“I’ll do anything that will help handicapped people get around or improve their quality of life!” – David Higginbotham
David was born in Florence, Alabama and ran cross-country and track in high school. After high school, he worked long, hard days on an offshore oil rig for weeks at a time. He later moved to Birmingham, Alabama and did several different jobs, including seven years as a delivery man. It was at this time his health began to decline and caught up with his “wild lifestyle”. He was walking close to 9 miles each day when he developed severe issues with his feet and was diagnosed with Charcot foot, a condition causing weakening of the bones in the foot that can occur in people who have significant nerve damage.
He had no feeling in his feet, yet continued walking. Walking on the night of Katrina, he turned his foot on a sidewalk and broke his foot, which required surgery. Unable to purchase a wheelchair, David continue walking although his condition had significantly worsened. Additional declines and more surgeries followed, yet David continued walking.
In Sept of 2006, David finally got his first power chair. With this newfound mobility, however, came disappointment as David grew increasingly frustrated with the inaccessibility of his hometown. He realized the curb cuts on the sidewalks were too deep and, to make matters worse, weren’t on every city block. Committed to doing something about it, he started attending city council meetings armed with pictures and information to inform and educate. He later sued the city over better sidewalks and curb-cuts in a class action lawsuit and won! David is committed to making a difference and advocating oh behalf of better accessibility. He has partnered with ACCESS to do just that — to make buildings ADA compliant, one building at a time! David proudly says, “I’ll do anything that will help handicapped people get around or improve their quality of life!” We’re excited to have him on our side.