Couple 'Happy on Wheels' in Rehoboth Beach

Of all the things Rehoboth Beach is known for, handicap accessibility doesn't spring to mind, but for one couple from Arlington, Va., the ability to get around in the nation's summer capital tops the list.

Tony and Sheri Denkensohn-Trott are wheelchair users, and for them, Rehoboth Beach offers plenty of opportunity to be 'Happy on Wheels,' a phrase they adopted into a lifestyle website they began to develop in 2014.

Both largely involved in promoting handicap accessibility in Northern Virginia, the couple met 12 years ago while Sheri, an attorney, aspiring public speaker and long-time quadriplegic, was a board member at the Center for Independent Living and Tony worked as a peer mentor for the organization.

Tony and Sheri recently visited Rehoboth to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary at the Star of the Sea condominiums and share their positive experiences of vacationing with disabilities in Rehoboth for many years.

"Rehoboth is affordable, accessible and it's enjoyable," she said. "People are friendly and you can have a whole family dinner with accessibility."

A quadriplegic for 32 years, Sheri was injured in a diving accident at 16 years old.  Before her accident, she was an athletic lifeguard and swimmer. Afterward, Sheri went through a long period of rehabilitation then channeled her drive into scholastics.

She went on to graduate high school and college at the top of her class in New York, then attended Georgetown Law school and has worked as a federal attorney for the last 25 years.

"You focus on what you can do, not what you can't, and put yourself in environments that maximize what you can do," Sheri said of her decision to move to Washington, D.C., which she says is more accessible in a wheelchair than most other major cities.

Tony began using a wheelchair around the time he was 30. He suffers from Friedreich's ataxia, a genetic, progressive, neurological disorder that affects walking balance, overall muscle coordination and hearing.

These days, Tony does publications and design for Happy on Wheels. A former saxophone player in the James Madison University marching band, he holds a degree in music from JMU and worked as a music teacher for several years. He went on to earn a master's degree in special education from George Mason University, but as his illness progressed, he took a job at the Center for Independent Living, where he eventually met Sheri.

Together, the couple formed Happy on Wheels, a lifestyle website, still evolving, that aims help people lead happier lives.

Through their own stories, blogs and resources, the couple agreed, they hope to inspire others, especially those in wheelchairs, to go beyond their presumed limitations through travel and advocacy.

Although the couple say they have still encountered obstacles in Rehoboth, such as a step at the doorway of a store that prevented entry, for the most part Rehoboth Beach allows their wheels to keep turning.

"It's important to think about universal design," Sheri said. "It's good for business, it's good socially, and it's not hard to do. It's something that makes Rehoboth special."

Tony said he recently submitted a popular blog about Rehoboth's accessibility to Curb Free with Cory Lee, a wheelchair-friendly travel blog that shares travel tips and destinations all over the world.

Despite the challenges and frustrations they face from life on wheels, the Trotts said they are determined to enjoy their lives together and build a pro-active community of advocacy and universal design.

"It takes a lot more energy to be angry than it does to be positive," Sheri said. "No place is perfect and unless you are an advocate, no one else is going to do it. There's always room for improvement, but Rehoboth is so much better than most."

For more information about Tony and Sheri Trott, go to www.happyonwheels.com or email info@happyonwheels.com.