paraplegic

Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board

When Rob Buren broke his back mountain biking last October, he lost more than the use of his legs—he lost the physical confidence his 6-foot-2 frame had always given him.

And though the 38-year-old father of two quickly learned sporting activities such as hand cycling and sit skiing, it wasn’t until he took a new self-defence class for wheelchair-users that he began to feel at ease with his new paralyzed status.

“When you become a paraplegic and are in a chair, physically your world changes. You’re looking up all of a sudden,” he says. “(The class) was a great way for me to get to know my body again, to get comfortable in the chair and to build up a sense of confidence.”

The course, taught at Neuro Core Physiotherapy & Pilates Centre in Richmond Hill, [Ontario] was developed by Grant Murray, a taekwondo black belt, and Rich VanderWal, a recreation therapist at a rehab facility.

Each class begins with … Continue reading this article and watch a corresponding video on thestar.com

.

Read Irked posts tagged “wheelchair”
Read Irked posts tagged “sports”

.

Permalink / Comments

Filed under: Uncategorized

Quoting businessweek.com:

Apple is widely celebrated for making devices as easy to use as they are elegantly designed. What customers probably don’t know is that some of these features aren’t exactly new—they evolved from software Apple created to help disabled people use PCs. Among them: the new iPhone’s voice control option, which allows users to speak to their handsets to prompt an action, such as calling Mom, or to get a spoken answer to such questions as “What song is playing?” And “mainstreaming” tools for the disabled is spreading. Software developer Nuance Communications, for instance, invented voice command technology to help people who are unable to type on a computer. Today, the company’s algorithms are used in products ranging from Amazon.com’s latest Kindle e-reader to cars from Ford Motor. Meantime, Mattel is incorporating technology, initially intended to help paraplegics, into a soon-to-be-released game controlled by players’ brainwaves. Other companies should consider following these trailblazers, say innovation consultants. “Companies could look at designing for accessibility as a sales opportunity. Most features that are accessible for the disabled have great value to everybody,” says Donald A. Norman, a former Apple vice-president for advanced technology who heads a joint business and engineering program at Northwestern University.

Read the rest of this great article >>

.

“While the disabled aren’t a significant percentage of our users today, they are our biggest power users. They help us push the envelope.”

—Peter Mahoney, general manager @ Nuance Communications

.

Permalink / Comments

Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board, Irked Videos

Congratulations to Chris Waddell & the One-Revolution team on a successful summit of Mount Kilimanjaro!!!! At 19,340 feet, Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. Waddell has just become the FIRST paraplegic to summit the mountain, using the appropriately named Bomba (pictured above)—a one-of-a-kind, 4-wheel handcycle propelled entirely be arm power.

.

Watch this recent CBS News segment, shot before Waddell reached the top:

.

Learn more at one-revolution.com

.

Permalink / Comments

Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board, Irked Videos

Last week we profiled Aaron Fotheringham, a rising-superstar elite-wheelchair-skateboarder who’s sponsored by Colours Wheelchairs.

Aaron continues to make headlines around the world. But this week it’s another Team Colours member, Ricky James, who’s in the news…

Click to continue »