Casey Moore

I spend my days helping others regain their independence, but ironically I now find myself struggling to maintain my own.

Twenty-six years ago, a diving accident changed my life forever.

I sustained a high-level spinal cord injury that left me a C5/C6 quadriplegic. Overnight, nearly every aspect of my life changed—including my independence.

For more than two decades, I relied on others for transportation. Something as simple as going to college, finding work, attending a meeting, taking my son somewhere, or enjoying time outdoors required coordinating with someone else.

Then something incredible happened.

In 2022, with the help of Vocational Rehabilitation, I was able to purchase and install the AEVIT 2.0 electronic driving system in my 2018 Honda Odyssey Elite. After 22 years without being able to drive, I finally got my independence back.

It wasn’t just a vehicle—it was my ticket to freedom. The AEVIT 2.0 system gave me full control of my van, allowing me to drive myself wherever I needed to go. For the first time since my injury, I didn’t have to rely on someone else to get me to work, appointments, community events, or time with my family. It gave me back a piece of my life that I thought was gone forever.

For the first time in two decades, I could:

• Drive myself to work.

• Visit people newly injured with spinal cord injuries and provide peer mentoring.

• Attend community meetings.

• Pick up supplies for the nonprofits I serve.

• Spend more time with my wife and son.

• Simply decide to go somewhere without asking someone else for a ride.

Unfortunately, that freedom didn’t last.

My accessible van experienced significant electrical and mechanical failures and has spent 16 months in repair. Despite repeated attempts to fix it, it has become unrepairable, leaving me once again dependent on others. The saving grace is that my hand control system is able to be uninstalled and reinstalled in a new vehicle.

Today, I serve as the Community Health Worker Supervisor for Oregon Spinal Cord Injury Connection (OSCI), where I help individuals with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities navigate life after injury. I visit people in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, connect them with resources, organize peer support and adaptive recreation programs, and advocate for greater accessibility throughout Southern Oregon.

I also work with David’s Chair, an incredible nonprofit that provides all-terrain track chairs and adaptive outdoor recreation opportunities free of charge to people with mobility disabilities. Through this work, I help organize excursions, community events, partnerships, and programs that allow people to experience beaches, forests, hiking trails, golf courses, and other outdoor spaces they may have thought they’d never enjoy again.

Reliable transportation isn’t just important for me—it directly affects the people I serve. Every hospital visit, community meeting, adaptive recreation event, equipment delivery, outreach opportunity, and advocacy effort depends on my ability to get there.

Ironically, while I spend my days helping others regain their independence, I now find myself struggling to maintain my own.

I’m raising funds to purchase a 2026 Honda Odyssey Elite with a VMI wheelchair-accessible conversion, allowing my existing AEVIT 2.0 hand controls to be installed giving me the independence to drive again.

This vehicle would allow me to:

• Continue serving individuals with spinal cord injuries throughout Southern Oregon.

• Support the life-changing work of David’s Chair by helping expand adaptive outdoor recreation opportunities.

• Attend hospital visits, community events, outreach activities, and advocacy meetings.

• Transport myself safely and reliably throughout Oregon.

• Continue being there for my community, my coworkers, and the people who depend on me.

• Spend more quality time with my wife and son.

• Regain the independence that accessible transportation provides.

This isn’t simply about replacing a vehicle.

It’s about restoring freedom.

It’s about continuing to serve others, advocate for accessibility, and help people rediscover what is possible after a life-changing injury.

Every donation, no matter the size, moves me one step closer to driving independently again. If you’re unable to donate, sharing my story with others would mean just as much.

Thank you for believing that independence is worth investing in.

— Casey Moore