July 27th, 2011
Carl Schaffner used to climb trees for a living and mountains as a hobby. He was, and still is, a Licensed Certified Arborist having worked in states as varied as Colorado and Texas to Nebraska and Illinois, spending his days wandering amongst the trees in the great outdoors. His profession and hobby was all about enjoying nature in the extreme.
He also served in the military on Active duty then later as a reservist for the Marines. He was a SNCO (Staff non commissioned officer) who traveled the world. His last assignment away from home was in Aberdeen, Maryland where he attended welding school. While he was there he trained with and helped lead all the younger Marines. Morning PT would clear out the barracks for challenging winter runs nearly every day. Being a Staff NCO, Carl relished the fact that the younger Marines looked up to him. He would run at the front of a long column of Marines, outpacing the new recruits, ensuring that, even as a 35-year old father of one with another on the way, he was setting a good example. But then things changed.
He had been experiencing physical challenges for a while – stumbling every now and then. Losing his balance. But during this time with the Marines he started to have increasingly noticeable problems. He started collapsing and having what appeared to be seizures. The guys would try to help him – prop him back and get him going again. But soon his legs just wouldn’t work anymore.
It took forever to get a diagnosis. For months Carl would miss Welding classes to make the drive to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. Once home and a dozen doctors later … finally an answer. Multiple Sclerosis. During all of the testing, Carl also had a “little bout with a brain tumor” which was nearly fatal. This is the way Carl talks about his plight. Matter of fact. MS is just something that came his way. And he’s been dealing with it pragmatically ever since.
He’s been using a wheelchair since before his diagnosis in 1998. Initially he didn’t really know what to look for so he borrowed a chair and tried to make a go of it. But it was “Mall Crawler” - totally unsuited for an active man with a career so he finally got a prescription from his doctors for a better wheelchair. And from that point on, he saw his wheels as a tool. He didn’t want them to be a symbol that he had given up on life. He wanted to remain active in life – not retreat from it.
He soon realized that he “needed the right tool for the job.” His wheelchair was too limited for his active lifestyle. He wanted to hunt and get out into the snow and enjoy his time with his sons. Luckily – he ended up being in the right place at the right time. He was at the Wheelchair Games in Omaha and MAGICWHEELS selected him to be a “test pilot” as he jokingly puts it. They asked him to put the wheels through their paces – to “go out and see if you can break them.”
After days of well planned torture testing Carl final did get one wheel to fail. The MAGICWHEELS engineers quizzed him and were stunned by the description of abuse the MAGICWHEELS survived. Despite the fact that he finally caused a minor component failure while backing down a massive wet curb – the MAGICWHEELS still worked! This was back in 2008 and Carl has been using MAGICWHEELS ever since. Today he’s on his second set of tires and can’t imagine life without the wheels.
He can roll through wet mud or thick mulch, even 8-inch snow. He easily navigates over slippery rocks and up 45 degree slopes. Of course off roadin’ is slow going but he told us, “There’s no place I can’t go if I want to.” Carl does have a power chair that he uses as a second car in town; however, he rarely leaves home without his MAGICWHEELS. He calls them a “game changer.” He is so enthusiastic about them that he created several videos showing him navigating the thick snow near his home in Fremont, Nebraska.
Today Carl is living his “new normal.” He is as active as ever. He’s a Nebraska Certified Hunting Instructor, plays sled hockey and continues to enjoy spending time with his boys. In his words, “Life is a beautiful thing.”
Posted in What’s your mountain? (inspirational, what are your goals?) | 175 Comments »
July 20th, 2011
We recently wrote about No Barriers USA – an organization that promotes all kinds of physical activities to encourage people with disabilities to live full and active lives. We were thrilled to learn that there is another amazing organization that empowers people with disabilities to develop and showcase their more artistic sides.
Theater Breaking Through Barriers, formerly Theater By The Blind, has been working for over 30 years to develop blind and low vision talent for the theater, television and film. The company has then changed its name to reflect its commitment to include all artists with disabilities.
As baby boomers age, more and more Americans will be dealing with disability. 52 million people, 18% of the population, already do. Yet only 2% of characters on television exhibit a disability and only 0.5% are allowed to speak. Theater Breaking Through Barriers is working to get the reality of the rich, independent lives lived by those with disabilities in front of audiences.
A Midsummer Night's Dream Theater Breaking Through Barriers has been working intensely to achieve this goal. In 2007, the first show of their season, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, featured an actress in a wheelchair, which The New York Times said added “a most delightful extra layer of meaning in the production.” The second production, The Rules of Charity, was written by John Belluso, a playwright with a disability. The play’s action centered on a man using a wheelchair; the company of six integrated a low vision actress and an actor with Cerebral Palsy as well as a stage manager working from a wheelchair. The Times called it a “dark, scalding play [in] a sharp New York premiere.”
Despite the amazing inroads Theater Breaking Through Barriers has made, the organization’s Director Ike Schambelan shared with us the challenges faced by actors with disabilities. For instance, the movie Blindness has an array of blind characters, none played by blind actors. Off Broadway, Beast had two one-armed soldiers and two blind prostitutes, none played by actors with disabilities. Another show on Broadway, The Seafarer, had a blind role played by a sighted actor imported from England. Mr. Schambelan’s goal is to address and change this skewed misrepresentation.
He and everyone else at Theater Breaking Through Barriers are doing this by giving opportunities to disabled actors, writers, directors and all the other individuals it takes to put on a stage production. Just as important, they are providing their audiences a new way to view people with disabilities. They are allowing theatergoers the opportunity to recognize that passion and talent know no bounds.
At their productions, one of the things that audiences like to do is to try and figure out which of the actors are blind or have low vision and which have normal vision. We’ve been told that it’s extremely difficult to tell – in fact most of their patrons tend to guess incorrectly! What a wonderful world this amazing organization has created onstage. One in which blind actors and actors in wheelchairs know no barriers. We can’t wait for their productions to expand beyond Broadway – and across the entire United States. Because we’ll be in the front row!
Tags: Theater Breaking Through Barriers
Posted in What’s your mountain? (inspirational, what are your goals?) | 166 Comments »
July 13th, 2011
We get a lot of questions about our claim that MAGICWHEELS dramatically reduces shoulder pain. So we thought we’d interview our National Sales Manager Scott Brown who was able to provide some insight into how the wheels can help out.
Q. How widespread is shoulder pain for wheelchair users?
A. Independent studies indicate that 60-90% of users experience shoulder pain relative to using a manual wheelchair.
Q. What options are available to reduce shoulder pain?
A. If the shoulder pain is propulsion related we can look at various clinical interventions.
There are essentially three options. We can try to change the configurations of the chair and/or seating to encourage more effective propulsion. We can evaluate the client’s push mechanics to determine if there is opportunity for improvement, focusing on long smooth push strokes. The third option would be to introduce some type of technological intervention such as a newly configured wheelchair or an add-on like Magic Wheels to their existing wheelchair.
Q. MAGICWHEELS claims that your wheels dramatically reduce shoulder pain. Do you have any clinical testing to support your claims?
A. We do have research to back up our claims. The University of Maryland conducted a study on shoulder pain in manual wheelchair use and found that MAGICWHEELS provides users up to a 60% reduction in shoulder pain.
Q. What was the purpose of this study?
A. Researchers at the University of Maryland wanted to determine how the use of a 2-speed wheelchair impacts shoulder pain related to manual wheelchair propulsion.
Q. How was the study conducted?
A. The research team identified 17 participants – all manual wheelchair users with various disabilities including spinal cord injuries, stroke, spina bifida, etc. They first determined each individual’s baseline shoulder pain by using the Wheelchair Users Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI). This is essentially a questionnaire used to assess the level of pain a user encounters while performing each of the 15 different Mobility-Related Activities of Daily Living (MRADL). For instance, on a scale of 1-10, how much pain might one experience after pushing their chair for 25 feet? Or dressing and undressing? The researchers documented the pain scale response associated with each activity and developed an average for each individual participant.
After this initial assessment, the participants were introduced to MAGICWHEELS. It is important to note that this was the only change made in their daily routines – they did not change their posture or reconfigure their existing chairs in any other way. The researchers then used the WUSPI scale after various intervals to assess shoulder pain levels.
Q. What did the results indicate?
A. After the first two weeks, there was nearly 40% reduction in pain across all participants. Pain levels continued to drop over the course of the study. After five months the participants reported nearly 60% reduction in pain levels.
This indicated not only a rapid response to the intervention but a long term benefit from continual use.
Q. Did the researchers follow up with the participants after the study to see if pain level rose without MAGICWHEELS?
A. The participants were reintroduced to their conventional wheels at the end of the study and evaluated one month later. Unfortunately, after just one month their pain levels were back to where they began.
Q. How can I learn more about this study?
A. You can visit (http://www.magicwheels.com/learn-more/shoulder-pain-reduction). Or feel free to call me at (866) MAGICWH (624-4294).
Tags: shoulder pain
Posted in Mobility in action (Therapists benefits, professional based) | 173 Comments »
July 6th, 2011
Perhaps one of the best things about being in the mobility industry is knowing that we are helping people. And being surrounded by like-minded companies makes it all the better. There are countless organizations out there striving to make life easier for people with disabilities. From manufactures of wheelchairs and ramps to therapists and doctors. And we have long been fans of therapy dogs. So when we learned about Helping Hands – we knew we wanted to learn more.
Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled is a national nonprofit serving quadriplegics and other people with severe spinal cord injuries or mobility-impairments by providing highly trained monkeys to assist with daily activities. They raise and train monkeys to act as live-in companions who, over the course of 20-30 years, will provide the gifts of independence, companionship, dignity and hope to the people they help. And, beyond the special services Helping Hands offers, they are also unique in the service animal community. They provide monkey helpers to those who need them at absolutely no cost to the recipients. The organization is supported by the generous donations of those who understand the importance of what they do.
The monkeys Helping Hands train are Capuchins, which are natural tool users in the wild and have an active curiosity and a natural enjoyment for manipulating objects. They use their hands to perform functional tasks that no other assistance animals can accomplish. Once a monkey has learned a repertoire of basic helping tasks and has been matched to an ideal candidate, the monkey is then custom trained in special skills that are important to that individual. The monkey can help a person to scratch an itch, reposition a hand or a foot after a muscle spasm, assist with use of a telephone and computer, or handle a DVD. The accomplishment of seemingly simple tasks establishes a foundation for a trusting relationship between a monkey and his companion.
They have a wonderful video that illustrates the amazing relationship that develops between the monkeys and their companions. It features Craig Cook and his helper monkey Minnie – his “best friend.” Craig is paralyzed from the chest down and with resilience and strength built a good life for himself after the accident. But something was missing. He had a great job, a new home, tons of friends. But he was in a funk. So he applied for a helper monkey and, after waiting for the laws in California to change, was finally introduced to Minnie in 2004.
Helping Hands worked with Craig to build a nurturing, safe environment for Minnie and prepare her for the specific tasks he needed - picking up his phone or turning on the computer, his connection to the outside world. At the same time Craig learned how to understand Minnie’s moods and preferences. “She didn’t know what to make of me at first. She spent some pretty good time sizing me up,” he says, “but now, I couldn’t imagine life without her.”
Life is easier – and more enjoyable - for Craig and countless others who are aided by Helping Hands. They have found that the joy and emotional bond between a monkey and a person is equally strong and fulfilling for both. We’re sure grateful for this amazing organization – and the many monkeys who provide so much comfort and fulfillment to people with disabilities.
Posted in Uncategorized | 170 Comments »
June 29th, 2011
Earlier this year, a woman named Erica Davis was awarded the Movement Therapy Advocate Award at a ceremony in Los Angeles. She was celebrated for a massive achievement – one that we at Magic Wheels are quite thrilled about.
A little over five years ago, Erica was paralyzed from the waist down by a non-cancerous spinal tumor. She was 29 years old. Sports were her life. Then in 2009, the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for people with disabilities, approached Erica, asking her to join an expedition up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain on the continent of Africa.
She always loved a challenge, so after using special machines that moved her legs and helped keep her healthy, Erica set off with a team of people who helped her up the mountain. On January 31, 201, she became the first female paraplegic to summit the 19,341 ft. mountain. It took her six days.
Erica used MAGICWHEELS® to enable the climb. More specifically, she was able to shift down into a lower gear to climb slopes and travel over rough terrain more easily - something that would have been impossible with conventional wheelchair wheels. Erica used a single pair of the MagicWheels 2-gear drive to propel her all the way up and down the mountain under extreme adverse conditions without any maintenance problems. A second pair was taken along as a back-up but never used. You can see Erica using MAGICWHEELS in video featured in this news story.
Erica’s climb is the subject of a documentary called Through the Roof. Her accomplishment is extraordinary … and demonstrates that anything is possible.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: Erica completed the climb to raise awareness and funds to benefit the Challenged Athletes Foundation (challengedathletes.org), a non-profit organization that assists physically challenged athletes to meet their competitive goals.
Posted in Uncategorized | 157 Comments »
June 22nd, 2011
We constantly hear that people using MAGICWHEELS gain freedom. That the wheels we make allow those who use them to navigate their surroundings with ease. That people all over the country have overcome many of the day to day challenges of being in a wheelchair and gained a certain amount of independence. So when we heard about No Barriers USA – we knew we wanted to learn more.
No Barriers Director Mark Wellman The purpose of No Barriers is to promote innovative ideas, approaches, and assistive technologies which help people with disabilities push through their own personal barriers to live full and active lives. The not-for-profit organization was founded in 2003 by a group of friends with a passion for recreation in the beautiful natural places of the world. No Barriers assumes that each person, regardless of age, state of mind or physical condition, has a thirst for adventure and a hope for the future which is worthy of igniting.
This amazing organization has two main vehicles for empowering people to achieve their own potential. One is the No Barrier Summit and this year’s event is right around the corner. Taking place June 30 – July 3 at the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, CO, the international No Barrier Summit will bring together adventurers and outdoor enthusiasts as well as scientists and innovators for an outdoor educational program. The No Barriers Summit gives people with disabilities access to adaptive outdoor clinics, education and demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies, and arts and entertainment. No Barrier’s Chairman Erik Weihenmayer told us that “the No Barriers Summit wows us with technologies which seem more like science fiction, and amazing pioneers who have pushed the envelope in ways that are hard to believe, but the deepest benefit is that everyday people with challenges come away empowered. They learn the tools and acquire the mindset to attack their challenges head-on, and have more control over their lives and futures.”
One recent Summit attendee spoke of her life-changing experience. Prior to her spinal cord injury, Chanda was highly active in outdoor activities. Her husband is able-bodied so they were looking for something that fed their shared love of the outdoors. They attended a Summit together and, together, they did lots of things they had never done before: kayaking, deep-sea fishing, cycling, and sailing. According to Chanda, “No Barriers gets you moving, gets you outdoors, and gets you connected with technology and with a community of people who know what you’re going through. You feel healthy, you feel like you can do something with your body and more so… with your life.”
For people who aren’t able to attend the summit, No Barriers provides year-round, country-wide education on techniques, technologies, and ideas people are creating or have created to assist people with challenges. Their online program offers online viewers the opportunity to learn most everything that Summit participants did and heard at past Summit programs. Through educational videos and resources guides, individuals can learn about the equipment, devices, and technologies available that will help them to live more active lives.
Countless people have benefited by the programs and support this amazing organization offers. No Barriers Director Mark Wellman says it best: “You don’t have to be the kind of person who wants to scale El Capitan or kayak raging white water to benefit from connecting with our community. We believe that just gaining access to new ways of breaking down the barriers to a fuller life helps people live their dreams.”
Posted in What’s your mountain? (inspirational, what are your goals?) | 179 Comments »
June 15th, 2011
These are the words Barry Long says to people all the time. But his main audience is his children. Barry and his wife Emily are the proud parents of six-year old twins who just completed kindergarten. And, inevitably, when Barry gets to go to Dad’s Night at school, he is the one who is surrounded by most of the kids. They all know that his lap is available to whoever scampers up first. That every child in the room will get a ride along on his chair. Barry’s kids grin wildly at the attention.
First Day of Kindergarten
And they have embraced his condition. Just the other day, as they sat around a table at their favorite restaurant, his daughter exclaimed, “Daddy – I love you even though you’re in a wheelchair!” Which brought smiles from every diner seated nearby. And not too long ago Barry was wheeling down the sidewalk with his son at his side when he spotted another guy in a chair. “Dad… do you think he crashed his motorcycle too?” He’s too young to know that not everyone in a wheelchair had his father’s experience.
Barry was 22 years old when he became a T6 paraplegic. He was racing down a country lane outside of Portland, OR when his motorcycle was clipped by a truck, sending him skidding 75 feet across the asphalt and into a flight of stairs. He landed on his back and his spine was shattered. He is lucky to be alive.
He spent eight months in and out of the hospital and then moved back in with his mom and dad. Naturally, they wanted to coddle him – to do whatever they could to make life easier. Barry didn’t last long at home. He called his best friend in Arizona and moved down to Tucson three months later. They lived in a 400 square foot apartment for five months and during that time, Barry learned quite a bit about life in a wheelchair.
Even from the beginning, when he first learned he would never walk again, Barry saw his condition as a challenge – not an obstacle. “What am I going to do to beat this?” was his first thought. And luckily, his friends and family were immediately on board. They told him, “You’re the same guy. Just shorter.” He went to college back in Washington State and the day after he graduated he flew to New Zealand and backpacked around the world with one of his best friends. This was back before he had his MAGICWHEELS and he wishes he had the geared wheels back then to help propel him up and down mountains. But any challenges he had were superseded by the hospitality of the kind and generous people he met along the way.
Before he left the states, Barry had started some public speaking. He knew he wanted to help others. And initially, he focused on kids. He wanted to teach them about safety. He takes full responsibility for the fact that he is in a wheelchair. He was driving too fast. The accident was his fault. So he started talking with little kids about the choices we make. And the payback was immediate. He received immense satisfaction from knowing that, at least during the few minutes he was talking with those children, they were thinking about making safe choices.
Barry received another huge gift from the time he spent in those classrooms. He met his future wife. She was a student teacher in the classroom next door. They dated a few years and then, one day, he got all the kids to ask her to marry him. How could she say no?
The twins came along a few years later and today, they are an immensely happy family. But Barry wasn’t always sure he wanted to be a father. In fact at first, he was pretty sure he didn’t. But today Barry tells us that his kids are “the coolest thing aside from having my wife as my best friend.”
One of his favorite things to do is take his kids along during his motivational speeches. He gives them all over the country. Often he is asked to give corporate keynote speeches where he talks with businesspeople about goal setting, asking for help, not letting challenges get in the way. Other times he addresses kids in school assemblies. He talks about tolerance, choices, self-respect, respect for others. Having his kids along during these talks makes them all the more meaningful. The twins battle each other for who gets to go with dad to the events. And Barry’s messages are obviously sinking in. His kids look at other people with injuries or disabilities without fear – just curiosity.
When asked about Father’s Day, which is right around the corner, and any thoughts he has on fatherhood, Barry paused. And he finally admitted that he loves everything about being a dad. His only fear is that his kids are too much like their parents. Upon seeing a picture of Barry bungee jumping, his son immediately asked, “Daddy, can you teach me how to do that?!?” His is, obviously, his father’s son.
Posted in Uncategorized | 150 Comments »
June 8th, 2011
This past Memorial Day was a time to remember and honor our servicemen and women. Every year on this day we commemorate U.S. soldiers who died while in the military service. According to the Disabled American Veterans, “1.2 million heroes made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom.”
Memorial Day also makes us think of the countless veterans who have returned from service – many disabled and looking for assistance. According to a 2008 CBS report, “the number of disabled veterans has jumped by 25 percent since 2001 – to 2.9 million.” This year, Memorial Day made us think of one such veteran named Wendy Clouser. She recently talked with us about her service and, because her thoughts about her recovery were so positive and full of hope, we thought we’d share them here.
Wendy spent 15 years in the military. She was a communications section sergeant attached to an infantry in Germany and her last tour she served as a section leader for field communications in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran. In 1991, while in Kuwait, the vehicle she was in exploded and rolled over, injuring Wendy such that she needed leg braces. But she continued to serve until 1995.
Then, ten years later, Wendy experienced another blow. She suffered burns over 27 percent of her body and reinjured her spine in an arson fire. Spinal stenosis and compressed disks finally forced her into a wheelchair.
For a woman like Wendy, who grew up loving the outdoors and traveled all over the world serving this country, the initial realization that her mobility was going to be significantly impeded was devastating. The loss of her independence was especially debilitating. She felt her spirit wane, became more isolated and lost interest in getting out into her beloved outdoors.
But Wendy is a fighter. She started getting the hang of her manual chair. Then, one day she saw an ad in a magazine for MAGICWHEELS. Then she saw a guy using them on his own chair and she knew she had to have them. She got her MAGICHWEELS earlier this year for her outside chair and has already ordered more wheels for her inside chair.
Today, Wendy navigates easily around her three acres in the desert in Southern California. This past winter she took her chair up to Snow Mass in Colorado and, when she wasn’t mono-skiing, was able to easily push through snow and up hills. She even competed in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Her shoulder pain has diminished. She feels stronger. And, most importantly, she feels like she has her freedom back.
Right now, she is making due with her original, manual wheelchair. She had to hand over her MAGICWHEELS so they could be used to construct a second set for her other chair. She told us that going back to the old way – without gears – was tough. In her own words, “It’s kinda sucky.”
She’ll have her new wheels again soon. She has plans to return to her beloved Silver Wood Lake to fish and navigate up and down the hills surrounding the water.
Even her service dog is happier and healthier these days – no longer needing to pull her through challenging terrains. Her dog’s name, by the way, is Spirit. A very fitting name for this hero’s companion.
Posted in Uncategorized | 158 Comments »
May 25th, 2011
We just returned from Abilities Expo in New Jersey and we’re still buzzing from all the attention MAGICWHEELS garnered. We had a ramp set up and countless people tried out our wheels. A number of wheelchair users told us how easy it was to maneuver their chairs and commented on how liberating it was to be able to easily navigate the ramp.
We also had a number of therapists stop by – curious to know how our technology could benefit their clients. Once they learned how MAGICWHEELS work – they got pretty excited. Many of their clients complain of shoulder pain and it was immediately evident that our wheels can do a lot to minimize shoulder strain.
Show Special:
Like we did at the Los Angeles show, we offered a cash sale show special price of $1500. This incredible offer is a great opportunity for folks to get all the benefits of Magic Wheels without all the hassles of going through insurance.
And – we still have some units available for this amazing price! They are new, in box, configured specifically for an individual’s chair, and come with a five year warranty. We are also offering a 100% money back guarantee so if this product does not fit someone’s needs, they can contact us and we will issue a call tag and refund the purchase price in full…no questions asked!! If you’re interested – please contact us at (866) MAGICWH (624-4294) or scott@magicwheels.com.
Posted in Uncategorized | 180 Comments »
May 18th, 2011
A few weeks ago we wrote about Michael Beck and his tricked out camouflage wheels. We immediately thought the folks at Wheelchair might be interested…especially after reading their article about “Pimped Out Wheelchairs.”
Dr. Gene Emmer is the man behind the company and he knows a lot about the mobility industry. But to him, it’s about more than just wheelchairs. He started his company because he realized that many people are looking for innovative, high-quality products to help them live their lives. So he worked with a design firm to help develop a line of products and today they sell everything from innovative gloves and wheel covers to special backpacks and lights. And the feedback has been phenomenal. Their specialized gloves receive glowing reviews and their unique “Wheelchair Slippers” help users keep dirt from the outside from creating black marks all over their homes.
Dr. Emmer and his design team also realized that many folks are looking for more beyond just functionality. They want to look cool. So a number of their products are highly functional and stylish. One of our favorites is the wUunderglow Wheelchair Light that provides visibility at night as well as a cool “underglow” effect. When asked about this product, however, Dr. Emmer was more focused on feedback he received from a customer whose son was especially impacted. This boy does not speak so his mother is always looking for ways to engage him. They found that they can shine the underglow from his wheelchair onto his wall for stimulation. Not the intended use, but something that is helping this young man cope. It is this kind of feedback that makes Dr. Emmer love what he does.
He is so passionate about helping people with disabilities issues that he recently created the Exoskeleton Website. Exoskeletons are lightweight suits designed to allow people with mobility disorders to walk or to augment strength and endurance. He believes that Exoskeletons “are amongst the biggest medical breakthroughs of our era.” He went on to tell us that he “believes that there may be a day when people with mobility disorders will walk with exoskeletons, and we may not be aware that they using one.” He is concerned, however, that a lack of awareness may prevent demand and development, causing them to remain exorbitantly expensive. So he took it upon himself to develop the website to get the word out about this amazing technology and also publishes news about exoskeletons on their wheelchair blog.
When asked about his thoughts on the mobility industry in general, Dr. Emmer closed with this:
“The future of the mobility industry is in the new technology. Everything is improving dramatically. Wheelchairs are faster, lighter and perform better than before. Assistive technology is helping to improve accessibility and enable people with all kinds of disabilities. I believe that robotic technology is the new horizon and will have an enormous impact on the lives of wheelchair users. However, for that to happen, wheelchair users must become informed and demand this technology from their healthcare providers.”
An important point… everyone has a voice. And we agree that everyone involved in mobility – from users to manufacturers – must continue to speak up about what is needed. It’s up to all of us to make sure products like Magic Wheels and Exoskeletons are made available to as many people as possible.
Posted in Uncategorized | 164 Comments »
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