Jessica Vought has a smile on her face.
Many people would wonder why, considering everything she has endured and continues to endure. Many would wonder why she is not angrier at her circumstances, angrier at the world for what has happened to her.
People who wonder such things do not know Vought.
“You will never find this woman in a bad mood,” said one of Vought’s closest friends, Lynn Dearey. “She’s always upbeat. Always looking at the positive side of things.”
One of the positive things Vought is focusing on is the purchase of a wheelchair-accessible van modified for disable drivers. The only obstacle is the lack of money. Vought needs about $60,000 to buy a used, modified van, and that’s $60,000 she does not have.
Twenty-three years ago, at 16 years old, Vought was in a car crash near Ignacio caused by a drunken driver. Not only did she spend three months in a coma, suffer a brain injury and lose the use of her legs, she also lost her best friend, who was in the car with her. When the settlement money came, around $265,000, her family took it and spent it elsewhere. Not one penny went toward the many surgeries she would endure later in life, including the amputation of her right leg, nor the medication she takes on a daily basis, nor the medical equipment she needs just to survive.
“I wish I didn’t need these things, but I do,” said Vought with a lighthearted shrug. “Just three months of my blood thinners alone is $600.”
Finding the money for the last 23 years has been a colossal trial-and-error effort of using Medicaid and Medicare, sometimes losing Medicaid and Medicare, reaching out to local nonprofits, and relying on the those in her church to aid her, many whom have become a surrogate family of sorts, especially since the death of her husband, who died five years ago.
And then there is Vought’s most recent obstacle: the breakdown of her 14-year-old handicapped-accessible van.
“The repairs would cost more than the vehicle itself, and I’ve been told not to drive it anyway,” she said.
Though the city of Durango provides many options for people with disabilities, such as Southwest Rides and Durango Transit’s Opportunity Bus, Vought prefers the freedom and independence to drive herself around town. The last few weeks, however, she has been at the mercy of others to take her places.
“They’re wonderful for helping me, but I don’t like having to rely on other people every time I need to go somewhere,” she said.
To find the money, Vought with the help of Dearey has begun a GoFundMe account (Jess Joy Needs a New Handicapped Accessible Van) to raise the money for a new van, as well as turning to Durango’s nonprofit organizations such as Manna soup kitchen and Women’s Resource Center for the rest of the funds.
“They’ve all been so wonderful,” Vought said. “We’ll see how it goes with how much they can help me.”
One thing she would like to see is more attention to wheelchair accessibility around the Durango area.
“Some businesses don’t have any ramps and there is no way for me to get in and out,” she said. “I’ve learned where I can and can’t go, and one business told me that it was the building owner’s fault for not installing any wheelchair-accessible ramps.”
Vought does not want a particular business singled out because there are many around town that are not Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.
According to the ADA website, under the Disability Rights Laws, the Architectural Barriers Act specifies that buildings and facilities must be designed, constructed or altered to comply with physical accessibility for all citizens. Old, historical buildings often don’t have to adopt ADA requirements until they undergo major renovations.
“Sometimes I just want some coffee, and there’s no way for me to get into the building,” Vought said.
She also believes a lack of accommodations in Durango may be because disabled people are often a forgotten subset of the population.
“If people spent a month being me, they’d see things differently,” she said. “They’d understand why it’s so important to have access to everything that everyone else does and to have the independence to be mobile.”
When Vought gets her new set of wheels, she plans on getting a part-time job, extend her volunteering duties and maybe even travel for a while. Her philosophy is one of perpetual optimism, always looking ahead. Through every setback, every disappointment and loss, she has kept that smile on her face and appreciated what she has gained in life during every hardship, which includes her unwavering Christian faith.
“When I woke up from my coma, I felt God in my heart, and I knew I was going to be OK,” she said.
molsen@durangoherald.com
