My friend and cerebral palsy warrior, Peter Knab, loves to travel. He’s an avid Cleveland sports fan and he’s on cloud nine when he gets the opportunity to travel to a new ballpark or stadium.

On October 27, Peter made his way to Gillette Stadium to watch the Cleveland Browns take on the New England Patriots. But wait, there’s more.

Peter was allowed onto the field for warm-ups before the game. A former professor of his at John Carroll University had connections to the Patriots, so they were able to provide him with a ticket to the game. I interviewed him to ask about his experiences on the field and his travels in Boston.

How was flying on the plane?

“I’m glad that I called JetBlue because I did not fill out my paperwork correctly. They were very helpful because they strapped me into a wheelchair that fits right on board. They help you transition to a much smaller chair. They then strap you entirely to get you on the plane, and then you transition to your seat from there.”

Where did you stay?

“I stayed in a very cheap Hostel International room. The setup was very accommodating because I called ahead to request all of the amenities that I needed. They had railings and a shower chair already in the unit. They let me have a lower bunk bed that was on the floor so it really worked out.”

What did you use for transportation?

“I used UberWav and Lyft Access. I am really lucky that Boston has both of these services.”

What was it like on the field?

“I was really surprised because I thought that it would just be a 10 to 15 minute thing, but I was on the field for over an hour. They let me go on the field wherever I wanted to go and they let me move up to the hash marks on the field. When I was on the field it was rainy and I was soaked, but it was worth it. I will get to tell my kids one day that I got to watch Tom Brady play, so that is pretty cool.”

What do you like about traveling independently?

“I love traveling independently. I was a little bit scared at first, but people with disabilities now have proper resources so there really is no reason to not travel independently if that is something that you want to do. I love proving people wrong by showing them the things that I can do. Even though the Browns did end up losing, it was a pretty good game for the most part. Go Browns!”

 Contact Michael Reiner

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