Don’t Let Terrain Stop Your Wheelchair

Closing The Gap Solutions e-Magazine, October / November 2024 Volume 43 - Number 4

instruction, literacy & inclusion

Working with Brad for over 12 years has opened up my eyes to how inaccessible various places can be. One specific area we con- stantly struggle with is terrain. Since I push Brad in his wheelchair everywhere we go, I’ve noticed that his wheelchair doesn’t fare well on certain types of terrain. Sometimes even pushing him on the sidewalk can be a challenge, due to giant cracks or holes, items blocking the way, the lip to enter/exit the sidewalk isn’t flush with the street, etc. Sometimes on our walks we see places that we’d like to check out, but unfortunately can’t because the wheelchair won’t be able to physically make it there. Right next to our office is a beautiful forest with walking trails made out of wood chips. I go in on nature walks all the time by myself and always think how awesome it would be to bring Brad with me. Unfortunately, due to the type of terrain his wheelchair wouldn’t be able to handle it. So again, Brad misses out! I also remember a time when on one of our walks we saw a beautiful lookout point near the water. We wanted to go and watch the waves roll in, but unfortunately couldn’t because the terrain was grass and it was uneven. So instead we kept on stroll- ing down the sidewalk. During the winter when the sidewalks are covered with snow and ice his wheelchair doesn’t stand a chance! This causes us to stay indoors more during the colder months. During the summer when beaches open up, Brad would love to join me, but unfor- tunately cannot due to his wheelchair not being able to handle the sand.

BRADLEY HEAVEN AND DANIEL O’CONNOR Bradley was born with nonverbal spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, but he never lets it hold him back from living life to the fullest. What started out as a job for Daniel at the age of 19, working as Brad’s full time aide while he attended high school, has turned into a journey neither of them would have ever expected. Over the years they’ve built a very unique and everlasting friendship. A decade later, they’re still attached at the hips! They’re now using their unique journey and experiences with adaptive products and assistive technologies to help others with disabilities through their non-profit, All Access Life.

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A few years ago we decided to go to work and find products that would allow us to conquer any type of terrain. In this article we will discuss our top 2! JOSI ADAPTIVE JOGGING STROLLER This adaptive product makes it possible to go on any type of terrain with ease! JOSI Stroller is an all customized jogging stroller and bicycle trailer! When we got our hands on the JOSI stroller all the mentioned above became a thing of the past!! JOSI can handle pretty much any type of terrain. To this day, we still haven’t been held back by any!

loving every second of it. His head was darting from side to side the entire time. Even when we encountered hills or uneven ter- rain, the JOSI handled with ease. It also has shocks on it so Brad is able to enjoy a smooth ride. COVERS Sometimes on our walks we encounter rain or even swarms of pesky mosquitoes. However, JOSI has a solution for both those issues as well. We have a rain cover for the rainy days that easily clips into the outer edge of JOSI allowing Brad to stay completely dry and enjoy the meditative sound the rain makes as it hits the cover. We also have a bug cover for the more buggy walks. This cover keeps all the bugs out so Brad can enjoy the walk without having to fight off mosquitoes and flies the entire time. RUNNING Walking is just one of the ways we use JOSI, we also use it to run in! I’m able to push Brad as I run with relative ease. Since I love to run and Brad loves being outside surrounded by nature we began training a lot together. So much so that we decided that we wanted to run a marathon together! We began training a lot together and constantly pushing the distance further and further. I remember our first half marathon in the JOSI was an adventure! We ran along the canal and saw beautiful scenery the entire time. We also stopped to take many pictures and take it all in. After months of training, on October 17th, 2021, we complet- ed our first marathon together! To-date we’ve completed 2 mara- thons in JOSI and plan on doing many more! A lot of people think it must be difficult pushing Brad in the JOSI as I run, but to be honest, it’s not too strenuous. JOSI just glides across the concrete, so it doesn’t feel like you’re really “pushing” it’s almost as if it’s an extension of you! I also enjoy it because when I’m by myself and not pushing Brad I notice how much my running has improved by adding this into my regiment.

FOLDABILITY The first day we got it, we were amazed how compact it was. We took it out of the box and it was in a cube-like shape. This is one of our favorite features of JOSI. Since it has the ability to fold up into a cube-like shape, it makes it extremely easy to store at home or bring with you on the go! Brad always stores JOSI in the trunk of his adaptive van. This way he has access to it whenever he wants. When he needs to store it in his home, his family puts it underneath a desk so it takes up little to no space. It also folds extremely easily! I wanted to see how fast I could fold it so I set a timer and went to work. It only took me a total of 48 seconds to fold it into its cube-like shape. After assembling all the pieces together for the first time, I picked Brad up out of his wheelchair and put him in the JOSI for the first time. I then fastened him securely in the harness system and off we went on our first walk in JOSI. I could tell immediately this product was a winner! Brad was in a more relaxed position with his legs almost straight and had a huge smile on his face. It looked as if he was just chilling out on a couch! We went straight to the entrance of the forest near our office and instead this time we went in! Brad was overwhelmed with excitement! He was taking in all the new scenery around him and

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BIKE TRAILER Another AMAZING feature of the JOSI is it also doubles as a bike stroller. Since I have an electric bike, I’m able to attach the JOSI to it and take Brad on bike adventures without even having to peddle (since it’s electric). All I have to do is: 1. Take off the front wheel on JOSI 2. Attach the bicycle attachment 3. Connect the JOSI attachment to the connector on my bike 4. Attach safety clips These steps take about a minute to complete then we’re off! Bike adventures are always fun because we can go much faster than walking or running. Of course, we always wear safety hel- mets! Brad absolutely loves these biking adventures! He loves how fast we’re able to go and how the wind hits his hair. He finds it very refreshing. Our further trip to-date is 70km and we plan on going much further this coming summer.

JOSI is available in three different sizes (S, M, +L). Many seating and positioning options and accessories with customized colors.

Website: https://www.josistrollerusa.com/

WHEELBLADES

Trying to maneuver a wheelchair in snow and ice is extremely difficult. We’ve learnt the hard way by breaking multiple wheels and sometimes even getting stuck in the snow! When we found

JOSI Review: Adaptive Jogging Stroller and Bicycle Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hK6GAyTiPs

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out about Wheelblades we were extremely excited! They are skis that attach to the front wheels on a wheelchair and make it pos- sible to glide through snow and ice with ease! We’ve even tested them out on a skating rink and they were a success! Oftentimes, during the winter while Brad attended College downtown we were forced to stay indoors the entire day! We were luckily able to go to the shopping mall beside the College since there was an underground entrance, but not everywhere has that possibility. A few times, we decided to brave the cold weather and ventured outside. We never knew what to expect the sidewalks to look like. The snow removal crews are very hit or miss in some areas and sometimes it doesn’t even matter how well they removed the snow since the ice forms random uneven patterns that make it nearly impossible to push the wheelchair over. The first day we got the Wheelblades, we clipped them in, put on our jackets and decided to head over to Starbucks two blocks over. It was snowing outside, which would normally be a deterrent. We opened the main door to the school and were immediately met with a few inches of snow. However, this time there wasn’t any struggle. This time we were gliding across it! We were both smiling from ear to ear and laughing the entire time as I pushed Brad at rapid speeds to the Starbucks. In the end it was

a success and we decided to make a full product review video on Wheelblades showcasing how game changing this product is. One thing we love about them is how easy they are to put on! We can clip them on or take them off in a matter of seconds. They are also very portable since they are lightweight and relatively small. We usually bring a bag with us to transport them. When we come in from outside, we usually brush off all the snow/ice build up on the skis then store them back in the bag.

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Wheelblade Review: Adapted Skis for Wheelchairs and Strollers! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQpTpNWdw-E

Another discovery we made was they aren’t only useful for wheelchairs, but strollers too! Many parents who push their chil- dren in strollers during the winter experience similar issues as wheelchair users. Now, they too can glide across the snow with ease! Wheelblades have allowed us to get outdoors more often during the winter months and we are extremely grateful for this! No longer does snowfall or icy sidewalks hold us back! We can now confidently head outside and enjoy what winter has to offer. FEATURES: • Attaches/Detaches in seconds with very little effort • The convenient size and lightweight means you can take the Wheelblades XL anywhere • The skis are impact-resistant and break-proof thanks to high-quality, robust materials • The adjustable clamp fastening means the Wheelblades XL can be set to any position • The Wheelblades XL makes it easy to push strollers, rehab buggies and walkers through the snow • High-quality design

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Blades-Stan- dard/dp/B08NTQG9PF

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