Wheelchair

The Philadelphia Parking Authority's proposal to make every taxi in the city wheelchair-accessible by 2016 would drive cabbies out of business, owners and drivers said this week. The proposal, whose first phase calls for 300 wheelchair-accessible taxis by the end of this year, is nudging operators "more with the stick than with the carrot," said Alex Friedman, owner of Checker Cab Dispatch. Friedman said he is wary of the high costs of the plan, which would mandate that every medallion cab be wheelchair-accessible by 2016.

To the relief of people in wheelchairs and their advocates, the Philadelphia Parking Authority has plans to make all the city's cabs wheelchair-accessible by 2016. "Wow. That would be amazing," said Lauren DeBruicker, a Center City lawyer who uses a power chair. The Parking Authority on Friday said it would require 300 of the city's 1,600 taxicabs to become wheelchair-accessible this year, with the remainder completed by 2016. The issue has long been a source of complaints in the disabled community.

HERE'S THE long and short of Shorty Long & the Jersey Horns: While high-energy, horn-driven "party bands" are common on the regional bar and casino lounge circuits, it's doubtful there's another one quite like this. That's because it's unlikely there are any others whose keyboard player does his thing while seated in a wheelchair. The 10-year-old North Jersey combo that performs Jan. 21 at Eden Lounge inside Harrah's Resort Atlantic City was co-founded by 34-year-old Ricky Tisch (a/k/a "Shorty Long")

A 58-year-old woman in a wheelchair was fatally struck while trying to cross a Wilmington street Tuesday evening, according to Delaware State Police. About 6:35 p.m., Edith McFarland, who lived in the city, was trying to cross South Market Street (southbound Route 13) near the Fairview Inn. The first vehicle that struck her was described as gold truck or SUV, which likely sustained front-end damage. "After the impact, McFarland was ejected from her wheelchair into the southbound lanes of South Market Street, where she was then struck by two additional vehicles," according to a state police news release.

The smiles were extraordinary. They outshone even the flashing cameras of a dozen volunteer photographers who on Saturday turned Inglis House into a giant studio - offering the severely disabled a holiday gift: the simple dignity of a formal portrait. "It was my first time getting my picture taken," said Shadia Dixon, 22, struggling to speak from her wheelchair. The shoot at the Philadelphia long-term-care facility was part of Help-Portrait, a national project whose concept is both elegant and powerful: Photographers lend their talent to take portraits of people in need - homeless men, single mothers, Army vets, sick kids, the poor, the disabled, the old and the lonely - and then give them the framed picture.

Henry Gooden's power chair died the other day on South 16th Street, about a half-mile short of his apartment in the Scottish Rite Towers. He'd gone to Holt's for a blend of pipe and cigarette tobacco that lets him roll his own smokes and save money on Newports. When his chair ran out of juice, Gooden was outside the 274 Apartments. He figured he was stuck. Of the nation's 10 biggest cities, only Philadelphia has no taxicab that can give a lift to a person who uses a power chair.

Fred Schwartz can't walk, but he can fly. He jumps out of planes to help fund research into multiple sclerosis, the neurological disease that put him in a wheelchair. "Skydiving is something I can do to raise money and awareness," Schwartz, 42, says, preparing to jump at Freefall Adventures, in Williamstown. "I want to inspire people with disabilities," adds the Burlington Township resident. Besides, he insists, stepping out of a plane at 13,500 feet while harnessed to a skydiving instructor is fun. "Your mind goes blank when you're falling out of the sky," Schwartz says.

By Brian McGrory KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine - Patten's Berry Farm is the kind of place a Hollywood producer would want to invent if it didn't already exist, with Mrs. Patten selling corn, apples, and pumpkins on the side of a country road. I happened to be chatting about the Patriots with the nice woman at the cash register there on a quiet Sunday morning when a gleaming black sedan pulled into the parking lot. The front doors opened and men emerged. The back passenger door opened.

A Deptford woman was indicted Wednesday on assault and weapons charges for allegedly beating her boyfriend's wheelchair-bound father with an ironing board, burning the man with an iron, and biting him on the neck during an argument, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office. Dawn M. Deputy, 32, and the victim's son, Christopher J. Mood, 25, lived with Daniel Mood, 60, in Deptford, where the beating took place on June 23, officials said. The younger Mood told authorities he was outside the house during the alleged incident.

Ramon is a personable teen with a great smile. The 16-year-old is known for his pleasant, friendly manner and his sense of humor. He likes to please others and thrives on one-on-one attention. Ramon enjoys watching television, listening to music, visiting with friends and family, shopping at the mall, and attending birthday parties. Ramon has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Although he depends on a wheelchair, he is becoming more mobile with time and therapy. He is now able to walk with help in maintaining his balance.