A few months ago, I got back from one of the best vacations of my life. In 2018, I started my first semester of my master’s program in counseling. Since then, I have been taking classes every fall and spring as well as my summers. This summer was the first one since I started where they didn’t offer classes because I am farther into my program. When my fall semester starts (2021), I will have one more year until I graduate, get a job and start working full time. Since this will be my one summer off, I decided to go on a family vacation.

I wanted to go back to Hawaii, and everyone agreed it is somewhere they would want to go. So my family and I booked a trip to go to Maui. We went online and found a condo that was already wheelchair accessible. The condo owner is in a wheelchair, he already had a roll-in shower and accessible apartment set up, so that worked out for me. After securing the condo, we found a car rental company called Wheelers of Hawaii that had wheelchair vans to rent. I have only been to Hawaii one time before, and it was a surprise gift my parents got me when I graduated with my bachelor's degree. We went to Kauai. Hawaii has always been a dream vacation of mine. Something about the warm weather, clear water, and slower-paced lifestyle has always attracted me. Plus, the best poke in the world, in my opinion. Once we had the plane tickets, our condo booked, and a wheelchair van rented, everything was ready to go.

This was my first time going to Maui. As a wheelchair user, when going to a new place, especially an island, I worry about accessibility. However, once I landed and got to our condo, I realized it was much more accessible than I thought it would be. I went on an accessible helicopter tour that had a special seat lift that I transferred into, and it would raise me up right next to the helicopter, and then I could slide over into the seat. It was such an amazing experience flying in a helicopter and doing it over Maui. I thought it was awesome that this company had an accommodation like that for a person in a chair. I also went to a Hawaiian luau that was fully accessible and fun.

One of my favorite things I did was eat a bunch of different kinds of food. I am a big foodie, so trying different types of Hawaiian food was really fun for me, and I had no issues getting around. I did a tour called Road to Hana, which you drive through in a car. You drive through beautiful scenery, and along the way, we stopped at a waterfall that had a concrete pathway. I was happy about that because I really wanted to see a waterfall close up and could do that because of the paved path. Maui was much more wheelchair-friendly than I expected it to be. For anyone reading this who is interested in going to Hawaii but worries about accessibility. It is absolutely possible to go to Hawaii in a wheelchair. I miss being there often and can't wait to go back again one day. Aloha.

Zack Collie is living with quadriplegia and was paralyzed in 2010 diving under a wave at Newport Beach breaking his C-4 vertebrae. Zack started a YouTube channel to spread awareness about spinal cord injuries and his life living as one. His mother, Amber Collie, is also a regular blogger for the Reeve Foundation.