Meet Max

Though I have a lot of experience as a photographer, I don't have a lot of experience as a journalist, particularly in a daily newspaper setting. The coolest thing about this summer so far is meeting different people with really cool stories. I like the challenge of trying to show their stories and their "coolness" - or, more clearly said, the "so what" factor - when doing my job. This guy, Max, is a lawyer and a quadriplegic who gets around town on his own, but, because of the poor construction and upkeep of many sidewalks, is forced to use the streets in his travels. "I am forced out of necessity, not convenience, to do this," he said. Watching him do his regular routines on one of the busiest streets in town really freaked me out and showed me what his daily life is like. Max would rather navigate through traffic than risk toppling his wheelchair over on the steep sidewalk cuts, narrow sidewalks and poorly groomed curbs. I was so moved by what he has to go through that I don't think I did an exceptionally good job photographing it, but I still hope that my photos and the story being written will help spur some change to make things safer for Max.