[Nfbf-l] One of My Advocacy Team Members Who Works For Us At MV Transportation

[REPCODDS at aol.com]

Check out my good friend Linda McGowan up in Vancouver. She is my advocacy  
manager at the Handy Dart Project .
Dwight
 
HandyDART  Employee Takes to the 
Sea  in World Class Mobility 
Competition  Sept 13-17 
HandyDART 
 
HandyDART  employee (MVT) and Consumer Advocate Manager, Linda McGowan, is  
not 
only  arranging HandyDART transportation for the 40 international Mobility  
Cup 
competitors converging on Vancouver - from as far away as New Zealand,  
England, San 
Diego and  all across Canada - she will also be a competitor. 
The  Mobility Cup is Canada's regatta for sailors with disabilities, and 
for  the third year 
since  Linda took up sailing in 2004, she will trade her wheelchair to 
captain a  sailboat for 
one day  of training on September 13, followed by four days of competition 
in  English Bay 
on  September 14-17. 
According  to Linda, there are two levels to the Mobility Cup competition: 
Gold for 
experienced competitors who are able to single-handedly operate their  
craft; and Silver, for 
competitors who require the added expertise, strength and confidence of a  
trained 
volunteer  standing ready to assist as needed. 
Having  battled progressive Multiple Sclerosis since 1983, Linda has chosen 
to compete  at 
the  Silver level on board one of the Disabled Sailing Association's Martin 
16 sailboats, with 
3rd time  partner David Hoens, (seen in the above photo), as well as other  
qualified 
volunteers at her side. 
“The  Mobility Cup truly addresses the full spirit of accessibility for 
people with  all levels of 
disabilities,” said Martin Lay Director Contracted Transit  Services, "and 
this is a wonderful 
accomplishment for Linda and other competitors who have taken up the  
sport." 
Sailing  is proving to be one of the fastest growing sports for people with 
disabilities,  thanks 
to the  aid of Canadian pioneered Sniff n’ Puff technology, which uses a  
special power 
assist  system and competitor's breath to add pressure or a vacuum, causing 
 pneumatic 
switches  to set the sails and steer the 16-foot sailboats. 
Disabled  sailing first started when Rick Hansen completed his Wheels in 
Motion  tour 
around  the world, and donated his sailboat, from former British Prime 
Minister  Margaret 
Thatcher,  to Sam Sullivan, who set up the Disabled Sailing Association in 
1999. Since  then 
the sport  has spread like wildfire around the world. However, the Mobility 
Cup remains  a 
Canadian  phenomenon, and for the 11th year in a row sets sail in Canadian 
waters  to 
promote  health, wellness, fun and a sense of freedom for those with all 
levels of  disability. 
If YOU  are interested in getting out to watch the competition and cheer 
Linda on,  races run 
from 10 a.m. to 12  noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, with  
Linda's 
silver  competition running Tuesday and Thursday afternoon and Wednesday 
and Friday  morning. 
We wish  you Best of luck Linda!
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