Sam Scribner, current photographer and videographer, had a spinal cord injury in 2016, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. Living in Central Florida, he and his sister started working on making a school bus accessible for him for transportation.
Forward to 2019, when Scribner met Katrina Mandiola, who was renovating a van and happened to live near him. They all started working on their vehicles together. Scribner and Mandiola started dating during COVID-19 and worked around social distancing.
Photo by Teia Williams.
They don’t consider themselves a “normal couple” in the sense that they decided to move into an apartment together and went from there. They had to commit to a home that was accessible and all the apartments in the area were not.
“We couldn’t get an apartment for the two of us because apartments don’t, or at least the ones I reached out to, didn’t accommodate Sam’s disability,” Mandiola said. “They didn’t have roll in showers.”
“They were like, we have an elevator. It’s like no, we need a bathroom,” Mandiola continued.
When they moved into their current home in Edgewater, Fl, it was apparent that renovations were needed. Mandiola has an eye for interior design and for how she wants her accessible home to look.
“It looks very [much] like a spa. I see a lot of things online when it comes to accessible bathrooms, and it looks like a hospital, it looks very sterile,” Mandiola said.
Photos via Mandiola’s Instagram.
Photos via Mandiola’s Instagram.
They also plan on designing a table that can move like a standing desk to match with Scribner’s different leveled wheelchairs.
Scribner and Mandiola got engaged in 2023 but there are limitations in being a married couple along with his disability status. Due to insurance, he can only have $2,000 in his bank account to receive the care he needs. If they were to be married, their assets would be combined and would look like he’s making more than the quota amount.
Mandiola referenced Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on disability benefits and explained that Oliver described their situation the best they have seen, especially with the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Beneficiary.
The expenses for accessible items can be pricey, down to an individual fork.
“My fork, which I use without the dexterity of my hands, a little fork that’s got some loops on it, each individual fork is $40,” Scribner said.
The state and Vocational Rehab helped with certain funds, like his van for instance, which gives him the ability to drive.
Photo by Teia Williams.
Scribner discovered his love for photography and filmography by filming his friends at a skate park in 2017. He has always had a love for action sports especially skating and surfing. Now, with the use of a camera and drone, he can still be a part of that community and catch that wave.
“It was a way for me to interact with my buddies,” Scribner said. “[It was like I was] like out in the lineup again and I was part of the session.”
His recent work is more pro-surf focused. He has made 3 surf films that were promoted at Red Dog and Go Juice in New Smyrna Beach. He is in hope to one day have his work included in something like the Florida Surf Film Fest.
His work can be found at scribnerprints.com and his YouTube channel @SamScribner.
Scribner and Mandiola have a website and Instagram, Katarina and Sam, where they not only express their journey, but they also connect and spread awareness for the disabled community.
Scribner also has a clothing brand with graphic prints called Muels which started in 2017.
“The idea behind it [the brand name] is that we’ve all got our weight to carry,” Scribner said.
“When I first met Sam, and he was explaining Muels to me and how we all have our 10 [extra] pounds. So, it’s like you just can’t compare.” Mandiola added.
Follow along Scribner and Mandiola’s journey:
Instagram: @katarinaandsam @samscribner @katarina.francesca