SCI Superstar: Scott Rains

Dr. Scott Rains may not have held a doctorate in magic, but he should have, considering how he was able to transform his life post-injury. His doctorate is in ministry, but after some wise pondering post-injury, he realized an opportunity presented itself to meld two worlds he loved – travel and the disability community.

A true traveler in his soul, Scott had the travel bug since his teens despite a spinal cord injury that could have easily waylaid him. And the career he was able to forge for himself – an international accessibility consultant – helped millions of people worldwide. Read on for Scott Rains’ impressive story.

Why He Was Fearless

Growing up, the world of travel never entered Scott’s mind, but at the age of 13 he was diagnosed with spinal cord cancer. While recovering and still able-bodied, he went to Guatemala his sophomore year of high school; his first travel experience. It was here he fell in love with traveling, and returned to Belize the next year.

Everything changed however when at 17, while undergoing a biopsy on his spinal cord, he woke up an incomplete quad. Scott however refused to let that stop him from traveling. Knowing both Spanish and Portuguese, he tried to study abroad in Brazil 5 years after his injury, but came home 3 months later, realizing he was not ready yet.

Eventually though Scott became incredibly good at traveling from his wheelchair. He is a manual-chair user, which helps when traveling internationally, but he needed to get his college degree first to make the traveling dream come true. He enrolled in theological classes at Graduate Theological Foundation in West Bend, Indiana. A Roman Catholic, Scott had always been enthralled by religion. It was also through his passion that he met his wife, Patricia. They were together for nearly 32 years. Together, their favorite spots became Argentina, Korea, India and Thailand. 

Scott was also a speaker. His first big gig was speaking at the International Conference on Universal Design in Brazil – “Designing for the 21st Century.” He also spoke at the Rhode Island School of Design and as conference keynoter, as well as gave speeches in Barbados, Brazil, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mozambique, South Africa, Thailand, and Taiwan (oftentimes on behalf of the government or local businesses).

What Happened Next?

Scott had a great blog, RollingRains.com, where he shared his travels, latest consultancy work on improving accessibility and his thoughts on universal accessibility. Brazil was a country he visited often.

Sadly, in 2016 after battling cancer, Scott passed away. We have so much to thank him for. The disability community around the world has him to thank for many accessible improvements that have been done. His memory lives in the hearts of many. His bright spirit and dedication to improving accessibility worldwide was inspiring, and even better, created a legacy. Rest in peace, Scott. Your time here was well spent.

– Scott’s blog Rolling Rains Report