According to the Harris Poll, sponsored by the National Organization on Disability (NOD), just under one third of people with disabilities reported that inadequate transportation was a problem.  Of those individuals, more than half said it was a major problem. The theme of the inaugural awareness month, Life Moving Forward, represents a desire to spread awareness and knowledge about mobility issues. The goal of National Mobility Awareness Months is to teach seniors, veterans and people with disabilities to live an active and mobile lifestyle through the use of wheelchair accessible vehicles and mobility equipment.

NMEDA selected a spokesperson for the month that has never let mobility issues slow him down. Mike Savicki, a freelance sports journalist, disability advocate and small business entrepreneur serves as the spokesperson for National Mobility Awareness Month. Savicki is a 69-time gold medalist in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. He is the only person to ever finish the Boston Marathon on both foot and a wheelchair.

How can you get involved?

As part of the National Mobility Awareness month, NMEDA is giving away three customized wheel chair vans to three local heroes that have overcome or are dealing with mobility issues. To nominate a local hero, submit a video or written story of about they have overcome or are dealing with mobility issues by May 13, 2012. Vote for your favorite local hero by May 13.

OH-4 and Mobility

OH-4 believes that mobility awareness is important. OH-4 Industries created the Nearly Universal Cup Holder as a convenient solution for people with disabilities. This cup holder easily attaches to the armrests of wheelchairs and scooters with Velcro brand fasteners.

The OH Cup Holder is especially convenient for airline travel. Simply attach velcro straps of the OH cup holder to your airline armrest and you have a cup holder on the go! This week we’ve rounded up our favorite gadgets and tips to make travel a little easier:

Gadgets

Fitness-focused travelers will love these 5 gadgets! Smart technology makes it easy to monitor and maintain your fitness routines while away from home.

Traveling for work? Stay productive with these must-have gadgets for business travelers from Fodors.

Travel

Stay caffeinated while changing timezones. Check out the best coffee for on the go travelers from Gadling.

Patience, as the saying goes, is definitely a virtue. Especially when it comes to traveling. Find out the five ways travel will teach you patience.

Mobility/Disability

Traveling with medical equipment can sometimes be a challenge. Find out these tips for flying with a manual wheelchair.

Check out this practical travel guide from Disability Horizons for flying with a disability & finding accessible accommodation.

One of the benefits of having a huge backyard is having enough space for the kids to play in. With all the space you have available, it is easy to transform it into a swimming pool during summer with inflatable pools and a playground during winter where they can build snowmen and snow angels. However, if you are not that keen on switching your backyard theme every change of season, one of the best things you could get for your backyard is a 16ft trampoline.

Kids love jumping around. They love jumping on the bed, on the couch, from the top of the stairs going down and all around the house. Why not exhaust all that jumping energy into just one place? While there are various sizes for trampolines starting from 10ft ones, the 16ft trampolines are the most recommended especially if you have a number of kids in your household.

For one, the bigger the trampoline is, the more the space for kids to play in. You don’t need to worry about them bumping into each other as much as they might do when they are on a smaller trampoline. You also reduce the risk of falling off the edge from too much bouncing around with a larger one.

However, as much as you would love to get your kids a 16ft, there are just some factors that you would need to consider.

Of course, you would need to assess if the space in your backyard is sufficient to hold a trampoline of this size without cramping the entire area (just like assessing your armrest for our cup holder). Other than that, you should realize that the bigger the trampoline is, the more expensive they are, not necessarily the case with all wheelchair accessories. With this size, it might cost you at least twice more than 10ft trampolines!

However, if your children’s fun and safety are your primary concerns, then getting a bigger trampoline is really your best bet.

The most convenient shopping method ever! You no longer need to wander the streets for hours looking for something you need. No need to ask in a thousand shops. No need to go around trying to describe what is it that you want. The best part is you no longer will have to stress about how to carry it home, especially if it’s too big for your drink holder. All you need is a TV set and a phone (and even those are becoming obsolete as you’re reading this from your computer, or your smartphone as you’re online shopping for wheelchair accessories). You watch the commercial online and make your phone call. You can order a Sobakawa pillow, a Sham wow towel or a Shark vacuum cleaner. All what you need is a few clicks away. Order it and it will be delivered to your door step as you drink your coffee.

It is often hard to get off work early to go shopping. When you look for something specific, you need time to search. When you actually have the time, you end up buying anything just to get other errands done. You don’t need to settle when you can get exactly what you want by ordering. Set a couple of hours per week to watch Seen On TV products. You will find yourself to be buying all what you need with the quality you want. This shopping method is fast and convenient.

If you calculate it, than you would find that ordering the goods would, in fact, be cheaper. Gas and public transportation tend to eat your income. This money can be easily saved if you order your products from home. This, in fact, can allow you to buy more! With free phone calls from a land line, you have a whole new income.

Products are not delivered to the post office, by the way. Products are delivered to your door step; here, is another saved trip!

Try buying from Seen On TV products, you will find the experience rewarding.

My favorite go-to coffee is the Emeril’s Big Easy Bold K-Cups, especially from a handy drink holder. It’s the best instant coffee money can buy in a K-Cup today. I like my coffee black, bold, and rich and this K-Cup delivers. Unfortunately it is so good that I run through this stuff far too fast. If you read its product description you’ll see that it says:

“Emerils Big Easy Bold Keurig K-Cups are a classic Parisian roast. Emerils Big Easy Bold is a thick, hearty blend. Its deep, dark color and invigorating aroma will definitely kick it up a notch. Emerils Big Easy Bold uses a minimum of 50% Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans.”

I like it because it tastes great, it is easy to find online or in stores where popular food and beverage items are found and it isn’t one of the flavored brands, so if you enjoy adding flavored creamers (like my girlfriend does) then you can do so without a hazelnut or vanilla grind conflicting with your choice.

This is almost without fail my weekday coffee of choice. On a Saturday when I have a long slow morning ahead of me, I might mix up my flavors a bit or try some unique grinds, but on a Monday morning all I want to do is let the dog out, hit the “On” button on my Keurig B40, take a shower, let the dog in, and pour myself a cup of the rich deliciousness.

There is cheap instant coffee and great instant coffee. The Emeril’s Big Easy lands in the great instant coffee category and fortunately doesn’t carry a hefty price tag along with it. The best part is that you can order this (along with many others) online at Amazon.

You want to buy instant coffee? There are a lot of other great traditional black coffees available in K-Cups that I enjoy as well, but if you are looking for a staple for your morning routine, or for that one brand you want to put on a monthly delivery schedule, look no further. This is it.