Undergrads Rally to Help Classmate Power Up
Published on September 7, 2018When a UNC Kenan-Flagler student was involved in an accident, classmates were swift to help.
When a UNC Kenan-Flagler student was involved in an accident, classmates were swift to help.
When UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School undergraduate Joe Brown ’16 was involved in a bus-pedestrian accident that left him with minor injuries and significant damage to his wheelchair, his classmates were there to help. Insurance would cover the cost of replacing his chair with an identical model, but that left Brown facing a new challenge: His old chair no longer met his needs, and he couldn’t upgrade again for five years. Upgrading to a power wheelchair with a standing feature would cost Brown thousands of dollars out of pocket so his classmates put their various skills together and crowdfunded a new wheelchair.
Joe Brown (BSBA ’16) died on Sept. 6, 2018. He remains an inspiration to our community for his gentle determination to get to Carolina, excel at UNC Kenan-Flagler and make UNC-Chapel Hill more accessible to people with disabilities. The Tar Heel community is better for having known him, and he is missed.
This is story number 161 in the Carolina Stories 225th Anniversary Edition magazine.
