Get Creative and Stay Active with Adaptive Equipment and Accessories

Never say never. If you have lost mobility due to age or are living with a disability, you do not have to give up on doing the things you love. You may simply need to get creative and find the necessary adaptive equipment or relevant accessories to do the things you really enjoy doing. I have lived with a physical disability because of polio since I was a baby. I don’t know if I was born with a determined nature or if I developed it but I’ve always been a problem-solver and if someone told me “you can’t” I found a way in which I could. I’ve always looked for creative ways to adapt or designed things that would help me accomplish what I wanted to do. When I was young independence was my goal and whenever someone would say, “you can’t,” I would respond, “I can do anything anyone else can, I just have to do it a little differently.”

Long before the wheelchair backpacks were being sold, I designed one of my own and used it for my books when I was in college. I bought a car, got hand-controls, then my driver’s licence...in that order! Then I traveled across the country several times by myself. I even flew a plane. There was no stopping me once I set my mind to something. And it should be the same for anyone who wants to do something in their life that can be done with the proper equipment or adaptive technology. Instead of settling for what can’t be done, think about what you need to make it possible and then find it or design it.

A simple aid that can be found in any pharmacy and even in most grocers is the reacher stick or grabber. I have used one of these for years and it has a varied and interesting array of uses—laundry, picking up dropped items, even petting the cat. When my cat was a tiny kitten, she was too small for me to reach on the floor so I used to pet her with the reacher stick. Now when she sees that I have it in my hand she’ll roll over on her back to be petted or play-wrestle.

A good pair of wheeling gloves is a must If you have a manual chair. For years I wheeled a manual chair with my bare hands and had many callouses to prove it. In my twenties I challenged myself once a year to wheel five miles in one stretch and did it all without gloves. Instead, I had a washcloth in a plastic bag so I could wipe my hands now and then. It worked but a pair of gloves would have been so helpful.

If you’re like me and enjoy going for walks with a coffee to go, a cup holder is a useful accessory. It can be used on a wheelchair, scooter or a walker so there’s no reason to avoid a nice warm drink on a cool walk in the park.

Of course a backpack is a must to carry all your things but the regular ones just don't fit right and can cause unnecessary wear and tear on the back of your chair. A backpack made for a wheelchair fits nicely and makes it so much more convenient. Or perhaps all that is needed is an organizer for your walker so you always have a pad of paper or a pen handy with your favorite magazine. These accessories save you from making trips back and forth to get the things you forgot to get the first time.

My bed used to be covered in books and papers because it was so much easier just to reach for it than to have to get out of bed and wheel across the room to get it. Once I built a shelf that ran the length of my bed at the right height along the wall so everything was within easy reach. Anything to make things easier is useful.

Then there is the problem of easy access to places that have only one or two stairs. The portable ramp solves that problem and opens up opportunities that otherwise would seem insurmountable. One of these ramps can also be used to get into a vehicle and costs very little compared to a lift.

Do you love fishing but tire too quickly to hold a fishing rod for long periods of time? Well the fishing rod holder is your answer—it attaches to your wheelchair or walker. Go to your favorite fishing spot, set up your rod, and sit back and relax while you wait for the fish to bite!

If you love photography the way I do but don't know how to carry a big tripod. The rod with a camera or video camera insert would be just the thing you need so you can pursue your favorite hobby. Don't let what seems like a hindrance stop you when all you need is just to get the right equipment to make it work.

Maybe you like working out in the shop but have no easy way to transport the tools you're using. A lap basket works great and you have your hands free and don't need to worry about dropping everything. Or, perhaps you want to do a small shop and need a way to carry your basket—this would work great for that.

Almost everyone these days needs a computer for whatever they want to do—design, graphics, play games, stay in touch with friends, etc. A laptop table is the perfect solution. You can take it anywhere, including the park on a nice sunny day!

Or, perhaps you like to journal or draw in a notebook, the lap table is a portable solution so you can go to a private place without access to a regular table.

For people with disabilities it can be difficult to adapt to the regular equipment in health clubs or fitness centers. As was my experience, some gyms would not even accept my membership because they felt I was a liability risk. I had to be creative to get the exercise I needed. Workout tapes for breathing even had to be adapted for someone who is sitting, but that wasn't too hard to do. Things have progressed considerably since then but there are still many places that will turn people away unless they meet the physical requirements. So, another option is to find workout equipment to use at home, like the rowing machine or the hand cycle machine.

There are many other sports that now have adapted equipment such as cycling, snow skiing, water skiing, sailing, etc. A great site to find equipment for these things is: Spokes 'n Motion, which is based in New Zealand. They have it all: alpine skiing, cross country, water skiing, beach & all-terrain wheelchair, sledge hockey, all-terrain third wheel, handcycles & handbikes, and land sailing (blokarting.) Some countries are more advanced in what is available for people with disabilities but if you are determined you will find what you need. There is no such thing as "can't" anymore...just keep looking for solutions to whatever problem standing in your way and go for it!