September this year I met Deborah Davis in Amsterdam. Deborah Davis lives in South Florida USA and a wheelchair user since the age of 18 due to a car accident. She runs the website PhotoAbility which is a database of pictures of individuals with disabilities in travel, leisure and lifestyle settings. According to Deborah ‘Photoability is dedicated to increasing the usage of imagery of people with disabilities in the tourism, leisure and lifestyle mediums by providing high quality stock photos’. People can submitt photos which can be used by advertising and marketing agencies, corporations, publishers and media companies. The photo submitters will earn commission when the photos are used.

Apart from running PhotoAbility and being involved with Travability, Deborah loves to travel. She has seen many places and this time she wanted to visit Amsterdam. Having switched houses with a Dutch couple, she was accommodated in Overveen.

I agreed to meet Deborah at the Skylounge of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel near Central Station, where she and her husband immediately had the best view on Amsterdam. After a little chat we went for a tour through the city centre. Deborah brought allong her Freewheel which she uses a lot during her travels. A Freewheel is a single wheel which can be attached on the front frame of the wheelchair and provides better stability and at the same time flexibility. It prevents falling over when taking bumps and little steps and therefore creates freedom and individuality.

The Freewheel was very useful for Deborah in Amsterdam as small bumps and steps are common, especially in the oldest part of the city centre. Going through the city centre I once again realized how tricky the streets of Amsterdam are, moving out of the way of cars and bikes and avoiding small pedestrian roads.

Nevertheless, I took her on a tour along the accessible streets and paths available in the old city centre and we visited the Waterlooplein where Deborah found herself chatting with a bike repairer about the innovative Freewheel and its technology. Afterwards we enjoyed the sun at a terrace on one of the many bridges in Amsterdam.

To find out more about the Freewheel, please do not hesitate to contact us or find pictures on the PhotoAbility.com.au website.