Frank Martin, a disabled student veteran, said he may not be able to get to class anymore, now that a thief took his main method of transportation.
Martin was prescribed a motorized Segway five years ago, after a car crash in 1998 left him with a spinal chord disorder that causes chronic fatigue and partial paraplegia.
"Without my Segway, I would not have been able to take full loads (at UNM)," he said.
On July 3, Martin's Segway was stolen from his apartment on Girard Avenue.
As a result, Martin said he won't be able to complete his psychology degree this fall.
Martin said that Segways may seem unconventional, but they are still important aids for the disabled.
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"Somebody might not steal a wheelchair. . That so obviously identifies somebody as being disabled," Martin said. "But everybody wants to try a Segway out."
However, Martin said the thief has no way of using the Segway without its unique electronic key, which was not taken.
Martin filed a report with the Albuquerque Police Department and has been in contact with the Disabled American Veterans organization about the case.
Ed Cooke, a national service officer at the DAV, said the organization disapproves of the Segway thief's actions.
"We find it horrendous," Cooke said, "That somebody would actually steal a disabled veteran's Segway who uses it as a wheelchair . it is reprehensible."
Cooke suggested that Martin petition the Veteran Affairs prosthetics division for a replacement, as Martin was a seaman in the U.S. Navy in the 1970s.
Shawn Desmond, owner of Segway New Mexico, said Segways are increasing in popularity as an alternative to wheelchairs.
"This has been a growing market for disabled veterans," Desmond said. "Segways allow them to get around easier than a wheelchair because they are standing up and because they can see people eye to eye."
Jerry Kerr, president of Disability Rights Advocates for Technology, is an advocate for disabled veterans using Segways.
His organization donates the vehicles, valued about $6,000, to those who need them.
"When somebody tampers with somebody's mobility device, they take away their life . their ability to conduct activities of daily living," he said.
Kerr said Martin doesn't qualify to receive a Segway because he served before the deadline for DRAFT benefits.
"Our organization would help if we could but we . are run entirely by volunteers," he said. "All of our money goes to disabled veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts."
Martin is offering a $1,000 reward for the Segway's return.
