Group gives disabled people front seat ride during Woodward Dream Cruise

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - If there's one thing that gets Shannon giddy, it's the Woodward Dream Cruise.

"I can barely sleep the night before, because I'm so excited," she told FOX 2. 

In fact, she hardly got any rest the night before testing out the front seat of Chevrolet Camaro Thursday morning. 

It's partly because she doesn't spend as much time in the front seat of cars. Confined to a wheelchair because of her cerebral palsy, her cushion is usually locked down inside the vehicles she's traveling in.

But when the Woodward Dream Cruise comes around, a unique opportunity presents itself to many residents who are disabled and must use a wheelchair to get around.

"One of my favorite things about the dream cruise is that because I am in a wheelchair and have to be locked down in a handicapped vehicle, I just like to get out of it and see different scenery and see somebody else's perspective when they're not in a wheelchair and get to sit in the front seat," she said.

It's an experience that many of the passengers that the D-Man Foundation seats during the Woodward Dream Cruise have. 

The advocacy non-profit says many of the disabled people they serve during the iconic car show were confined to a wheelchair after a severe auto accident. But charitable donations and an expansive Woodward Dream Cruise mean the driving tour will be one of the first chances in years that clients can see the view from the front. 

RELATED: Where to park for the Woodward Dream Cruise

Ziad Kassab, who works with the D-Man Foundation's Dreams Come True on Woodward effort, says the group has a fundraising goal of $10,000. The money goes toward the Assisted Travel Program, which offers experience, coordination, and financial support for clients. 

The event is Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Dawda Mann Building at 39533 Woodward Ave. in Bloomfield Hills. 

Learn more here http://www.mydman.org/events/dreamcruise/