eLEGS Exoskeleton Helps Paraplegics Walk

Another recently publicized exoskeleton, called eLEGS by Berkeley Bionics, promises to help paraplegics walk again. We featured two similar devices earlier at DisabledAndProductive, namely the Rex Robotic Legs and the ReWalk System, both developed by companies in countries outside of the US. But to the best of our knowledge, eLEGS is the first of its kind developed in the US. Read more

Philippe Croizon, First Quadruple Amputee to Swim Across the English Channel

Philippe’s swim across the English Channel is a true testament of how to overcome your disabilities through determination. He didn’t take on this challenge just to prove to himself he could do this amazing feat, but he did it for all those who have suffered tragedy and lost their taste for life. Read more

Custom Sprinter Wheelchair Conversion Van Can Also Be Used as a Camper

Recently we filmed a video with Luc showing how his Dodge Sprinter conversion van can be used as both a wheelchair passenger van and a camper alternative to an expensive and gas-guzzling motor home. The van is equipped with a wheelchair lift and an EZ-lock system to securely lock a wheelchair in the passenger side of the van. The van has a few basic camper facilities such as a microwave, a refrigerator, a sink, a water tank with an external water hookup for refilling at a campground, a ceiling fan, storage cabinets, window shades,  110V electrical power outlet and two solar panels on top of the roof to keep the batteries charged. There is room for two people to sleep in the back of the van and a ceiling lift makes it easy to do transfers between a wheelchair and the bed.

Luc and his wife have two dogs that can safely come along for the ride because there is room underneath one of the beds to secure two dog crates. The Sprinter van is quite a bit larger than standard minivans, which leaves Luc some room to maneuver around in his wheelchair, something he hasn’t been able to in any other van.

Watch the video below to check out the interior of the conversion van and the wheelchair accessible features. And for more information read our earlier article about Camping in a Dodge Sprinter Van.

Free Wheelchair Mission Has Given Away Nearly 500,000 Free Wheelchairs to Those in Need

Free Wheelchair Mission was founded in 1999 by Don Schoendorfer, who has a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, after he was inspired by the sight of a physically disabled woman in Morocco crawling across a dirt road. It certainly adds a challenge to life when you have a mobility disability. But setting that aside, the people who are physically challenged living in the more developed countries – like myself – may in some regard consider themselves lucky compared to those living in the poorer countries where access to the most basic wheelchair is practically non-existent. Read more

Miss Wheelchair USA 2010 – A Role Model for Women with Disabilities

Phaedra Marriott-Olsen has been crowned Miss Wheelchair USA 2010. The Miss Wheelchair USA competition is very similar to the traditional Miss USA contest.  “The largest difference is that we did not do a swimsuit competition,” Phaedra said.  The contestants are judged on appearance, their accomplishments and goals. One of the major differentiators is that they are also judged for the work they do as leaders in the field for women with disabilities. The goal of the Miss Wheelchair America pageant is to promote glamour, self-confidence and community service. “Society just doesn’t think women in chairs are beautiful and the reality is we’re pretty amazing,” Phaedra said. Read more

Obama Addresses ADA’s 20th Anniversary

President Obama addressed a ceremony honoring the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, calling it “one of the most comprehensive civil rights bills in the history of this country.”

The law requires buildings, transportation facilities, and commercial facilities to be accessible to the physically challenged and guarantees employee rights for people with disabilities.  President Obama said that the ADA has served to “tear down the physical and social barriers” and stressed “not dependence, but independence”. The President also signed an executive order designed to improve enforcement of the ADA. Read more

T-shirt Designer with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in the News

Jared Aronson, founder of Madhouse Tees, is a T-shirt designer living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. But, he doesn’t want to be perceived as the disabled guy in a wheelchair using a breathing tube. Jared is an artist who has been drawing since he was a young child. And even though drawing became more and more difficult over the years as paralysis gradually overtook most of his body, Jared kept drawing new T-shirt designs on his computer using only his thumb and a mouse. Read more

Rex Robotic Legs Allow Paraplegics to Walk Again

We posted a story last February about the ReWalk system, a device invented by an Israeli company Argo Medical Technologies, Ltd. that enables paraplegics to walk again. When I was watching the Belgian news on the Internet yesterday, which I do occasionally to keep in touch with what’s going on in the country where I was born, another walking device for paraplegics was featured. Hayden Allen from New Zealand, a paraplegic as a result of a motorcycle accident, showed off a pair of robotic legs that help paraplegics walk again. It caught my attention and I decided to investigate the system some more. Read more

Crossing the Mile High “Swinging” Bridge at Grandfather Mountain in a Wheelchair – A Dream Come True

I remember going on a day trip to Grandfather Mountain near Linville, North Carolina a few years after my disabling accident when I was still living in Charlotte, NC. Grandfather Mountain is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains and it’s best known for its mile high “swinging” bridge that links two of the mountain’s rocky peaks. The panoramic views from the bridge are supposedly spectacular, but I never got to see it because there was no wheelchair access to the bridge when I visited. Needless to say that I was very excited when I read an article about a new structure built at the top of Grandfather Mountain that provides wheelchair access to the bridge. Read more

Scouting with a Disability: A Story of Inspiration, Goals and a Very Worn Pair of Shoes

As with any organization, The Boy Scouts of America have rules and guidelines that must be adhered to. When Nathaniel Schrader of Chantilly, Virginia, joined a local Boy Scout troop, the leadership was hesitant. They werenʼt sure how a boy with cerebral palsy would be able to fit in or even progress within the ranks with all his limitations. The leadership offered information on another troop in the area that served mobility impaired scouts but Nathaniel wanted to stay with his Cub Scout friends, all of whom chose this particular troop. Leadership wasnʼt sure how to teach a scout with so many limitations. Read more

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