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Spencer Smith

School: Brooklyn Law School
Major: Public Interest Law

Agile. Strong. Fortified. I am none of these. At face value, place me in a jungle and I might not breathe past the first night. Yet, for the past four years, I've lived deep in New York’s concrete jungle racing through the city in my manual wheelchair.

I was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type III, which provided just enough muscle protein to sustain a child’s musculoskeletal system. For those early years, my muscles and I lived in decent harmony, a trip here and a fall there, but never enough to keep me off the blacktop or away from the diving board. I loved the outdoors and spent all summer swimming in pools and ponds. When my bones began to grow, my muscles and I hit a discord. The weight of my skeleton began to twist my joints and by age eleven, doctors recommended I move to a wheelchair. While most teenagers deal with the angst of peer-pressure, I was wracked by the potential to live out my life bound to a wheelchair. I would not go down without a fight. With aching muscles and atrophied joints, I pushed through my barriers to keep up with my peers: winning medals in Show-Me State Games, crewing a sailboat for Boy Scout High Adventure, and tackling the sprawling city of London on a semester abroad. While still in high school, I left home to attend United World College in New Mexico, a two-year International Baccalaureate program. I wanted to forge new adventures and no one’s stereotypes would stop me.

In my second year at United World College, I discovered the value of leadership as the Program Organizer for CARE Unit, working in a Juvenile Violent Crimes Ward. The experience engrained in me a passion for public service and using my experience to help others overcome their barriers. I completed a Bachelor's Degree at Earlham College in Indiana and quickly moved to New York to pursue public interest work. For the past three years I worked developing education programs for clients on Public Assistance. And today, I am proud to be entering my second year at Brooklyn Law School as an Edward Sparer Public Interest Fellow. I am heavily involved in legal work with tenants' rights as well as youth reentry advocacy.

I have aimed to subvert standards the moment I became self-aware of my muscle disease. There have been moments of great physical and emotional pain, but those moments have only pushed me harder. In that, I discovered what I do represent. Empathy. Determination. Fulfillment.

Essay: SmartDrive Power Assist

My muscle disease did not strike all at once, it hampered me slowly across many years and I had to watch my dreams and independence slip away. As a child, I could run, jump, and swim with all my peers, but when I hit a growth spurt, I couldn't build the same muscle as others. I was told to move into a wheelchair, but I pushed back with all the fear and anger of an adolescent that wanted a chance at normalcy. When I did make the move, there was relief. In a manual chair I didn't have to strain just to walk down a hall, and I could still travel and explore the world with my friends. It was lightweight and compact. I could take it off-road and go camping or throw it into the car quickly for a road trip. I set off for college far away from the security and protection of my parents and even studied abroad in London. The manual chair ultimately opened up so many more opportunities and my future goals still felt limitless.

I started the perfect job and it took me to New York City. But my confidence was shaken as my body broke down again. After moving to New York, my shoulders deteriorated and I couldn't remain independent in such a large urban center. I was told to look at power wheelchairs. Again, I pushed back, knowing the heavy and bulky equipment would make it near impossible to access many parts of the city or continue my travels globally. This was perfectly timed, however, with the earlier development of the SmartDrive power assist by Max Mobility. The incredibly durable wheel, weighing a meager six pounds, attached to my manual wheelchair frame, and with a simple push the device engaged enough force to propel my chair down cobblestone streets, onto subways, and up steep inclines. It provided the gift of force that I needed from a power wheelchair, but didn't sacrifice any of the versatility that comes with a much smaller manual wheelchair.

There have been times where the subway elevator was broken and I could not exit to the street. With a compact and light wheelchair, I pop off the SmartDrive and get quick assistance from passersby; something that would not be possible if I was in a 200-pound power wheelchair. Many opportunities for networking, or just hanging out with friends, take place in residential homes with a small set of stairs or narrower entryways; my manual wheelchair allows for quick access without the emotional embarrassment of people struggling to lift or maneuver a power wheelchair. No city is perfectly accessible, and my life will never be completely normal. However, the SmartDrive allows me to remain flexible when I approach predicaments. It returned to me a sense of agency when I once again felt it slipping away.

I have established a successful career in public service. I am entering my second year at Brooklyn Law School. I recently married my high school sweetheart and on any night I can take her for a date anywhere across the city. The SmartDrive has been a part of my every day life the last four years, and during that time I have achieved far beyond what I imagined when I was a teenager struggling to make it down the school hallway.