PANORAMA CITY : Disabled Man Takes the Hard Way Home

Dan Witherspoon, a 24-year-old disabled man, chose an unusual way of moving from a Palm Springs group home into his first apartment--he traveled all the way in his wheelchair.

“It was very hot and we had a few mechanical problems along the way,” he said Wednesday after arriving at his new home in Panorama City at the end of an eight-day, 140-mile trek from the desert. “But we met a lot of nice people who gave us money and gave us help.”

Witherspoon, a quadriplegic and spastic who is confined to a wheelchair and also suffers from cerebral palsy, made the trip to raise money for the $13,000, voice-activated computer that he needs to continue his college education and ultimately pursue a career in journalism.

“The computer is for my career. I want to be a sportswriter,” said Witherspoon, who is planning to attend classes at Valley College in Van Nuys and then transfer to Cal State Northridge.

He said the trip, which was organized by the Crippled Children’s Society in Hollywood, raised about $9,000 toward the computer--including $3,000 from employees at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power where his mother works. He is also hoping to raise funds for a van with an electric lift.

Witherspoon had lived in Palm Springs for 14 years, the last two at a group transition program where he learned how to live on his own. His new apartment in a federally subsidized complex features such amenities as hand-rails in the bathroom and a kitchen sink that is low to the ground for easy access.

Donations, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to the Crippled Children’s Society, 7120 Franklin Ave., Los Angeles, 90046-3002.