Got Wheels?

“Wheelchair bound.” “Confined to a wheelchair.” Referencing wheelchair users like this is not only outdated and offensive, it also reflects a lack of understanding. “People are not ‘confined’ to their wheelchairs,” say the folks at the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, “they are in fact liberated by their wheels. … A wheelchair offers people access to work and shopping or any other travel outside the home.” Sadly, an estimated 100 million people in developing nations across the world who need wheelchairs, are too poor to afford them. But thanks to Dr. Don Schoendorfer and the Free Wheelchair Mission, the humanitarian, faith-based nonprofit he founded, they now have hope.

Schoendorfer’s journey began many years ago on a visit to Morocco. There, he saw a woman who was unable to walk but had no wheelchair, drag herself across a busy intersection. He was deeply impacted by what he saw, and eventually Schoendorfer, a biomedical engineer and inventor, left his successful career to pursue a higher calling: He wanted to help people like the woman in Morocco by designing a wheelchair that was “basic, inexpensive and durable,” enough to withstand the rugged topography of many developing countries.

Hope for a Cure for Fragile X

July is National Fragile X Awareness Month. As we head into the last full week of this month, we dedicate this post to educating readers about Fragile X Syndrome.

According to the National Fragile X Foundation:

·       Fragile X is a group of genetic disorders caused by a mutation in a single gene on the X chromosome.

·       Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability and autism and can range from mild to profound impairment.

·       People can be carriers of the FMRI gene that causes Fragile X without having any symptoms of the disorder. Those with Fragile X are at risk for developing:

·       Fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome(FXTAS), a nervous system disorder that causes tremors, ambulatory difficulties, and trouble with balance, memory, and behaviors especially among older males.

Happy Independence Day!

At Enabling Devices, we’re all about helping adults and children live and play more independently. To that end, we offer over 800 products that make it possible for people with a range of physical and cognitive disabilities to enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with doing more for themselves.

Capability Switches

Enabling Devices offers more than 100 different types of capability switches —the widest variety in the marketplace. From our best-selling, ergonomically designed, super-sensitive Plate Switch to our most versatile of switches—the Ultimate Switch—to our high quality dependable Gumball Switches, capability switches allow people with disabilities to interact with communication devices, therapeutic learning products, computers, appliances and toys!

Communicators

The ability to express one’s thoughts and feelings and to converse with others is essential to independence. Our enormous selection of communication devices helps people with disabilities to communicate and serve as terrific teaching tools. From basic communicators such as the Big Talk which records and plays back one message to our Talkable II which records two messages and has built-in icon holders, to communicators that grow with the user’s vocabulary such as the 7-Level Communication Builder, there’s a communicator that‘s just right for you, your family member or student.