Julia Hollenbeck will soon be 70 years of age but no one would guess; despite multiple disabilities, her batteries run energized almost non-stop with a “can-do” attitude. She credits her mother for her own perseverance and expects to continue moving forward providing awareness and education throughout the USA and the Americas about people with disabilities (PWD) and access. Noteworthy are Hollenbeck’s published articles, her dedication to the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and a family legacy of (soon-to-be) four generations serving the military since WWI.
Born with a rare bleeding disorder often hampered her childhood years; at age ten, she became a victim of Polio. Neither stopped her from reaching goals of water sports or professional dance. As a young teenager, her enthusiasm excelled with the written word and photography and then she entered the business world, establishing a marketing firm and promoting businesses when her three sons were still in high school. Everything was going right, until a fateful night when an accident on stage developed into an escalating C/5 injury after two of her sons joined the military.
She moved to Houston, Texas, where she believed she would find either an answer or a cure. Ultimately, she found both but with concessions: Since 1987 she’s been using a mobility device; with limited arm strength, she most often uses a power wheelchair.
After starting a website and organization in 1998, she returned to travel specifically to have materials to write about, but came upon one obstacle after another, including a cruise ship. One of her members had the same or similar difficulties and had already engaged a law firm. A third member of Wheel Me On joined the case, Spector, et. al. VS Norwegian Cruise Line, ultimately reached the US Supreme Court in 2005 with five Petitioners and the Justices ruled 6-9 providing access for PWD using mobility devices to board ships at all USA Ports of Call.
Hollenbeck’s work through Wheel Me On… brought her several highlights; in year 2000, she carried the Martin Luther King, Jr. Torch for the combination lighting of the 10th Anniversary ADA Torch; in 2001 she was selected to be a Torch Bearer for the Olympic Flame; she earned the title of Ms. Wheelchair Tennessee 2003, and received the “President’s Award from the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society in 2006. Several of her articles have been published in PN Magazine; a short work by her was included in the book, “Enabled in Words”, and there are multiple articles and photography featured on the website, www.WheelMeOn.org, which was incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit in year 2000 (Texas) and registered in the state of Tennessee in 2001.
Hollenbeck provides presentations for organizations and business’ interested in increasing education relating to PWD and special needs and lectures on the necessity of access. Her travel remains important to her but she still worries about access. “No matter where I go, there are problems. I either can’t get in or someone doesn’t want to let me in – then once I get in, I learn of more obstacles. If PWD’s don’t want to complain they should at least report the problem to an advocate who specializes in discrimination complaints.”