PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — For Amaria Borders, overcoming challenges is routine.
- Publix offers handicapped accessible shopping carts
- Woman shares video of disabled daughter using cart
- Publix says it works to meet the needs of shoppers
“Things like just taking a simple bath or brushing her teeth or even just getting on the toilet is very difficult,” said Tiffani Borders, Amaria’s mother.
As routine as, say, a trip to the grocery store with mom, it’s an activity she only recently was able to cross off her list of challenges after a discovery during a recent Publix run.
"We were coming in to get a quick lunch, and my friend, she said, ‘Hey Tiffani! Look at that cart!’ And we went over to the cart and realized that the cart connects to her wheelchair,” Borders said.
In a video posted to Tiffani’s Facebook page, Amaria’s reaction speaks for itself.
In the video, you hear Tiffani say, “Mommy can put her groceries in there and you guys can shop together.”
Amaria replies, “Seriously, in my buggy?! That’s funny!”
“I wanted a buggy to snap my chair so I can roll and get my groceries and put it inside the buggy,” Amaria said.
In a statement, Publix tells Bay News 9, “Once we identify the need for the specialty cart at a store, we work with our customers to meet those needs.”
Tiffani said she was ecstatic to see this in Publix, saying it meets more than just physical needs.
“It empowers her. It empowers her to see that she can do things on her own,” she said.
It's a reminder to Amaria that her disease may take away her ability to walk, but it certainly can’t take away her spirit.
“I did it!” said Amaria after shopping with her mom.
Tiffani also runs the organization, ‘Uplifting Ability,’ a forum for parents of children with disabilities.
When she posted about this new discovery to Facebook, it was shared hundreds of times.
For more information on the organization, visit https://upliftingability.com.