Rollin’ across the country with a disability advocate

If you or someone you know has a disability, you may have run into ORee Crittenden. You might also have to run just to catch up with him. He is in a wheelchair, but that rarely slows him down and certainly doesn’t define his character. Life changed for ORee 25 years ago.

“In September 2001, I jumped off a dock in Pensacola to retrieve a kid’s kite. The water was too shallow, and I broke my shoulder and neck. I had to be revived seven times,” he explained.

The injury resulted in quadriplegia and required intensive rehabilitation at both the world-renowned Shepherd Center in Atlanta and the historic Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute in Warm Springs, Georgia.

Refusing to let his disability stall his life or dictate his boundaries, Crittenden navigated his entire recovery with relentless momentum. He moved straight from injury through rehab and returned immediately to college with no breaks. His determination culminated in 2005 when he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Columbus State University.

The advocate

Following graduation, Crittenden channeled his energy into automotive design and community advocacy, serving on the Georgia Tech Tools for Life (TFL) assistive technology board and the Georgia DNR Trails Advisory Committee. Before his injury, Crittenden was a professional 12V mobile electronics installer, holding the industry’s prestigious MECP (Mobile Electronics Certified Professional) credential and building elite, trophy-winning competition audio systems.

Two years later, ORee became a volunteer for the Access 2 Independence Center for Independent Living (CIL) in Columbus, Georgia. In 2012, he was named assistant director for the organization, which is committed to helping those of all ages and all types of disabilities achieve independent living. He is a fitting example of independence.

“I take a road trip almost almost every summer. From the Florida Keys to Washington, DC, and all across the southeast. I love the open road.”

As a disability advocate, musician, and community organizer, ORee Crittenden has announced the official launch of the CIL Coast-2-Coast Drive-a-Thon. This historic 2,500-mile endurance journey will take him behind the wheel of a heavily modified, adaptive 2005 Dodge Magnum RT, driving from the Access 2 Independence Center for Independent Living (CIL) in Columbus, Georgia, directly to the historical birthplace of the independent living movement at the University of California, Berkeley.

The cross-country trek serves a vital purpose: acting as a real-world demonstration of adaptive independence and raising critical operational funds for Access 2 Independence, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit providing physical, social, and advocacy services for the regional disability community. Crittenden’s journey stands as a profound testament to sheer personal resilience and the core principles of self-determination.

While his physical capabilities are now altered by his disability, Crittenden continues to challenge himself daily, engineering and assembling as much of his own projects as physically possible before calling on his support network for help. Over the last several years, he has personally overseen and meticulously crafted his custom Dodge Magnum wagon to accommodate sophisticated, electronic Sure Grip drive-by-wire hand controls, modified with a rugged BMX-style handle to match his unique driving style.

By driving across the United States, Crittenden aims to shift the narrative around what individuals with physical disabilities can accomplish when given access to the right tools and supportive community frameworks.

Odogrollin

A friend of ORee’s named him Odog. After his injury, ORee added rollin. As a music lover, he will be listening to Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again”, among others to keep the odogrollin.

“The open road belongs to everyone,” says ORee Crittenden. “This drive-a-thon proves that physical limitations don’t dictate your personal boundaries. By connecting modern disability resource networks in Georgia to the historical birthplace of the independent living movement in Berkeley, we are driving forward awareness, access, and true inclusion.”

Corporate sponsorship slots, fuel-card donations, equipment partnerships, and individual per-mile tracking pledges are actively being accepted for the event. The entire journey and vehicle preparation can be tracked publicly on Instagram via the handle odogrollin.

To learn more about the campaign, secure a corporate marketing partnership, or make a tax-deductible donation, visit access2independence.com or odogrollin.com.