Canyon, for thirty-two years, while Carman and Sam both worked at Coors. Her position at Coors was in Community Affairs which led her into the position she now holds with Medical Transportation Management (MTM) as Motivational Speaker and Education Manager. Carman plans on writing a regular blog for us, Carman’s Corner, we call it, where she speaks personally about how she and Sam live with his disability, MS. She will also review events going on around Colorado with an aim to encouraging folks with disabilities to stay active and involved, to explore and discover, to meet and greet people everywhere. So, she arrives on our website this week with her own introduction and musings. Please let us all know what you think and how Carman can be part of finding out what you want to know, too. We thank Carman and Sam for their great support of Capabilities and their generosity in collaborating with us to bring ideas to the fore for all of you! Take it away, Carman.

Do we share some of the same obstacles and challenges in our disabled lives...? We want to have fun but it is often hard.

As you and I, perhaps, become better acquainted through this vehicle, we will share entertainment ideas and critiquing. Let’s build a discussion sharing helpful hints and answers to questions. With your material, this regular “Carman’s Corner” might resemble a combination of “Entertainment Weekly”, “Dear Abby” and/or “Heloise’s Hints”. Will you try with me?

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Leonardo da Vinci said these words:
“Every now and then – go away. Have a little fun. For when you come back to your work, your judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose the power of judgment…. Go away for some relaxation, because then the work appears smaller and a lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen.”

Easier said than done!

The disability my husband and I share is Multiple Sclerosis. My husband, Sam, hasn’t walked in years and years. Loving him with all my heart, it is then, vicariously, my disability, too. We are fortunate now to have a traveling scooter and a hoist in the back of our jeep which unlocks many more doors for fun.

On one of our first attempts at eating out, years ago, we joined in a gathering with many people and many tables with white table clothes. Rather than casually drive the scooter under the table in position, the scooter lurched. The gear had stuck “on” by something underneath the table and Sam drove pushing the whole thing across the room with chairs crashing. People were scattering, things were falling, and Sam’s face showed so much embarrassment. My face was filled with pain for him. Through it though, we quickly learned how caring and kind people are to the handicapped. What we often want most is not to be noticed. However, it is true; in this ole world people can be very, very kind.

Please share with us one of your episodes. It could be humorous or an embarrassing moment which you experienced. Explain how you overcame it and what you learned from it. We’ll talk about these and so much more in the series ahead.

Back to da Vinci. Let’s have a little fun.

Carman will suggest local Colorado events from time to time that she and Sam have looked into. They often do advance planning to be sure the event is accessible for them. Here is something fun coming up in our area to consider as a Saturday date, perhaps.


If you would like to suggest events that you find enjoyable and accessible, whether you are here in Colorado or anywhere, please send your ideas to us.

The Sixth Annual Kite Festival

The skies should be filled with gorgeous colors on Saturday, April 5th at Robby Ferrufino Park in Arvada. There are paved paths everywhere if you have a scooter, walker or forearm crutches or canes. Or, you can even watch this entertainment from your car. There should be exotic flying creatures, dancing kites, a kite flying contest, food and other vendors from 10:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. Among the activities will be jumping castles, face painting and balloon animal maker and caricatures for those little ones in your life.

The Jeffco Brass Band will be playing for our enjoyment between Non and 1:00 P.M. The kite contest will be from 11:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M. There will be two age groups, including adults.

Sam and I traveled over to the park to check out accessible parking and were pleasantly surprised by the large parking area for this small park.

The park is located at 74th and Carr in Arvada. Don’t get confused, though. Carr Street, traveling north, turns to the west and becomes 74th. At that point the park is on your north side. We found it easier to reach, from our home, traveling on Kipling and then turning east on 74th. The park, on the north is then about ten blocks off of Kipling on 74th.

We can fool our minds but we can’t fool our bodies…. Go out there and have some fun!

PS ….. Please also let me know entertainment you’ve experienced and ways we can all add more color to our lives! Email me!

Carman