New Mobility Magazine Nov-Dec 2022

Once weight is applied to the cushion, it automatically starts its 60 second alternating cycles. When weight is removed, all power is cut. No worrying about turning the cushion on or off.

• Aquila makes the only automatic cushions specifically made to treat pressure sores

• Every cushion is custom made to individual client needs with essential off-loads built in

• Battery operated for an all day runtime

Aquila Seating Systems have healed thousands of sores worldwide.

Recommended by physicians and therapists for 22 years and more clinical data than any cushion on the market.

The truth is :

The whole process should be quick

1 out of 3 uncoated catheter users say that applying lube is a step that could be improved3

SpeediCath® Soft is designed to provide a quick and more comfortable experience† thanks to its unique, uniform, smooth coating.

Soft catheter

SpeediCath Soft is easy to use the first time and every time.

Fast preparation

When opening the packaging, SpeediCath Soft is instantly ready-to-use, as it is pre-lubricated with a unique hydrophilic coating for smooth insertion.

Confident grip

The insertion grip is made from a soft, flexible material and designed to ensure a good, firm grip of the catheter. The grip makes it easy to insert the catheter without touching the tube or tip.

1. Pascoe G, Clovis S. Evaluation of two coated catheters in intermittent self-catheterization. Br J Nurs 2001;10(5):325–9.

2. De Ridder DJ, Everaert K, Fernández LG, et al.Intermittent catheterisation with hydrophilic-coated catheters (SpeediCath®) reduces the risk of clinical urinary tract infection in spinal cord injured patients: a prospective randomised parallel comparative trial. Eur Urol 2005;48(6):991–5.

3. Coloplast US, IC user research, 2019, Data-on-file (PM-12157), N=148 users in the United States.

SpeediCath® Soft is indicated for use by patients with urine retention and patients with post void residual volume (PVR) due to neurogenic and non-neurogenic voiding

The catheter is inserted into the urethra to reach the bladder allowing urine to drain. The product is for adult male patients only. SpeediCath catheters are available by prescription only. Patients performing selfcatheterization should follow the advice of, and direct questions about use of the product to, their medical professional. Before using the device, carefully read the product labels and information accompanying the device including the instructions for use which contain additional safety information. The SpeediCath product is for single-use only; discard it after use. If you experience symptoms of a urinary tract infection, or are unable to pass the catheter into the bladder, contact your healthcare professional. The risk information provided here is not comprehensive. To learn more, talk to your healthcare provider. For further information, call Coloplast Corp. at 1-866-226-6362 and/or consult the company website at www.coloplast.us

*With valid prescription. Limitations apply.

†Compared to uncoated catheters

Prior to use, refer to product labeling for complete product instructions for use, contraindications, warnings and precautions

Coloplast Corp. Minneapolis, MN 55411 www.coloplast.us The Coloplast logo is a registered trademark of Coloplast A/S. © 2022 Coloplast Corp. All rights reserved.

dysfunction.

MOBILITY

SEATING

TOOLS AND TECH

AUTOMOTIVE

BULLY PULPIT

By Ian Ruder

NEW MOBILITY IS THE BIMONTHLY MAGAZINE OF UNITED SPINAL ASSOCIATION

PRESIDENT & CEO: VINCENZO PISCOPO

VP OF PUBLICATIONS: JEAN DOBBS

EDITORIAL

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: IAN RUDER

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New Mobility (ISSN 1086-4741) is published bimonthly by United Spinal Association, 120-34 Queens Blvd., Ste.320, Kew Gardens, NY 11415. Periodicals postage paid at Flushing, NY and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: New Mobility, United Spinal Association, 120-34 Queens Blvd., Ste. 320, Kew Gardens, NY 11415.

Subscription rates: $16.95/year; $21.95/year in Canada; $26.95/year International via Airmail. Copyright 2022, all rights reserved. Reproduction without permission of any material contained herein is strictly prohibited. We welcome comments; we reserve the right to edit submissions.

Periodicals postage paid at Flushing, NY and additional mailing offices.

www.newmobility.com www.unitedspinal.org

AN ODE TO TILES

Lying awake in the wee hours of a long night during my most recent hospital adventure, my mind stopped racing and settled on the question of what to write for this space. In past Consumer Guides, I’ve written about a few select products that have impacted my life and independence, but after four years, that well had run dry. My mind started to race again. Because of the positioning of my bed, it was nearly impossible to avoid watching the secondhand tick slowly forward on the room’s wall clock.

I closed my eyes. I envisioned the sinister hospital architect cackling in delight for ensuring the clock was perfectly positioned to catch just enough light off the nurse’s station so you could see its three hands even when the lights were off. The steady drip of the IV drew me back to my alert state. I’d hoped my daydream had at least brought me closer to morning, but the minute hand had not budged.

Too tired to be frustrated, and too frustrated to be tired, I let my head sink into the pillow. And that’s when I found what I had been searching for. It had been right there, hanging above me all this time: the pockmarked and speckled ceiling drop tile that has somehow ended up in almost every hospital for decades.

Everyone who has ever been in a hospital knows what I’m talking about, but those of you who have spent extended times on your back as patients have a deeper appreciation. Whether you counted the dots in the panels and the number of rows or lost yourself in their designs, if you’ve been bored in a hospital bed, you know the world of ceiling tiles.

For two drug-riddled months after my injury, while hospital staff shuttled me in my bed between appointments, the ceiling tiles’ inscrutable patterns served as my only compass to my new surroundings. I loved

watching the tiles and signs and fixtures pass overhead, each offering a new coordinate to the growing map in my head. I had no idea what each room looked like or what decorated the walls or floors of the larger hospital, but after weeks of rolling between various destinations, I could navigate my way through the maze.

Even stuck in my own room, the tiles provided free — and much needed — entertainment. Unable to turn or elevate my head, I studied the markings for countless hours, making the ceiling my own Magic Etch A Sketch. I connected the dots and scratches in my mind to create images and

scenes: a number, a letter, a smiling face, a dragon … whatever.

I’ve found solace in the ceiling tiles during numerous hospital stays since my injury, and I’ve even found myself a little sad when I end up in a room or a building with newer, or nicer, tiles. What am I supposed to do now when I am awake all night?

I understand the desire to move to something more appealing and less asbestos-y, but I will hold a place in my heart for the old tiles. Like a familiar face, they always welcome me back. In one of the most monotonous and mind-numbing environments in the world, the tiles provide an outlet for creativity that has made many difficult times slightly more bearable, and for that I am grateful.

“While hospital staff shuttled me in my bed between appointments, the ceiling tiles’ inscrutable patterns served as my only compass to my new surroundings.”

By Shannon Kelly

Virtual Advocacy Day Connects SCI Community to Congress

United Spinal Association gathered nearly 100 advocates from 30 states for its first Virtual Advocacy Day on September 13. Advocates met via Zoom with representatives from over 130 Congressional offices. The overwhelming majority of attendees had never participated in the organization’s signature advocacy event, Roll on Capitol Hill, which takes place in Washington, D.C., each June. Key policy priorities included:

• Improve Access to Catheters: Advocates shared the importance of reforming the coding for intermittent catheter use to improve patient access to this essential medical equipment.

• Increase Funding for Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems: This comprehensive, multidisciplinary system of care, research and resources for people with SCI lacks adequate federal funding.

• Take Back Our Travel Rights: The Air Carrier Access Amendments Act includes a number of new protections that will make air travel more accessible to people with disabilities.

• Improve Access to Wheelchairs: United Spinal is working to lift the oppressive “in the home” restriction to allow access to mobility devices that meet a wheelchair user’s needs for both medical necessity and functional mobility in the home and in the community.

“Creating this virtual opportunity for advocates to meet with their elected officials and their staff was important to United Spinal, as we have pushed for many years for accommodations for our community in areas such as telework and telehealth,” says Stephen Lieberman, director of advocacy and policy.

The first Virtual Advocacy Day was a great success, and many firsttime advocates have expressed an interest in getting more involved with United Spinal’s advocacy program. “It was a great starting point for them to learn about advocacy for the disability community while also learning how to prepare for Hill visits with their members of Congress and staff,” says Annie Streit, United Spinal’s grassroots advocacy manager.

Join United Spinal Association’s growing advocacy network: unitedspinal.org/advocacy-home.

Mak Yost plays video games again for the first time since experiencing multiple strokes four years ago. He’s using a Xbox Adaptive Controller with six buttons and a controller in copilot mode.

New Adaptive eSports Program is Changing the Game

Thanks to a generous grant from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, the Atlanta chapter of United Spinal Association has launched the first community-based adaptive video game and eSports program in Georgia. The chapter is conducting gaming clinics and workshops to introduce the sport to the SCI/D community. It also shares its knowledge of accessible gaming and technology with rehabilitation professionals and others who are interested in establishing eSports programs in their areas.

Adaptive gamers looking to play competitively can join Nerve Gaming, which has teams playing in Apex Legends, COD: Warzone, and Rocket League.

“We want to get people playing for fun and community. Getting people together creates bonds and relationships and if someone needs help with something else you have a nice tight group,” says Dr. Mitchell Tepper, president of the Atlanta chapter.

Team practices and competitions are online so people can join nationwide through Discord: discord.gg/rHX8YTFe.

Grassroots advocacy manager Annie Streit (right) meets with Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun and staffer Hunter Jones to educate them about SCI/D and wheelchair-related issues.

Meet New Member Roseann Voigt

Age 59 from Eugene, Oregon

SCI, T11-T12 to L1

Why did you join United Spinal?

To learn more about my condition and to help me accept my new path and try to live a better life.

What is the one disability-related product you couldn’t live without?

Since getting my power wheelchair, I am slowly building my strength up again and sitting up taller. My chair makes me feel a little more independent.

If you could change one thing in the world to improve quality of life for wheelchair users, what would it be?

I would really love to see mobility disabled people get a chance to drive a vehicle that both fits them and their lifestyle. I know that programs are out there already and from what I am learning, help is available for people like me.

The Positive Impact of Peer Support

United Spinal member Tiffany Poland shares the impact that the organization’s Peer Mentoring program has had on her recovery.

“I joined United Spinal’s peer support program during the pandemic and finding a support program at that time was so helpful. Without peer support my life would be very lonely. When I was first injured at 15 years old, I was adamant that I wouldn’t have anything in common with someone else who had a spinal cord injury — I was so very wrong about that.”

“Having peer support has helped me with many issues I have gone through in the 32 years that I have been injured. Having others to reach out to when looking for advice on health issues, relationships, and finding resources — it has helped knowing there would be someone in the SCI community who would understand what I am going through.”

Get involved in Peer Mentoring: unitedspinal.org/ peer-mentoring.

Member Awards Gala will Honor Leaders in the SCI/D Community

United Spinal Association has announced the finalists for its #StrongWheeled Together Awards honoring exceptional individuals from the community who have demonstrated achievement in the areas of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Performing Arts, Sports and Recreation, Visual Arts and Writing, and Youth Leadership and Community Impact.

Finalists were selected from a diverse pool of nominees by subject matter experts and cultural figures from the SCI/D community. The Awards are part of United Spinal’s 2022 #StrongWheeled Together campaign that showcases the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion in helping people with disabilities discover greater independence.

“One of the biggest issues that our community faces is the stigma surrounding disability and ableist expectations. We can challenge this through representation. There is insufficient representation of our community in the creative arts, business, science and sports, despite the abundance of talent among people with disabilities,” said Vincenzo Piscopo, United Spinal’s president and CEO.

“The #StrongWheeled Together Awards will raise awareness of the gifts that exist in our community and give a platform to its innovators and leaders — illuminating the important role we play in society. The awards are part of a greater fight for recognition and inclusion.”

Finalists crafted videos about their personal beliefs and achievements that were published to United Spinal’s YouTube. The finalist who receives the most likes on YouTube in their category wins that category. Categories and finalists include:

• Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Alycia Anderson, Erik Kondo, Brandon Winfield.

• Performing Arts: Kelsey Peterson, Regan Linton, Dominick Evans.

• Sports & Recreation: Tom Knaus, Antonio Martin, Darlene Hunter.

• Visual Arts & Writing: Tyree Brown, Yesenia Torres, Wes Holloway.

• Youth Leadership & Community Impact: Anna Sarol, Hayden Smith, Lillian Ellmore.

The winners will be featured at United Spinal’s Member Awards Gala, a virtual event at 6:30 p.m. EST on November 10. The Gala will feature performances by socially conscious hip hop duo 4WheelCity, American Idol finalist Marna Michelle, and singer Kebra Moore. The master of ceremonies will be 2020 Ms. Wheelchair America Hilary Muehlberger. Congressman Jim Langevin and accomplished disability advocate Judy Heumann will also be honored. Visit unitedspinal.org to register for this free event!

Singer

Kebra Moore

Poland

By Regan Linton OWN

IT

DREAMING BIG ABOUT LITTLE SPACES

When I was a kid, I dreamed of living in an ancient stone castle, filled with winding narrow stairways and secret passageways that led to hidden slides and magnificent towers: Think Game of Thrones meets Chutes and Ladders meets Goonies.

As I got older and aged out of childhood fantasies, I still hung onto hope for a future three-story Victorian house situated on rugged farm terrain, or a seaside cottage with steep stairs leading down to cliffs to a beach where I could host bonfires.

And then I became a wheeler. I immediately felt doomed to the all-toocommon reality of accessible living: uninspired urban ADA units in boxy, affordable apartment buildings. No castle slides, no Victorian cottages, no beach stairways. In the absence of making billions of bucks to build an accessible beach castle worthy of MTV’s Cribs, the textured designs of my future dreamhouses seemed impossible.

I cannot be the only wheeler who is envious of walking people who get to see 10 completely different styles of apartments or houses in 10 different parts of the city. Not once do they have to worry about whether they can turn around in the bathroom, fit through the doorways, reach the stove controls, count the number of elevators, or worry about the shoulder strain from pushing over plush carpet.

From day one as wheelers, our power to choose where we live is revoked. Forget about amenities or design … often we’re lucky just to

find an accessible unit in the absence of practical, comprehensive search mechanisms.

My first home post-injury was a hotel. It was temporary housing while I waited for my parents to renovate the home where I would move in with them … in an over-55 senior living community. Every 20-year-old’s dream!

Don’t get me wrong, I know I was one of the lucky ones, having parents eager to host and help me, and not having to find accessible public housing or move to an assisted care facility. But it was still their house, built for the bipedal. With an inaccessible front door, my entrance was a temporary ramp in the garage. I couldn’t get to the backyard or the basement, and the kitchen was a tight squeeze.

My room and bathroom were beautifully accessible, but in the common areas, my parents — bless their souls — got sucked into setting things up in a “normal” way. When guests came over, my bathroom equipment would get moved into the closet. Furniture was positioned in a “traditional” configuration (code for inaccessible), so I got lots of exercise moving chairs and tables out of the way.

I’m a pretty Zen person, but sometimes I’d lose it. After enough times getting wheels caught on the edge of a rug, getting wedged under an antique table, or spilling a drink while straining for something on a shelf that was too high, I’d want to smash everything with a baseball bat. I would yell directly at chairs, “Move the fuck outta my way!”

Often followed by flipping the chair on its side (it felt therapeutic). Regardless of how nice a place is, it can feel suffocating when you can’t make it your own.

Discovering My Inner Marie Kondo

An epiphany came when I went to Japan for the first time in 2006. I did a homestay with a woman who used a wheelchair and lived in a teeny-tiny apartment in Yokohama. It was my first exposure to the joys of Japanese functional design mixed with accessibility and style.

Her apartment was barely 200 square feet, but she had no issue maneuvering. Everything had its place. Her counters were an ordered mosaic of dishes, appliances and tools. Little bowls, a mini rice cooker, small fridge, washer/dryer combo at her level, small bed right at her height, shelves that didn’t get higher than her head. Nothing extra or unnecessary, only what she needed, exactly where she could reach it.

There were no hints of indulging the expectations of the bipedal world. If people came into her space, they had

“I realized how previously brainwashed I had been by western gigantism and clunky form. Here things were small, light, perfectly fit, with a whimsical quality to their arrangement.”

to adjust as necessary. After all, in the world beyond her apartment, she was continually having to adjust to a world that wasn’t fit to her … this is the one place where her needs and wants could take priority. Everything was designed for HER.

I realized how previously brainwashed I had been by western gigantism and clunky form. Here things were small, light, perfectly fit, with a whimsical quality to their arrangement. Castle-like sprawl suddenly seemed overwhelming, and I got giddy about using less space more intentionally. I started geeking out on videos of tiny European apartments where everything is adaptive, or tiny houses that utilize every inch of space with purpose.

I have lived approximately 15 places since becoming a wheeler, and each residence has helped me become a more forceful advocate for living where I want to and setting up my space my way. I have learned to fight for my style and needs and resist any pressure from family or friends to do it however they think is best.

I don’t want to be in a location that doesn’t feel good to me, or set things up in ways that are unworkable for me … even if my preferences seem unconventional or unworkable for others. I don’t care about what the “experts” at Restoration Hardware or Crate and Barrel recommend … I prefer something more akin to Pee Wee Herman’s kitchen — playful, adaptive, functional.

I own my space. I put grab bars where I need them. If guests want to use the bathroom, they can move my equipment — I don’t hide it. I feel no pressure to get “normal” home furniture or other items if it’s not something

I will use. I prioritize space for the things that serve me most — a massage table where I do yoga, low shelves for my favorite books, good closet space where I can organize all my extra chair stuff and medical supplies. I love finding good organizing tools that keep things at my level, and feel no pressure to put things in cabinets if it’s easier to access them from a counter.

And I don’t take on more than I can handle living alone. I only have three

small plants because that’s what I can water regularly. I resist the pull of Costco bulk-buying if I don’t have the space to store the stuff. I am consistently Marie Kondo-ing … it’s typical of me on a Saturday to look around and find five things that feel like they are serving no purpose but to clutter. In essence, I make things as easy for myself as possible, and I configure my space exactly as I want it.

Sure, a beachside castle still sounds kinda fun, and maybe someday I’ll have billions to build a fully accessible dream villa. But I’ve discovered that the true joy of a home is in the details, the little nuances of how we make a space our own, and use it to the fullest potential. Once the container is there, everything can be adapted.

Dream big about little spaces. Design your corner of the world in a way that makes you feel good. A 200-square-foot apartment can feel more ideal than a castle, as long as you throw out traditional ideas of how to make a home and make it for YOU.

Linton has lived in 15 places since becoming a wheelchair user. “Each residence has helped me become a more forceful advocate for living where I want to and setting up my space my way,” she says.

BY SETH MCBRIDE

fell asleep outside the other night. Kelly and I had been reading books with Ewan on the patio couch, and when Kelly piggybacked him off to bed, I flopped over and closed my eyes. I didn’t plan on going to sleep. But frogs were croaking in the pond at the bottom of the field, and a soft breeze was blowing in from the south. The next thing I knew hours had passed, and the stars were out.

We had gone outside to read because it was easy — just two pushes through the open garage door that separates our main living area from the outside patio. When I awoke, I slipped back inside just as easily. Coffee grounds spooned into the pot, teeth brushed, Kelly kissed, and I was back asleep in bed before my body had a chance to realize it was awake.

That night and a hundred other moments like it wouldn’t have been possible in the other houses I’ve lived in. Now I

can keep an eye on Ewan and Lou chasing each other around the living room while Kelly and I are getting dinner ready in the kitchen. I can roll outside with a diaper bag in one hand and baby Lou on my lap. Our home is open, accessible and connected with the outside because that’s the way we designed it.

Other wheelchair users who’ve built their own accessible homes tell similar stories: a quad in the frozen north who can now venture outside in every season, a woman who can offer her wheelchairusing friends a fully accessible place to spend the night, a mother who can once again tuck her kids into bed, and a retired teacher who no longer has to risk a fall every time he goes to the bathroom.

It’s no hyperbole that building an accessible home can change your life. Here’s how five different wheelchair users across the U.S. and Canada got it done.

LAND AND MONEY

The first step in building a home is having a place to put it. Kelly and I were fortunate that my parents live on acreage. For our wedding present in 2015, they broke off a piece of their land for us. We were already homeowners since purchasing a condo in the wake of the 2009 housing market crash. We financed our build with profits from selling our Portland property and a loan of a little over $200,000. These funds, plus a lot of hard labor from us, family and friends, made possible a new 1,500-square-foot pole barn outfitted as a three-bed, twobath home, right down the hill from my parents’ house.

Julie Sawchuk lived in a farmhouse on 10 acres in rural Ontario. She loved where she lived, but there wasn’t anything remotely accessible for sale or rent nearby. So, after a T4 spinal cord

The McBrides designed their pole barn home to have open space for kids and wheelchairs to move around, and easy access to the outside.

injury, she and her husband put in a ramp, did some minor renovations on the downstairs bathroom and moved their bedroom to the dining room. “But I still couldn’t tuck my kids in at night,” she says. They had a builder quote them $600,000 or more for a major renovation, “and we’d still have a 100-year-old farmhouse with a wet basement and a leaky roof.” Instead they decided to build a new home next to the old house, using funds from an insurance settlement Sawchuk received after her injury.

Michael DiBiasio, a schoolteacher with a T9 incomplete injury, was living in a two-level home with a broken

stair lift too expensive for him to fix and bathrooms with 26-inch doorways too narrow for his wheelchair. “I used to transfer onto one of those rolling stools like they use in the doctor’s office,” he says. “Then I’d use the grab bars or the counter, pull myself in to jump onto the shower chair or use the toilet.” He made do for years because he had to. Then, a few miles up the road he noticed a condo development under construction. He stopped at the site and talked with the builder, who told DiBiasio he could build a unit however he wanted. After some haggling, they settled on a fixed price of $366,000 for an 1,800-square-

foot unit modified to meet DiBiasio’s needs, a price the same or cheaper than similar-sized houses listed in the area.

Kary Wright, a C5 quad from Bashaw, Alberta, owned a farmhouse with his wife, Terry. Over the years they’d made it relatively accessible, but it wasn’t perfect. When the house burned down in a fire that Wright was lucky to escape with his life, he came away with a whole new perspective, a plot of land ready for a fresh start, and an insurance company willing to write checks for the rebuild.

Kimberly Chamberlain, a T4 para for 42 years, lived in a “standard, regular house” near Fresno, California, with a ramp but few other accessibility modifications. “You just get used to adapting,” she says. But after a while, she got tired of adapting. She had started a successful medical supply company and had the money to build a new home. She found a new development offering a selection of six different home styles to choose from and got lucky when the builder was enthusiastic about modifying a home design to make it accessible for her.

THE THREE-LEGGED STOOL

Once Julie Sawchuk and her husband, Theo, had decided to build a new, accessible house next to their old farmhouse, an inevitable question arose: Where do we start? They began looking around for architects who had experience with accessible design. “There wasn’t a lot out there,” she says. “Nobody local, and there weren’t a lot of resources that I could find.”

Sawchuk did her own research, talking to friends and acquaintances of friends, making trips to visit anybody she could find who used a wheelchair and had a home. She learned so much that she eventually wrote a book, Build Your Space, about accessible home design, and became an accessibility consultant for commercial and residential projects. “We learned so much that I didn’t want other people to have to go through the same process of driving for two hours to go tour somebody else’s house,” she says.

In Sawchuk’s view, accessibility is a three-legged stool where the legs are safety, independence and dignity. “Anytime

Accessibility consultant Julie Sawchuk says that an accessible home can reduce the effort needed for daily necessities, giving you more energy for the things you want to do.

one of those three things is sacrificed, you have a lack of accessibility,” she says.

For people who are just starting to think about planning an accessible home, Sawchuk recommends you begin asking yourself where you’re expending more energy than you need to. Think through your whole day and you’d be surprised at how many examples you can come up with. “It could be having to roll up sidesaddle to your sink to brush your teeth versus being able to roll under, or having to reach too far over the sink versus not having to do that.” All these minor moments of extra effort add up.

Most people don’t have the budget to build a house or do a major renovation, but you can still start small. “Identify things that are easy, things that are lowcost, and you’ll have small wins,” she says. “You’ll realize the difference in energy expenditure, and then you get the motivation to do more and to problemsolve,” she says. “A $40 grab bar put in the exact right spot will help save your energy.” It’s typical to think about accessibility in terms of things you can do and things you can’t. But reframing it in terms of energy expenditure can help with motivation to tackle the small stuff.

THE BONES

There are a few things that any truly accessible house needs to dispense with: Narrow doors, steps and thresholds all have to go. Thirty-six-inch-wide doorways for the main rooms are ideal, and for the front door, many retailers now offer 42-inch-wide options. The extra width can be helpful if you have a wide chair, or when you’re moving furniture. One thing to note is that the wider a door

Sawchuk.

is, the farther you have to reach to close it. For a variety of adaptive closing systems, see the “Doors” products section on page 47.

Most wheelchair users rely on a single accessible entryway for their homes, but if you’re designing from the ground up, having stepless access at every door saves a ton of energy. You don’t have to go out and around to get to the other side of your house — you just go straight there. We paved our driveway and parking area and put in a concrete patio on two sides of the house, accessible from our main living area garage doors, with a concrete

walkway connecting the patio and pavement. A hard-packed gravel garden area occupies the remaining space around the house, giving me 360-degree access to our house and outside area.

Slab foundations, made of concrete poured directly on the dirt, are not common for houses in the U.S. But they’re easy to pour and most construction crews have experience with them because many detached garages are built on slabs. A slab foundation is inexpensive and makes for a seamless and easy transition between inside and outside — otherwise you’re likely going to be trucking in dirt, which these days is no longer “dirt-cheap.” Another benefit

WORKING WITH AN ARCHITECT

You might have a vision of architects working only on high-design, magazineworthy homes. But the reality is that architects can provide some very practical services for anyone looking to build a home.

Karen Braitmayer, an award-winning architect and NM’s 2019 Person of the Year, says it isn’t always necessary to find an architect who’s an expert in accessibility code. “The ADA kind of hits the average,” she says. “But ‘average’ might not be the best fit for you and your family.” Accessibility consultants like Braitmayer, Sawchuk or others across the country can be helpful as a final set of eyes to check plans for issues that might affect your day-to-day life.

Architect Karen Braitmayer specializes in commercial spaces, so she brought in a residential architect to help plan and manage her own home build.

Most important for finding an architect, says Braitmayer, is finding someone you feel comfortable working with. “The architect/client relationship is very personal,” she says. “If you’re going to have someone designing your kitchen and your bathroom, you have to be upfront about what you need and how you use it.” When selecting an architect, you want someone who really listens to you and your needs and reflects that back in their design. “It’s great if someone designs stupendous, architecturally significant buildings … but if they’re not a good listener, you’re just going to get a piece of sculpture, not something you can really use.”

Braitmayer is using an architect for her own home build, a complex project that involves structural engineers, civil engineers, septic designers and landscape designers. “One of the primary jobs of an architect is to manage all the different players that have to come together.” She’ll rely on hers to “be my eyes and ears and really represent my interests when the project is under construction.”

A pull-out shelf right by the fridge adds safety and independence for

is that you can put radiant heating in a slab, which is an energy-efficient way to keep the ambient temperature in your house comfortable. Plus, if you don’t mind the look of concrete, the slab can serve as your flooring. That’s what we chose, polishing and sealing our slab for around $5,000, which was thousands less than quality flooring would’ve cost. The concrete hides dirt and is easy to clean, and we don’t have a single threshold inside our house.

Concrete isn’t the only option for threshold-free flooring. Waterproof,

click-together vinyl flooring is available to suit just about any style and can be laid anywhere, including kitchens and bathrooms. That’s what Wright, Sawchuk and DiBiasio all used in their houses. Chamberlain used a mix of flooring types, including hardwood in the living areas, stone in the kitchen and carpet in the bedroom, but planned so that transitions were all seamless. For people who want a natural look, modern engineered hardwood flooring can withstand moisture and even be used in bathrooms.

OPEN IT UP

When we began planning our house, we knew we wanted to keep it as simple as possible. One of the benefits of using a pole barn was the completely open interior, which meant that we could design our space however we wanted without having to worry about load-bearing walls. Layout choices were mostly about lifestyle. We had lived in a studio condo where there was no separation between kitchen and living room, and we had lived in old houses where the kitchen was off in its own room. We knew from experience that we liked the open concept.

Tangent alert: It’s not necessary to be a disability veteran or to have lived in a bunch of different places to start planning your dream home, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. I had lived in 12 different apartments or houses, 7 with Kelly, by the time we built our own home. All that moving gave me first-hand experience with what I liked and what I didn’t. If you’ve come by your disability by way of injury, DiBiasio recommends that you wait before taking the plunge and building a home. “Don’t do anything for the first year if you can avoid it. See what you get back (functionally). See what your individual needs are.” Everything is difficult when you’re new to disability life. See what stays difficult.

Back to layout: Open concept is functional for wheelchair users for obvious reasons. We need space to move, and open concept living makes the most efficient use of a given square footage because walls take up room, and hallways are wasted space. Fortunately, open concept living, dining and kitchen spaces are almost standard for new home builds in the U.S. these days.

Wright went to the local building supply store that his contractor worked with to find a standard home plan that they then modified to suit their needs. They moved a gas fireplace from the middle of the living room to a wall, expanded the main bedroom and bath, added a wraparound covered porch and an attached garage that Wright could put his office in. They also added extra glass. “We kind of went overboard with the windows,” he says, laughing. “We put the bedroom so that we could see straight south and west. All I do is hit the

McBride loves the look of the two glass garage doors in the living room, but they are also super functional. “It was the cheapest option for letting in views and light while offering a seamless transition to outside.”

button and crank the bed up, and if it’s 5 in the morning and the sun’s coming up, I can look out and see deer walking around or geese flying.”

The kitchen is an area where individual needs reign more than in other rooms. If you do a lot of cooking, it makes sense to have lowered prep spaces and a roll-under stove top. But lowered counters aren’t always ideal for standers,

especially those with bad backs. In our house, my wife does most of the cooking, and I do most of the dishes. She got the range she wanted, a 36-inch-wide gas industrial-style; and I got the sink I wanted, a big single basin, not too deep, that I can roll under.

DiBiasio’s only kitchen modification was to place their island 4 feet from the cabinets instead of the narrower aisle

their plans originally called for. “We’ve got a pretty traditional division of labor here. My wife does most of the cooking and stuff in the kitchen, so we left it pretty much the way she wanted it,” he says.

Chamberlain cooks every day, so she lowered the counters to 34-inches, and set the height of her island, where her sink is, and the counter where her rollunder cooktop sits, another inch lower.

Michael DiBiasio wanted a home he and his wife could safely stay in for the rest of their lives.

She added a pot-filler next to her stove and a pull-out cutting board, as well as deep drawers to make accessing her pots and pans easier. A roll-in pantry gives her access to all the supplies that might normally be shoved to the backs of cabinets. “It makes it much easier not having to dig behind things to find what you want,” she says.

When you’re designing a kitchen, or any other space, Sawchuk recommends mocking it up in real life, even if that means chalk on your driveway. “Feel how much space that is between counters. If you have an island in the kitchen, is that enough space to turn around? Is it enough to get around the dishwasher when the dishwasher is open?” A mockup turns a hard-to-visualize abstraction into a space you can move around in.

As for the sleeping and bathing side of the house, you’ll want your bedroom and bathroom to have more space than most standard plans allow, especially if you use a power wheelchair — yes, the disability tax extends to square footage.

Wright added space to the main bed/ bath and reduced the size of the other two bedrooms in their house, one now used as an office, and the other as a sleeping space for their daughter when she visits. If you use a ceiling lift, it’s worth considering a bed/bath design that gives a straight shot from bed into the bathroom.

Roll-in closets are great, but only if you have the space. Anything less than 6 feet wide feels tight once you get a dresser and a bunch of clothes hanging in there.

If you have the budget, it’s worth considering the accessibility of any spare bedrooms and bathrooms as well. Chamberlain put two bathrooms with roll-in showers in her home, so that when her wheelchair-using friends visit, they have an accessible bathroom too.

OUTSIDE IN

Northern Alberta’s seasons are harsh, and Kary Wright loves being outdoors. Summers are short but hot, and the sun is intense; winters are long and cold, with a lot of snow and temperatures that regularly dip below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Sometimes Wright would tough it out during winter, but once he got

A wrap-around covered porch gives Kary Wright year-round outdoor access, and an inroom hot tub (below right) helps him warm up no matter how cold it is.

cold, his day was done. To warm up, he says, “would take me two or three hours under a hot blanket.”

Wright wanted the new house to enhance his ability to spend time outside. The most important component of this was to add a covered porch that wraps around the entire house. The porch effectively serves as a buffer zone, a transition space between inside and out. The cover keeps out the high summer sun but lets it in during winter. “February we’ll get a hot sun on the front. It could be as low as zero Fahrenheit and yet it’s shirtsleeves weather on the deck,” he says. Plus, “nobody has to shovel.”

When Wright ventures beyond the deck in winter, he still gets quad cold. To combat the multihour warmup, he installed a portable hot tub in his bedroom. It’s a two-person SpaBerry unit that you can plug into a normal outlet. Wright has it set up in line with the ceiling-track lift system he uses to get in and out of bed. “Every evening it’s kind of our pattern that I get dropped in our hot tub and heated up, and then I sleep like a log,” he says.

In Fresno, the winters are mild but summers are blazing. Chamberlain put as much thought into her exterior space as she did the interior. Features include raised garden beds for produce and flowers, and installed awnings she can unfurl to combat the heat. Aisles are wide enough for her to pick, prune and water everything herself. Pro tip: If you garden, get expandable fabric garden hoses. “They’re a major effort-saver,” she says.

Then there’s Chamberlain’s lap pool, 40 feet long by 12 feet wide, partially set into the ground and with sides raised to a level allowing transfers from her manual wheelchair. The pool turns the brutal heat of August into something that Chamberlain can enjoy.

Where Kelly and I live in the Pacific Northwest, winters are usually mild, but summers can get quite hot. Insulation is nowhere near as sexy as a lap pool, but it’s the backbone of a system that keeps me happy to wander outside whatever the weather. To get the benefit of a tight thermal envelope without the specialized labor, we coated the walls and ceiling with three inches of spray foam insulation covered with mineral wool batts.

The insulation makes the house quick and efficient to heat or cool with a minisplit heat pump system. We leave the garage doors open — $40 magnetic screens keep the bugs out— until it’s 85 degrees because we know that we can cool the house right back down. In a poorly insulated house, we used to have to shut ourselves in, with windows closed and blinds drawn, whenever it got hot. I didn’t want to go outside be-

cause I knew that once I started to overheat, I wouldn’t be able to cool down again. Now, when Ewan wants to do some batting practice and it’s 95 degrees out? Sure, bud, you got 10 minutes — try not to line-drive me in the forehead.

THE REWARD

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Kimberly Chamberlain built her accessible dream home in Fresno, California, complete with wheelchairheight pool and a fully accessible outside area.

Deborah Davis (left) and Chamberlain love hanging out together, so Chamberlain made sure her guest bathroom had a roll-in shower too.

you that it’s bigger than you can imagine. When we built our home, I understood that it was going to be like having a second full-time job, especially considering that Kelly and I were serving as de facto architects, project managers and grunt laborers all rolled into one. What’s impossible to plan for is how all-consuming the process is. You have to get comfortable spending more money than you ever have, over and over, making thousands of decisions, big and small, most of which you can’t take back. It’s high stakes, high pressure and all kinds of stressful. But once you get through it, man, is it worth it.

I didn’t talk to a single person who has built their own house and regretted it. Whether you like spending time outside, getting cozy with your family, hosting friends or having a calm place where you can decompress — living in a self-designed space lets you do whatever makes you happy, with a lot less effort. “It’s like the difference between pushing in sand and pushing on a hard surface,” says Chamberlain.

Sawchuk felt the same way. She remembers when they first moved into their new home. It was just before Christmas, and they were busy with the usual family hubbub and excitement of the season. Then January came along, and life mellowed out, but the Sawchuk’s typical postholiday energy slump never came. “I felt better than I’ve ever felt,” she says. “I realized all the energy I had been wasting in the old house, I now had for the things that I wanted to do.”

RESOURCES

• Accessible Design and Construction — a virtual course from Julie Sawchuk: juliesawchuk.info/adc-1106

• Build Your Space book by Julie Sawchuck: barnesandnoble.com/w/ build-your-space-julie-l-sawchuk/1134731656

• Gear Hacks — Hacking a Home: newmobility.com/hacking-a-home/

• Gear Hacks — Hacking a Home, Part II: newmobility.com/hacking-a-homepart-2/

• Gear Hacks — Hacking a Home, Part III: newmobility.com/hacking-ahome-part-3/

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

It might seem odd for wheelchair users to need to think about future adaptations for aging in place, given that we’re already rolling. “None of us want to think about what to expect when we blow our shoulder … or have more needs than we currently do,” says Sawchuk. But function changes as we get older. A manual wheelchair user who lives into their golden years is likely to need a power wheelchair at some point.

When you’re planning your home, do yourself a favor and consider your future needs too. If you have good arm-strength now, think about how you would have to do things without that strength. Where would a ceiling lift go if you needed it? Could you make that turn in a power chair? Building for a less-functional future may cost more upfront, but it’s a lot cheaper than retrofitting down the line and a lot less heartbreaking than having to move because the space no longer works for you.

Another thing worth considering is future care needs. If you don’t have a personal attendant now, or have a family member assisting you with some daily tasks, how would it look when you or your significant other needs help? Could you make a self-contained guest area at one end of your home, or put in plumbing and electrical so that a space could easily be converted to an accessory dwelling unit in the future? You could rent out an accessory dwelling unit to help offset care costs or use it in a housing-for-care arrangement, helping to keep you in your home for the long haul.

MOBILITY

Meet the Gear Guides

Thanks to the internet, it’s easier than ever to find countless reviews, rants and raves about almost any product on the market … unless the products you are looking for happen to be disability or mobility-related.

Searching for even the most basic information on wheelchairs, tires, rims and other mobility gear can leave you wondering if you used the wrong search terms or made a mistake. There’s not a lot out there, and what reliable info there is can be exceedingly difficult to find. That can be a frightening situation when your mobility and independence hinge on making the right purchase.

Enter the Gear Guides, New Mobility’s attempt to aggregate all the products and product information you need to make an educated, confident decision the next time you have to buy mobility-related products.

We launched the Gear Guides series in May with an exhaustive breakdown of 18 types of handrims, including pricing, sizes, features and whom they work best for. For the second Gear Guide, we tackled wheels, tracking and describing 25 options. By the time you read this, the third Gear Guide — focused on power-assist options — should already be online at newmobility.com.

We are committed to growing this series and building it into the web’s premier destination for mobility-related product info. To do that, we’d like to enlist your help. If you come across a great product we missed, have an insight into one of the products we featured or have a product-related question or request, we want to hear from you.

Send all Gear Guide inquiries to Seth McBride at smcbride@unitedspinal.org.

ABILITIES EXPO

Available from Abilities Expo 323/363-2099 or abilities.com

Abilities Expo is the nation’s leading event for the disability community taking place in seven cities across the US. Attendees discover the latest, life-enhancing products and services, and learn from info-packed workshops. Top it off with adaptive sports, dance, service dog demos and more. Admission is free.

COMPANION

Available from Cheelcare 888/948-2680 or cheelcare.com

The Companion line of power assist devices turns your manual wheelchair into a freedom machine! Connect it in seconds and instantly give your mobility a boost of up to 15mph and 20-mile range. Rest your shoulders and enjoy the scenery around you.

SOFTECH CUSHION

Available from Aquila Corporation 608/782-0031 or aquilacorp.com

SofTech is a custom fabricated pressure sore healing/ prevention cushion which automatically changes pressure points while offloading as needed under sores. SofTech has all system components inside the cushion and includes a wireless remote control.

MOBILITY ACCESSORIES

Available from Diestco MFG 800/795-2392 or diestco.com

DIESTCO MFG has the largest selection of mobility accessories, helping to keep you independent and enjoying the outdoors. We have bags, equipment holders and cupholders to carry your stuff, and canopies and covers to protect you and your vehicle from the elements. All MADE IN THE USA for 30 years and counting!

BY MICHAEL FRANZ

I’m always intrigued when I see other wheelers barrel through the woods or tackle rough surfaces in all-terrain chairs, but I didn’t know what it felt like until I reviewed Outrider’s new accessible off-road vehicle, the Coyote 4WD.

After hours testing the Coyote in every set of conditions I could imagine, two feelings jumped out at me: freedom, for being able to go almost anywhere I wanted, and appreciation, for empowering me to do something new.

The Outrider Coyote is an electric offroad vehicle designed for people with disabilities. The demo model that I received included a ROHO cushion, a lap belt, a chest strap, a strap to secure my legs, and several other straps that I did not need.

The hand controls came with a tripin adapter so I could use the throttle and steer safely. Two buttons that allow you to change gears and speeds, among other functions, are attached to arms that are mounted behind the driver seat. The arms adjust so you can press the buttons with your shoulders or head without removing your hands from the hand controls. Finally, the seat is adjustable to accommodate height and arm length, and the back angle is adjustable for comfort and balance.

The hardest part of using the Coyote for me was transferring to it. As a C5-6 quad with no triceps and terrible balance, transferring to anything is difficult for me. The frame of the Coyote does not allow you to get very close to the seat, so there is a considerable gap to transfer over. No doubt someone with more function and balance could transfer with a sliding board, but I couldn’t. Once in the seat, you have to swing your legs over the throttle control and into the footrests. Fortunately, my brother and caregiver were available to lift me from my wheelchair to the Coyote. It was an awkward transfer, but we got it done.

ADAPTABLE DRIVING

Driving the Coyote is straightforward. Two hand controls, one on each side, control the steering and the throttle. The Coyote can be customized to accommodate differences in strength between your arms. My left arm is stronger than my right arm, so for my setup,

the steering control was on the left and the throttle on the right.

To steer the Coyote, I pushed the left handle forward to turn right and pulled back on it to turn left. It does take a fair amount of strength to be able to steer, so I needed to use an adaptive grip to keep my hand on the handle. The throttle is controlled by tipping the handle back and forward. Tipping the handle back accelerates while tipping forward engages the brakes.

The Coyote has three speed modes, with top speeds of 6, 10, and 22 mph. I did not feel like I had the strength to control the Coyote at higher speeds, so I never tried it higher than 6 mph. The acceleration can be a little jumpy, but after some practice, I got used to it. The throttle can be adjusted to make it less jumpy, but since I only had a demo unit and my time was limited, I left it as it was delivered. My brother, who is nondisabled, was able to handle the Coyote easily at 10 mph, but even he felt like 22 mph was a bit too much. If you’re trying it out, start slow and make sure you have the function to handle it at higher speeds.

Performance-wise, the Coyote did a great job handling different types of terrain. I have never used an off-road vehicle before, so I have nothing to compare it to, but the ride was very smooth. I tested it on grass, dirt and concrete, and going up and down hillsides. The Coyote managed everything with ease. I don’t have trunk control, so it was difficult for me to maintain my balance while driving on the side of a hill. The Coyote never felt in danger of tipping over, though, and I always felt secure and safe in the driver’s seat except when angled on a hill.

TRANSPORTING AND TAKEAWAYS

Transporting the Coyote could be an issue for those without access to the right type of vehicle. At 78 inches long, 33 inches wide and up to 36 inches tall, it

can weigh up to 250 pounds, depending on the options added. The model I demoed fit into the back of a pickup truck with the gate open. We secured it with tiedowns. It took two people to lift the Coyote into the bed of the truck, but despite its weight, this was not difficult. The Coyote would likely fit in the back of most minivans and larger SUVs with the rear seats removed.

The Coyote starts at a base price of $13,985. Options are extra. It comes standard with one rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a top range of 35 miles. Up to three additional batteries can be added at any time for a top range of 140 miles. Customers can choose from two different 2WD powertrains and one 4WD powertrain. Additional options like a cargo rack or electronics package can be added as well.

The Outrider Coyote is a great product for those looking to get back into nature, whether it’s hunting, fishing or trail riding. It would also be useful for somebody who lives on acreage and needs to get around their property quickly. It is expensive, so I would recommend going for an extensive test ride to be sure you can control it and be comfortable in it for extended periods of time. For more information and to see the full selection of Outrider models, visit outriderusa.com.

FEELDOM MAX WHEELCHAIR BAG

Available from FEELDOM Co., Ltd., 610/420-8370 or feeldomlife.com

MAX is the biggest and strongest among wheelchair / scooter bags. Hand-crafted with rigid, padded contruction and water resistant heavy-duty ballistic nylon to withstand years of use. 8-way adjustable strap system, 50-plus liter capacity storage for respiratory gear, laptop, fluid containers. 6 outer pockets with ring zippers for easy access.

ROGUE 2

Available from Ki Mobility 800/981-1540 or kimobility.com

The redefined style and superior design of Rogue 2 is the perfect balance of performance, functionality and self-expression. Developed to fit any lifestyle, every element of the chair has been enhanced to provide you with an optimal experience, wherever you go.

IBOT PERSONAL MOBILITY DEVICE

Available from Mobius Mobility 833/346-4268 or mobiusmobility.com

The iBOT PMD is a multi-modal powered mobility device: Standard, 4-Wheel Drive, 2-Wheel Balance, Stair, and Remote modes. An integrated indoor and outdoor PMD - one device for complex terrain in urban, suburban, and country settings. Climbs curbs and stairs. Balance Mode for eye-level interaction. Funding and reimbursement options available.

AUTOMATIC DOOR

OPENERS

Available from Open Sesame Door Systems 800/673-6911 or opensesamedoor.com

Gain freedom and independence with Open Sesame. Voice, remote control or proximity activated, our door systems open and close any swinging door in your home or office.

Call us to discuss your application. Since 1991, we have been the leader in automated door technology.

QLK-150

Available from Q’Straint 800/987-9987 or qstraint.com/qlk-150

The QLK-150, the next step in independent wheelchair docking systems, represents the world’s most advanced personal mobility wheelchair securement solution — providing more options and features than any other docking system. It’s the perfect solution for mobility users who drive their own vehicles or simply want to quickly secure their wheelchair.

RGK OCTANE SUB4

SUREHANDS LIFT & CARE SYSTEMS

Available from SureHands Lift & Care Systems 800/724-5305 or surehands.com

SUREHANDS® systems are designed to enable users and caregivers to maximize abilities while accomplishing the normal activities of daily living. The versatility of SUREHANDS always places the users’ needs and safety first while offering products that will improve their quality of life, comfort and well-being.

For more than three decades, RGK has been at the forefront of made-to-measure manual wheelchair innovation. Guaranteed to weigh less than 4 kg, the Octane Sub4 is the result of our obsessive focus on perfecting fit and materials. Transferring, propelling, lifting and turning are all effortless with the Octane Sub4.

Available from Wheeleez, Inc. 707/751-3999 or wheeleez.com

Available from Sunrise Medical 800/333-4000 or sunrisemedical.com Go anywhere

Converting your standard wheelchair to an all-terrain chair is easy, and there is no drilling. Wheeleez threeand four-wheel conversion kits are now available for you to explore beaches, parks and trails with ease. Go anywhere with Wheeleez!

2022 Publisher’s Statement:

New Mobility (USPS 1086-4741) is published by United Spinal Association, 120-34 Queens Boulevard, Suite 320, Kew Gardens, NY 11415.

Number of issues published annually: 6. The General business offices of the Publisher are located at United Spinal Association, 120-34 Queens Boulevard, Suite 320, Kew Gardens, NY 11415. Annual subscription price is $16.95. The names and addresses of the Editor-inChief and Senior Editor are: Ian Ruder, Editorin-Chief and Seth McBride, Senior Editor, United Spinal Association, 120-34 Queens Boulevard, Suite 320, Kew Gardens, NY 11415.

Extent and Nature of Circulation: “Average” figures denote the average number of copies printed each issue during preceding 12 months. “Actual” figures denote the number of copies of the single issue published nearest to filing date. Total number of copies printed: average 10,742; actual 10,805. Total paid and/ or requested distribution: average 8,112; actual 8,502. Total non-requested distribution: average 2,630; actual 2,303. Total distribution: average 10,742; actual 10,805. Copies not distributed: average 0; actual 0.

Celebrating 50 Years of Engineering Independence

a special thanks to those who support

BRONZE

EXECUTIVE

For more information on how you can support United Spinal and become a corporate member, please contact Megan Chintalla at mchintalla@unitedspinal.org or 718/803-3782, ext. 7253. Acknowledgements on our website, in New Mobility, in United Spinal e-news or any other United Spinal publication should not be considered as endorsements of any product or service.

TECHNOLOGY & TOOLS

Our robot overlords may be on their way, but meanwhile advances have made it easy to control nearly every aspect of your home independently. Here some smart solutions and some tech-free storage hacks so you can survive the robot uprising.

HACK 1

BRING IT DOWN TO YOUR LEVEL

Installing hanging rods and hooks where you can easily reach them is a no-brainer, but doing so doesn’t mean you have to leave the upper recesses of your rooms empty. Kimberly Chamberlain, a T4 para from California, lined her closet with pull-down rods that she can easily bring down for access. “The pull-down rods allow me to fill my closet and get to everything independently,” she says.

ECOBEE SMARTTHERMOSTAT

A smart thermostat offers the easy, hands-free temperature regulation many wheelchair users dream of. With remote sensors for temperature, humidity and energy use, and a built-in speaker with Amazon Alexa, Ecobee’s SmartThermostat does a lot more than regulate the heat. Pricier than some of its competitors, Ecobee’s offering thankfully doesn’t require a subscription and you can use it with or without their free app. As long as one of the units can hear you, all you need to operate the SmartThermostat is your voice. As an added bonus, you can use the speaker as an intercom to other units or for typical Alexa functions. Ecobee.com. $189.

WEMO SMART SWITCHES AND PLUGS

Belkin’s Wemo line of products is an excellent option for anyone looking for the smart-home experience on an applianceby-appliance basis. Wemo offers a selection of affordable smart plugs and light switches that allow you to control your lights from the wall, the Wemo app, or with your voice. The switches and plugs connect to your existing home WiFi network to give you easy wireless control of your lights, with no subscription or hub required. belkin.com/us/smart-home/c/

LUTRON HOME SYSTEMS AND LIGHTING

but a well-designed system can be a game changer, according to those who’ve invested the time and money. With three different total-home systems, single-room systems, and their own blinds and lights, Pennsylvania-based Lutron is the leader in whole-home lighting and electrical solutions. Their products come with their own app and offer hands-free and app control with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Home and more. Lutron.com.

HACK 2

ROLLERS!

Michael DiBiasio, a T9-L1 para from Rhode Island, maximized the awkward dead space under a stairwell by mount ing the lowest of three shelves on rolling garage door tracks (right). “The rollers allow me to push the shelf to the back of the closet if I want to access the little-used items I store there, like holiday décor and luggage,” he says. The easy hack maximizes space and efficiency.

ADAPTS PORTABLE TRANSFER SLING ACCESS TRAX MAT

Available from ADAPTS LLC 844/423-2787 or adapts.org

ADAPTS is a portable and affordable manual-transfer sling designed to help wheelchair users during an emergency evacuation. Invented for emergencies when your wheelchair is not available, ADAPTS is the rescue sling you can use every day: at the pool or beach, for hiking and camping. ADAPTS travels with you!

ADAPTIVE RIFLE SCOPE

CLIP-ON

Available from Digital FOV, LLC 404/590-6513 or AdaptiveHunters.com

Digital Crosshairs adaptive rifles scope clip-on enables visually impaired and mobility-impaired hunters, and those enjoying shooting sports, to more independently target a scope using a gamelike display. The display can be hand-held, gun-mounted, or custom-mounted where needed.

Available from Access Trax, LLC 619/292-8766 or accesstraxsd.com

Access the outdoors easily with the Access Trax lightweight, portable access mat! Don’t let sand, grass, gravel or snow be a barrier. Access Trax mats can be set up in seconds by one person, and transported in the back or your car or as checked luggage on planes! Access your life.

E-Z PULL DOOR CLOSER

Available from Swervin Earl Productions Inc. 941/456-0815 or e-zpulldoor.com

An assistive device that allows wheelchair, walker and scooter users to close a door behind them when the doorknob is out of reach. Easy to install. Made from clear polycarbonate, so it blends in with any decor. Invented and produced by a T9 para vet!

GO-ANYWHERE CHAIRS

Available from GO! Mobility Solutions, 800/359-4021 or GoesAnywhere.com

These unique products enable people with physical disabilities and their families to travel wherever they’d like to go, whenever they want to go. Completely portable, these commode/shower chairs pack-away quickly and easily in their wheeled travel bags. Convenient and lightweight GO-Anywhere Chairs are safe, durable, easy-to-use, comfortable and maintenance-free. We ship worldwide and customer service is second to none!

IZIP DRIVE CONTROL FOR POWER WHEELCHAIR

Available from Magitek, LLC 260/488-4447 or magitek.com

Since 1999, Magitek LLC has pioneered Complex Rehabilitation Technology, specializing in Human Interface power wheelchair controls for severely disabled persons.

Magitek forges original ideas into reality for people who require more complex, yet easy to use, devices for mobility and peripheral access systems that enhance the quality of their lives.

KÉROUL, ACCESSIBLE TOURISM AND CULTURE

Available from Kéroul 514/252-3104 or keroul.qc.ca

Kéroul is the only organization promoting tourism and culture for people with disabilities in Québec. Its brand “Québec for All” is a platform and a brochure promoting accessible Québec. Its database is composed of more than 2,000 tourist establishments certified accessible or partially accessible by Kéroul.

TORNADO BODY DRYER

Available from The No White Flags Project 561/460-3785 or nowhiteflags.org

Dry yourself without a towel after a shower. Go to nowhiteflags.org and see if you qualify for a fully paid Tornado Body Dryer as this non-profit would just like to make your life a little easier. You can also purchase the unit at a $500 savings through our organization!

HEALTH

Kitchen

A well-designed kitchen with a few thoughtful additions can make cooking your favorite meals easier and more enjoyable. Here are three product solutions to help you cook up a feast, along with two easy hacks to boost your enjoyment.

HACK 1

PULL-OUT CUTTING BOARDS BELOW OVEN AND MICROWAVE

Whether you have limited heat sensation or not, pulling a piping hot dish out of the oven or microwave can be a recipe for unwanted burns or other kitchen nightmares. Eric Thorstenson opted for an easy way to minimize those risks: adding swing-away cutting boards under his side-opening oven (see above) and microwave. “If I lean over and grab something hot, I can put it on the cutting board instead of my lap,” he says, adding that the cutting boards make checking and serving hot food much easier.

SIDE DOOR OVEN

If you’re a wheelchair user, downwardopening oven doors can make it difficult to put in or take out your favorite meals. Thankfully, designers are beginning to move past this staid tradition and embrace sleek, microwave-like side-opening doors. Eric Thorstenson, a C5-6 quad, loves the easy access his Bosch side-opener offers. “Being able to roll right up to the racks makes using the oven a lot safer,” he says.

POT FILLER

For those of you who haven’t heard of pot fillers, they’re exactly what they sound like: faucets designed and specifically placed above the stove to fill pots. Boring? Maybe. Practical? Definitely. By adding a water line near your stove and getting one of the many pot fillers on the market, you can avoid the hassle of lugging heavy pots of water on your lap from the sink to cooktop. “I honestly don’t know why more people don’t have them,” says Rosemarie Rossetti, a T11 para and the designer of the Universal Design Living Laboratory.

ACTIVE HANDS KITCHEN PACK DELUXE

UK-based Active Hands Company makes plenty of handy kitchen gadgets designed for cooks with limited hand function. The Kitchen Pack Deluxe combines 10 of the most popular tools — the all-purpose knife, 5-in-1 opener, jar opener and more — all in one bundle that sells for 25% less than they would individually. Our reviewer’s favorite was the Nimble, which he described as “essentially a tiny box cutter in a rubber sleeve that fits on the tip of a finger.” Activehands.com.

PUT CASTERS ON YOUR KITCHEN TABLE

So you found the dream dining room or breakfast table, but it’s too low or doesn’t fit your room? Adding some heavy-duty locking casters could be an easy solution to the problem. Todd Stabelfeldt (right) and his wife, Karen, added cast ers to their beautiful bespoke hardwood table to transform it into an iconicyet-mobile centerpiece. “It makes it easy to entertain, even if we have a bunch of power chair users over,” says Stabelfeldt, a C4 quad.

HEALTH

Home Renovation: 21st Century Laundry and Kitchen

My husband, Ali, and I bought a 2,100 square foot, rambler-style home in Bellevue, Washington, a few years ago. It is the perfect size for us and sits on a flat piece of property in a good school district. The house was built in 1963, though, and needed work. Most of the floors were covered in carpet — my manual wheelchair’s nemesis. The kitchen was falling apart. When I opened a drawer, wood pieces would sprinkle down all over the utensils in the drawer below it. And the washer and dryer were in the garage. Rolling down a ramp with a basket of dirty laundry on my lap and then back up it with the clean clothes, which I sometimes dropped, was super annoying.

We’ve been bringing our home into the 21st century and making it more accessible in phases. Ali, who has renovated homes before, has been doing a lot of the work—and we’ve hired specialists as needed.

BY TEAL SHERER

LAUNDRY

Before

We had a top load washer and dryer which was difficult for me to get clothes out of in the garage.

After Call me weird, but I like doing laundry. I listen to a podcast while I fold and put away clothes. It’s relaxing – especially now that the laundry area is inside our house. We have a front load washer and dryer with pedestals—which put the washer and dryer at the perfect height for me. The pedestals have a storage drawer where we keep detergent and dryer sheets.

We had custom cabinetry made with a space that I can roll under to fold and iron on. With a pipe and connectors from Home Depot, my husband built a ceiling mounted hanging rod. I use a pole with a hook that we bought for $13 on Amazon to hang clothes that need to be air dried.

Before After

Before

A lot of the cabinets were inaccessible to me. To wash dishes, I’d have to pull up sideways next to the sink and twist my upper body. It was hard for me to prep food on the high countertop.

After

My husband and I wanted an open concept floor plan, so we took down walls and had part of the ceiling raised to make the kitchen, living and dining areas one open room. We demolished the previous kitchen and had custom cabinetry made, adding more lower cabinets. Drawers make it easier for me to access dishes, pots, and pans. We had stainless steel guards, which can be easily replaced, put on the bottom of the cabinets to protect them from my wheelchair dings.

We left the areas under the sink and stove open so I can roll under them. Our Monogram electric oven has a French Door, which allows me to get food in and out of it easily and safely. The kitchen island has a lower floating countertop where I prep food.

INFYNA CHIC™ HYDROPHILIC CATHETER

Available from Hollister Incorporated 888/808-7456 or hollister.com/infynachic

Modern, Feminine, Discreet. Infyna Chic intermittent catheters offer a unique combination of color, design, and small size to help blend in with your life. They were designed with input from clinicians to help provide a high level of discretion and are both beautiful and easy to use.

EX N’ FLEX EF-250 LEG THERAPY MACHINE

Available from Tecogics Scientific Ltd 833/396-3539 or exnflex.com

Spinal cord injury can be less limiting.

• Decrease spasticity, edema and muscle atrophy.

• Increase circulation, flexibility, strength, endurance, bowel and bladder control.

• Use from any wheelchair.

• Maintain independence.

Movement for Life!

MIAMI PROJECT RESEARCH STUDIES

Available from The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis 305/243-7108 or themiamiproject.org

The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis is dedicated to finding effective treatments and improving the quality of life of individuals with spinal cord injuries. To be considered for current and future research studies, please visit our website to fill out a digital intake form or call our offices and request a copy of the form by mail.

UNITE 2 FIGHT PARALYSIS

Available from Unite 2 Fight Paralysis 888/564-2228 or u2fp.org

U2FP is governed and staffed by people with a personal connection to paralysis. We help our community to understand the science, and to mobilize and advocate for cures. Then we bring the key players together to advance therapies as quickly as possible. We’re the Voice of the Cure - join us!

CATHETERS

Available from US Med Express 866/544-8982 or usmedexpress.net

US Med Express offers catheters from all the major manufacturers. We provide supplies and devices for many related medical conditions and ship catheters all over the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska. We have been an independent brick-and-mortar company since 2004 and are a veteran-owned business.

EVOLUTION TRAINING STATION

Available from EvolutionVN 844/386-2733 or evolutionVN.com

The Evolution is an inclusive piece of exercise and physical-therapy equipment for every age, skill and (dis)ability. In its small 3-feet-by-3-feet footprint, the Evolution gives you hundreds of exercises, ranging from assisted exercises, resisted exercises, parallel-bar exercises, rehabilitation exercises, wheelchair exercises and more.

HEALTH

Bathroom

An accessible bathroom that works for your specific needs is an essential part of any well-planned home remodel. Whether you want a roll-in shower, an accessible tub or a wet room, putting a little extra thought into the layout and products that go into your redesign can go a long way toward making it a room where you can truly take care of yourself.

HACK 1

EMBRACE YOUR STYLE

When Rosemarie Rossetti built her groundbreaking accessible home over a decade ago, options for stylish ADA-compliant appliances were few and far between. Today, leading manufacturers like Kohler and Moen have robust lines of sinks, grab bars, shower accessories and more. “There are a lot more options today that allow you to build spaces with styles that you love,” she says. Find out more about Rossetti and the Universal Design Living Laboratory at udll.com.

THE ASSISTO BATHTUB

The Assisto bathtub (left) is a sleek, ergonomic option for anyone looking for an accessible tub. Thanks to a zero-gravity sliding vertical door and an elevated base, the Assisto bathtub is ideal for transferring. Exterior handles give you extra stability, and easy touch controls make for an effortless bathing experience. If you decide to splurge, air jets, a heated backrest and chromatherapy options are available. Assistocollection.com.

SUREHANDS CEILING LIFTS

If you can’t transfer independently, are tired of transfers, or are simply looking for an easier, faster way to get to the toilet or bathtub, a SureHands ceiling lift could be the solution. SureHands offers a number of ceiling track installation options that are designed for all types of needs and spaces, including The Freedom Bridge, which requires no ceiling or wall modifications. Their ceiling motor even allows for independent transferring. SureHands.com.

MODULAR ROLL-IN SHOWER

Designing and building a custom roll-in shower can be a pricey, complicated and time-consuming endeavor. Modular roll-in showers, like those designed by Renovative Bath Systems, remove the hassle while still delivering on access. The elegant-looking 60-by-32-inch stalls come in five pieces that can be installed in one to two days, making them a great option to replace an outdated tub or tub/shower combo. Renovativebathsolutions.com.

HACK 2

GO WILD WITH A WET ROOM

Instead of using water-resistant tiles and materials only where you bathe and wash, why not make your whole bath room water-friendly? Eric Thorstenson used mosaic tile on all his walls and floor and installed a hand-held showerhead — one of three in the room — right next to his toilet. “Having easy access to the showerhead has been very useful on the occasions where I’ve had a bladder or bowel accident,” he says.

BYRAM HEALTHCARE

Available from Byram Healthcare, 877/369-9093 or byramhealthcare.com/united-spinal-association

Specialized provider of high-quality urology products from leading manufacturers, including specialty and pediatric items. We provide convenience, affordability and choice to all of the customers we serve.

SPEEDICATH® COMPACT SET

Available from Coloplast 855/430-9500 or coloplast.us

SpeediCath® Compact Set is an good choice if you are looking for a convenient all-in-one catheter and bag solution. Instantly ready to use because of its hydrophilic (pre-lubricated) coating, SpeediCath Compact Set sports an innovative design and can be kept in a pocket or handbag. Available in male and female versions.

FREE CONTINENCE CARE SUPPLIES THROUGH INSURANCE

Available from Aeroflow Urology 844/276-5588 or aeroflowurology.com

Did you know that catheters and incontinence products are available through your insurance benefits? Aeroflow Urology, a trusted provider of continence care supplies through insurance, has helped over 100,000 individuals receive high-quality supplies at no cost through their insurance plans. Visit our website today to submit your info!

MAGIC BULLET SUPPOSITORIES

Available from Concepts In Confidence 561/369-1700 or conceptsinconfidence.com

Faster acting, safe and sure 10mg bisacodyl suppository, The Magic Bullet®, stimulates the bowel with its water soluble (polyethel glycol) base, which causes the bisacodyl to disperse within minutes after insertion. The Magic Bullet® is designed to help minimize the cost and excessive time involved in most bowel programs.

The portfolio of GentleCath™ and Cure Medical intermittent catheters offers benefits such as comfort, safety, ease of use, convenience and portability. Innovative solutions include the GentleCath™ Glide – The Next Generation Hydrophilic; Cure Dextra® Closed System with Tip Advancing Technology; plus the Cure Twist® and Cure Ultra® pre-lubricated, portable options.

The Cure Dextra® is designed for comfortable, controlled use. It features smooth, polished eyelets. Proprietary Tip Advancing Technology with Gripper Arrow moves the catheter from the bag into the body without contact. A Support Band offers stability. It is not made with DEHP/DINP, BPA or NR-Latex, for peace of mind.

AUTOMOTIVE

The Garage and Beyond

Doors might be an afterthought for most home designers, but the right doors and technology can literally open up your home for easy wheeling. These three products are designed to make opening and closing doors as easy as rolling through them.

HACK 1

GET INTO ANY KIND OF VEHICLE

Kary Wright (above), a power wheelchair user, has an accessible van that he uses for his daily driving, but there are times he’d prefer to just go for a ride in his wife’s jeep. To get into the high vehicle, he uses a DIY ceiling lift. He fixed some ceiling track to the studs of his garage ceiling — though he says barn door track (also known as box rail) works just as well if you’re looking to save money. A WARN PullzAll electric winch does the lifting. Wright hooks onto a “C bracket” — a couple of pieces of square tubing shaped like an oversized horseshoe — that a friend welded. “Because of the shape, it’ll drop me right in the passenger’s seat,” he says. Total cost for the system, not including labor: around $400.

SMART GARAGE DOOR OPENERS

Sectional garage doors are a great way to open your home to the outdoors, but until recently, opening and closing them from a wheelchair could be tricky. The new generation of smart garage door openers enables users to open and close sectional and tilt garage doors via app or voice control. Tailwind, Chamberlain and ismartgate all offer multiple affordable options com, chamberlain.com. From

OPEN SESAME

Open Sesame’s Model 133 residential door opener is the ideal at-home solution for wheelchair users who demand regular independent access. The Model 133 comes with a remote that can be easily mounted to your chair, and the ability to work with Amazon Alexa. Anna Pannell, a C1-2 quad, relies on the opener for easy access to two doors in her house. “I don’t have to have anybody open the door for me — I can just do it myself without asking. I can open the door for my family,” she says. opensesamedoor.com. $2,400

T-PULL DOOR CLOSER

Stop struggling to position your chair just right so you can reach the handle to close the door behind you. The T-Pull Door Closer is a simple and elegant solution. It attaches to the center of any door with no screws or complicated installation, and gives users an easyto-grab handle that extends as the door is pulled — and retracts completely when not in use. t-pull.com. $39.95

MAXIMIZE FLOOR SPACE WITH GARAGE CEILING STORAGE

C. John Stanchina (right) decided to take advantage of his garage’s spacious ceiling by installing six Racor Pro PHL-1R Heavy Lifts ($127.99 each at Amazon.com) on the ceiling. To install them, he rented a vertical lift, threw his shower chair on it, transferred over, elevated and got to work. “It was nice to be able to use off-the-shelf technology built for the masses that you can co-opt for people with disabilities as well,” he says. Seth McBride relies on ceiling-mounted pulley lifts for the same purpose, affording him plenty of space for handcycles and sport chairs. His lifts of choice are made by RAD Cycle Products and only cost $38.99 each. “They’re super functional, even for a quad, and they reduce the clutter that inevitably makes getting around tricky,” says McBride.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE SUVS DARIOS DIGITAL HAND CONTROLS

Available from Freedom Motors USA 800/625-6335 or freedommotors.com

From the originator of the first-ever minivan conversion comes a full range of wheelchair accessible SUVs. Available only from Freedom Motors USA, our innovative lineup of accessible small, mid and full-size SUVs includes Buick Enclave, Chevy Traverse, Hyundai Palisade and the Kia Soul, Sorento and Telluride. Why settle for a minivan?

Supporters:

Available from KEMPF, Inc. 888/453-6738 or kempf-usa.com

With DARIOS - the digital accelerator ring and main hand brake, a paraplegic driver can keep both hands on the wheel. KEMPF offers a lifetime warranty and features nationwide free at-home pick-up and delivery of the vehicle to be adapted and at-home service. All KEMPF products are VA accepted.

NMEDA

Available from National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association 813/264-2697 or nmeda.org

NMEDA is the certifying body for the nationally recognized Quality Assurance Program accreditation. We are a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association serving the automotive mobility industry across the U.S. and Canada. We provide education and training to members and partners, and advocate for our industry before Congress, state legislatures and federal regulatory agencies.

Discretion by design

Introducing a discreet catheter with design that is truly inspired.

The Infyna ChicTM Hydrophilic Intermittent Catheter was designed with input from clinicians to help provide a high level of discretion for women who use catheters. It is beautiful and easy to use.

The Infyna Chic catheter can help a woman feel better about having to use one.

Request a sample today!

Visit www.Hollister.com/InfynaChic or Call 1.888.808.7456 (option 3)

FABLE PATHWAYS

Available from Fable 888/212-3532 or fablepathways.com

Fable Pathways is a free, accessible skill-building program for people with disabilities interested in working in the tech sector. On-demand courses allow you to learn at your own pace. Taught by people with disabilities, for people with disabilities Fable Pathways

BY IAN RUDER

Barry Long

If designing and building an accessible home sounds like too much work, you can always seek out the accessible home of your dreams on the real estate market. As a wheelchair user and realtor himself, Kip Johnson has worked with numerous clients with exactly that plan — and he has learned to be the bearer of bad news.

“I see people who think they’re going to find that perfect accessible house, and I have to tell them that it’s just not out there,” says Johnson, a C5 quad. “For somebody to find an accessible house that’s in their budget with all the features that they want is next to impossible.”

James Lee, another realtor who is also a C5 quad, has a more whimsical take: “Perfect accessible houses are unicorns.” Lee, Johnson and other wheelchair-using realtors we spoke with agree that understanding this is the first step to actually finding a home that works for your individual access needs.

RARE AND MISLABELED

To make a point about how rare it is that truly accessible homes come on the market, Lee brings up a recent search he ran for a client seeking a rental property that would work for a wheelchair user. His initial search in the desired area turned up around 1,600 properties. When he narrowed that to “wheelchair accessible” properties, only 600 remained, with the vast majority of those not even coming close to actually offering what a full-time wheelchair user would need. “And that’s looking at rentals,” he says. “The market for sales is even drearier.”

The discrepancy between properties listed as “wheelchair accessible” and ones that will actually work for fulltime wheelchair users is a widespread problem. “One of the biggest problems our [multiple listing service] system has with accessibility is that other agents label things accessible, but they have no idea what the ADA standards are,” says Johnson. “I’ll see a listing that says it has a roll-in shower, and then when I actually see the shower, it has a 6-inch curb. That’s not a roll-in shower, and

that’s not going to work for anyone who needs one.”

The ability to see through bogus listings and understand clients’ needs is one of the reasons Johnson encourages fellow wheelers to seek out a realtor who uses a wheelchair when possible. “We’re going to see things that other agents won’t have any idea about,” he says.

Lee hasn’t had a wheelchair-using client since he was paralyzed eight years ago, but he agrees that there are advantages wheelchair-using realtors bring. Lived experience, visibility and connections are high atop the list. “I believe in that 80/20 rule: 20% of the agents produce 80% of the results,” explains Lee. “Being positioned in that 20% and being known as a wheelchair user certainly helps with getting information through networking. It’s a significant advantage.”

A realtor from another state recently reached out after hearing Lee talk on a real estate podcast. She gave him the scoop on a completely ADA accessible home that had not come on the market yet, right in his territory. “That’s the type of advantage and information that you want and need to get out of your real estate agent,” he adds.

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

Intrinsically understanding that accessible means different things to different people — and knowing the right questions to figure out what that may be

— is also a critical skill for any realtor working with a wheelchair user.

Even though he uses a wheelchair, Barry Long was caught off guard when one wheelchair-using client said he was looking for a three-story home. The client explained that the third floor was for his caregivers and mother when they weren’t helping him. The bottom floor was for laundry and SCI equipment and “everything that I’m not going to use anyway because I’m a quad,” and the main floor was his.

“I remember looking at him and thinking that’s brilliant,” says Long, a T5 para who works in residential and commercial real estate for Sotheby’s International Realty. “I never thought about a three-story house for a quadriplegic, but it totally makes sense.”

Long urges clients to view possible homes through three lenses: accessible, adaptable and visitable. Accessible means the house is adapted and ready for that certain individual’s needs. Adaptable means the building has the potential to fill a client’s needs with remodeling. “Visitable is like my dad’s place,” he says. “He wants me to be able to get in with my wheelchair. I can wander around his house, I can get into the bathroom and the living area and watch TV, but the bedrooms are all upstairs because he doesn’t really want me to stay — he wants me to visit.”

All three real estate agents pride themselves on being able to identify the adaptable gems that sometimes fly under the radar. “I think the biggest thing about looking for the house if you’re in a chair is not getting hung up on trying to find the perfect house,” says Johnson. “You need to be able to look at a house that is structurally sound and see if you can turn it into what you want.”

As for whether you need a realtor who uses a wheelchair to find a good home, Lee says no, not necessarily. “The idea that I would have an advantage over a nondisabled agent representing somebody in a wheelchair could be a misconception,” he says. “But as long as you’re dealing with a competent wheelchair user who knows the business … it couldn’t hurt.”

James Lee

FOR SALE

Levo Standing Chair that reclines, tilts, and moves while standing. Headlights, taillights, blinkers, and fold away lap tray. Asking $15,000 OBO. Call 785-4488899. Located in Kansas

RT300-SL FES bike. adult leg system, sage 7 controller, with universal stimulation cable, electrodes, manual. Access to web database system. Purchased refurbished for $14,000, used very little. excellent condition. Pictures available. Asking $9,000. Call Tobie 860-874-4129

Permobil X850 Trax Corpus for sale. Call for details 718-642-6420

RT300-SL FES bike. adult leg system, sage 7 controller, with universal stimulation cable, electrodes, manual. Access to web database system. Purchased refurbished for $14,000, used very little. excellent condition. Pictures available. Asking $8,000. Tobie 860-874-4129

2016 FES 300 cycle- 3 muscle group therapy. Purchased from Restorative Therapies for $13,300. Asking $5,000 OBO. Call 360-461-5569

CushPocket Wheelchair Storage Bag, visit cushpocket.com

Nationwide Wheelchair Van Rentals. For the next time you want to get out, vacation, doctors appointment, or try before you buy. Learn more at www. BLVD.com

Over 1500 wheelchair Accessible Vehicles for sale at one website. A complete selection of New, Used and Pre-Owned wheelchair vehicles from dealers and private parties nationwide. Check it out today. www.blvd.com

LEGAL HELP

Were you seriously Injured as a result of an accident or medical malpractice? Call us now for FREE Consultation. 1-888888-6470 - https://www. findinjurylaw.com/motorvehicle-accidents/

Were you or a family member stationed at Camp Lejeune and got sick? You may be eligible for compensation. Call us now for FREE consultation. 1-888-888-6470 - https:// www.findinjurylaw.com/ camp-lejeune-water-contamination-lawsuit/

VACATIONS

Cape May farmhouse near beach. First floor entirely wheelchair accessible. Sleeps eight. Visit www.beautifullyaccessible.com for more info and reservations.

Ocean-front condo, wheelchair friendly, sleeps six, pool, boardwalk to beach. Rents daily, weekly, monthly. St. Simons Is., GA. bmmk4@frontier.com 419-569-6114.

New Zealand Accessible Vehicle Hire. New Zealand disability vehicles, hand control cars, left foot accelerator cars for hire. Explore New Zealand – we make it easy! We are happy to pass on our former clients’ recommendations of accessible activities and accommodation. See www. freedom mobility.co.nz

ADVERTISE WITH NEW MOBILITY!

To place your classified ad or to get information on advertising rates, call: 800-404-2898, ext. 7253 or email your request to mchintalla@ unitedspinal.org

JUMP START YOUR SEX LIFE

FERTICARE 2.0

• Treats ejaculatory & orgasmic dysfunction

• VA approved

• Inexpensive alternative to fertility clinics

• Help with incontinence thru Kegel Exercise

• Reduces spasticity

Like Us on Facebook!

Join our growing Facebook community to share SCI/D resources, tips and encouragement. You’ll also learn about upcoming stories and how you can contribute your experience to the publication!

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MEMEWATCH

SEE IT FIRST ON NEWMOBILITY.COM

How to Fly as a Power Wheelchair User

In a beautifully shot video, Ben Leclair, a quad who uses a power wheelchair, shows how he flies internationally, and we share tips and tricks that can make your own flight more successful.

The Right to Get Your Wheelchair Repaired In November, wheelchair user David Ortiz is asking the voters of Colorado to reelect him to the state assembly. His major legislative accomplishment? A first-of-its-kind bill that mandates timely repair and servicing for wheelchairs and other mobility equipment.

Best Of: The Most Wheelchair-Friendly Overnight Train Journey in the U.S. There’s nothing quite like traveling on a sleeper train. Craig Kennedy, a para who has advised Amtrack on accessibility, shares his favorite overnight train journey — an 18-hour ride that passes through river valleys and bucolic countryside between two of the most iconic cities in America.

As usual, we’ll have plenty of new product announcements and reviews. Stay on top of all of our web content by signing up for our newsletter at newmobility. com/newsletter.

Director and power chair user Ben Leclair shares a few tips on flying in a two-minute video.

Meme by @life_keeps_rolling

FIND YOUR LIMIT... AND PUSH BEYOND.

The redefined style and superior design of Rogue2 is the perfect balance of performance, functionality and self-expression. Developed to fit any lifestyle, every element of the chair has been enhanced to provide you with an optimal experience, wherever you go.