Ramp up to better life - 'Sisters' gain independence

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Ramp up to better life - 'Sisters' gain independence

By Pagelow

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/951002,5_1_WA15_RAMP_S

1.article

DeVost and Shavon Knox share so many things that people who

know them call them twins. They're both 25 years old, are best

friends and live together as sisters with 's mom, , a

3rd Ward alderman in North Chicago.

and Shavon also share disabilities that limit their ability

to walk, which has made it difficult for them to go up and down the

steps to get into their home. That changed this week when a Waukegan

law firm donated $5,000 to build a wooden wheelchair ramp for the

women through Ramp Up, an organization affiliated with United

Cerebral Palsy.

" I love it. I can't stay off it, " said , who was born with

cerebral palsy.

Shavon has Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disorder, which causes people to lose

normal use of their legs and arms.

Previously, and Shavon would park their power wheelchairs

in the garage and use a walker to walk to the back door, where they

would work their way up the steps by holding on to whatever they

could. It took them awhile, and occasionally they fell. The short

trip was especially difficult in winter. Their chairs would get stuck

on the snow and ice. Sometimes their mom would have to carry them

into the house on her back.

" It's a lot easier for my mom now, " Shavon said.

For , who is a single mother working for Metra, the cost of a

ramp or wheelchair lift for the house was a little too much to

purchase on her own, considering she had saved up for the girls'

power wheelchairs about eight months ago.

" This is a blessing, " she said about the donation for the

ramp. " Knowing all the struggles they have to face, we thank God for

this. "

The Waukegan law firm of Salvi, Schostok and Pritchard has sponsored

events for United Cerebral Palsy in the past and wanted to help build

a ramp for a local family, said T.J. Saye of Lake Villa, the chief

administrative officer for the law firm.

The law firm was matched to the DeVost family through La Voz Latina,

an outreach rehabilitation program in Waukegan, and Ramp Up, which is

based in Tinley Park. Ramp Up hired a contractor to build a 42-foot-

long ramp on the side of the DeVost house for about $8,000.

Generally, ramps have one foot in length for every inch in height.

Ramp Up also installed handle bars in the bathroom and improved the

transition strips between rooms to make it easier to use a wheelchair

inside the house.

Ramp Up works on about 40 to 50 projects a year through donations and

grants, mostly focusing on low- to moderate-income families and

veterans, said Ken Burr, a coordinator for Ramp Up.

" It makes a tremendous difference to the caregiver, " he said.

During the week, a bus picks up and Shavon and takes them

to Lakeside Center for the Disabled in Waukegan, where they earn a

stipend working on projects for companies. On Fridays, they attend

the Center for Independent Living in Mundelein to learn how to do

things on their own and train for clerical jobs.

They became friends at Lakeside Center about five years ago and have

been inseparable since then.

" They call us 'twins' at work, " Shavon said.

" The Doublemint Twins, " added

They often complete each other's sentences. Shavon moved in with the

DeVost family about 2½ years ago after her foster home wasn't working

out for her. is working on adopting her.

" not only has a friend, she has a sister, " said. " I

think this was a bond formed by angels. "