Disability fails to slow the wheels of progress By CHRISTINA OCCHIPINTI

Disability fails to slow the wheels of progress
By CHRISTINA OCCHIPINTI

It takes a certain type of person to be able to create something positive out of something negative.

Karl Schoonmaker is that kind of person.

Schoonmaker was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at 16. Now 42, he began using a scooter a few years ago when the progressive illness, which causes a decline in muscle tissue, began to really take hold.

“At the onset it wasn’t very extreme at all; it was very mild,” Schoonmaker said of the effects of his illness. “Over time, it got worse and worse. I started using a scooter about five years ago because my legs were just too weak, and I was too unsteady.”

After constantly fielding questions regarding his scooter whenever he was out, Schoonmaker recognized a great business opportunity.

“I found that people were stopping me all over, asking me about it and things like that, said the Yorktown resident who had to go to New Jersey to purchase his scooter. “There weren’t many dealers around here at all. That’s what really sparked my interest in opening this business the fact that so many people were stopping me, and I saw there was an obvious market because there weren’t that many people around that did this.”

Schoonmaker left his job as a truck mechanic and opened Easy Way Scooters Inc., which sells scooters, bathroom aides, scooter batteries, motorized wheelchairs and lift chairs, among other products, in Elmsford in September 2005.

Schoonmaker’s muscular dystrophy has actually helped the business.

“When I first started the business, I figured (the disease) was either going to help me or hurt me, and it has actually helped me because people feel like you understand,” he said. “If they buy a piece of equipment from us, they know that if a problem should arise, that we’re going to get on it right away. Nine times out of 10, we can give them a loaner to use so they’re not stranded while we’re working on their equipment because we know how important that is.”

Having knowledge of new coverage policies being offered by insurance companies is a major selling point for Schoonmaker, who helps his clients navigate all the necessary paperwork.

“Things have changed a lot with Medicare and insurances,” Schoonmaker said. “Basically, a simple doctor’s prescription was all you needed years ago, and now you need so much supporting documentation from the doctor before you can do anything.

“You can’t deliver the equipment unless everything is in line with all of your documentation. We carry all the necessary forms, and we’re constantly updating ourselves in terms of Medicare through webinars and classes we go to. We stay up on all of the changes that take place and all the new requirements.”

While business is going very well for Schoonmaker, it’s not all work and no play. Easy Way Scooters Inc. has a very close relationship with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and it provides scooters for children attending the organization’s weeklong camp in Nyack every summer.

“At the beginning of the week, we bring over a bunch of equipment and let the kids run around in it and have fun,” Schoonmaker said. “At the end of the week, we go and pick them up. It’s a lot of fun to watch the kids all get together. And they all basically have the same illnesses, so they don’t feel funny. They can just be themselves

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