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Be Here Now – New Mobility


There’s a good chance that more people read or watched New Mobility content in October than in any other month in its 35-year history. In addition to our regular print and web readers, Seth McBride’s YouTube review of the new $1,000 Not A Wheelchair racked up over 50,000 views in its first week online, and thousands of viewers clicked through to read the accompanying article on our website, with many of them sticking around even longer to peruse more of our content.

With all of this in mind, I’ve had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this will be the last regular print issue of New Mobility.

Since its inception as Spinal Network Extra in 1989, and through all of the various iterations in the four decades since then, New Mobility’s primary goal has been to amplify the voices of active wheelchair users and collect and share their stories and insights to help and entertain our fellow wheelers. For a long time, print was the only option. The internet provided a new venue, but for a while print retained the status, reach and visibility we needed. For good or bad, that is no longer the case.

If living with a spinal cord injury has taught me anything, it is to avoid getting lost in the what ifs and what could have beens.

The print lover in me would love to argue that we can translate the increased October engagement to more print subscribers and advertisers, more revenue and a more sustainable future. I could do so until I’m blue in the face but there’s no denying digital distribution is the best way to reach the most people and have the greatest impact.

But if living with a spinal cord injury has taught me anything, it is to avoid getting lost in the what ifs and what could have beens, and appreciate what you have and where you are. New Mobility editor Barry Corbet came to this same realization (much more eloquently) in one of his Bully Pulpits years ago (see “3 Editors, Bully Pulpits“), and it seems fitting wisdom to guide us as we start our next era.

Thanks to the hard work of all of our team, I truly believe we are better positioned than ever to build on October’s record engagement. I don’t expect us to match the October numbers every month, but steadily growing our reach as we hone our content and refine our methods seems eminently attainable. McBride’s viral hits and Teal Sherer’s vibrant management of our social content are just two of many examples of our ability to not only adapt to the digital world, but thrive in it.

As much as I’m dreading the feeling that will come with seeing the empty spot on my table where the latest New Mobility used to live, I’ve grown to love refreshing my browser to see how many people are viewing our stories. Seeing friends of friends discussing our articles in lengthy forum discussions, or watching the thumbnail of McBride’s video pop up in my social feeds reassures me we are on the right path to ensuring New Mobility’s legacy.

All that said, I still worry about losing contact with longtime print subscribers and readers who don’t have easy access to the internet. I still think about a newly-injured person who might now miss out on a story or connection from a print copy they received after a criminally short rehab stay. Like all of our team, I’m committed to figuring out how to address these issues and hope you, our readers and friends, will continue to help us do so.


Support New Mobility

Wait! Before you wander off to other parts of the internet, please consider supporting New Mobility. For more than three decades, New Mobility has published groundbreaking content for active wheelchair users. We share practical advice from wheelchair users across the country, review life-changing technology and demand equity in healthcare, travel and all facets of life. But none of this is cheap, easy or profitable. Your support helps us give wheelchair users the resources to build a fulfilling life.

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