by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: David Constantine

It’s not always easy looking outside yourself. It’s challenge for every human. And when you have a disability, it can be even easier being consumed by your own issues, but none of that stopped David Constantine, MBE (short for “Most Excellent Order of the British Empire don’t ya know).

One of the co-founders of Motivation, he helps run an award-winning charity that creates and donates low-costs wheelchairs to developing countries. And Motivation is no small charity. In 2012 alone, they donated over 26,000 wheelchairs.

Read on to learn more about this fascinating Aussie-Brit quadriplegic who’s dedicated his life to helping others just like him, but are in greater need. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Wheelchair Drifting – Turning Lemons Into Awesomeness

Made popular by The Fast and the Furious movies, drifting is the art of your car’s back wheels gliding after gaining momentum. This is done by turning to the side real fast, and it can be pretty awesome to see.

Not surprisingly, wheelchair-users are getting in on the drifting action (it was only a matter of time).

Drifting however is all about surfaces. From blacktop and tile to natural surfaces like ice, how well you drift (and impress everyone around you) is dependent on it. The “vehicle” as well is just as important.

Powerchairs are the  easiest to drift, however I have seen manual chairs drift on ice. Check out our three sweet wheelchair drifting videos below showing how it’s done on all surfaces. Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Kristin Duquette

Long before American Paralympian Kristin Duquette became disabled, when she was 6 years old she had a dream – to one day become an Olympic swimmer. Growing up near the ocean in East Hartford, Connecticut, Kristin loved to swim, but her dream was in danger when she was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at age 9.

Kristin however refused to look at her diagnosis as the nail in the coffin to her swimming career. Despite doctors telling her to not swim to preserve her muscle strength (she was diagnosed with a form of Muscular Dystrophy that is progressive), she went back into swimming and shocked everyone by showing it’s possible you can get a stronger through training even with progressive muscular dystrophy.

Read on for Kristin’s some awesome story of perseverance, athleticism and her new passion that was ignited while studying at Trinity college – her commitment to making disability rights a true human rights issue. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Bring On the Sassy Wheelchair Ladies

Every year young girls who use wheelchairs become the next line of fierce disabled women, and the latest girls to blossom into strong, proud women are making some awesome videos full of spunk and strong opinions; spectacular videos the world needs to see.

From calling out people on things that annoy them to showing some surprising sexuality despite the presence of a wheelchair, here are three fresh videos from female wheelchair-users who show us we have a bright future to look forward to full of strong disabled movers and shakers. Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Bob Coomber

When we’re kids a lot of things are ingrained in us. For Bob Coomber, 59, and one of the most prolific wheelchair hikers in the world, he couldn’t shake his love for hiking after becoming a wheelchair-user. Hiking some of the tallest peaks in California is what he’s known for.

While technically Bob doesn’t have a spinal cord injury – he has severe nerve and bone damage to his legs from severe undiagnosed juvenile diabetes (and hasn’t walked since he was 38) – his ability to continue on, hiking as a wheelchair-user and sharing the joy of hiking was other wheelchair-users, makes him a superstar in our book. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Wheelchair Curling: Inexpensive Universal Fun

If you love hanging out in freezing ice arenas and are a sucker for competition at a very precise level, you can’t get any better than wheelchair curling. When it comes to adapted sports, this is one of the most inexpensive ones you can play. You don’t need a special chair, which is awesome. All you need is a modified stick, a stone, a few willing partners and some ice time.

And with the Sochi Winter Paralympics about to arrive (63 days away!), the wheelchair curlers of the world are gearing up. Canada remains one of the most prolific wheelchair curling teams in the mix, however the Russians aren’t too shabby either. And all levels of ability can play; from quads to paras, and both females and males are on each team.

If you have no idea how wheelchair curling is played and finally want to be enlightened on this insanely popular sport, check out our three videos. Read more

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Shannon Chisholm

Bodybuilding is a sport that celebrates the human body, which is why so many SCIers are drawn to it (we love making what we still got as awesome as possible). But for Shannon Chisholm, she was in love with bodybuilding long before her injury.

Her journey into bodybuilding began over 10 years ago when she decided to change her lifestyle after being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. The bodybuilding and healthy diet worked, and she was a successful amateur bodybuilder for several years. But her world changed nearly 2 years ago while riding her bicycle to the gym one morning.

Read on for the awesome story of a full-time mother, wife to a high school sweetheart and one of the best paralyzed bodybuilders currently competing,  Shannon Chisholm. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Enjoying Hot Water Healing, Safely

Some of us resort to getting lifted into the delicious hot water because we’re not strong enough, while others have figured out clever ways to get themselves in using some serious transfers sills.

There’s even a transfer aid available that’s perfect for hot tubs. So stop looking at the hot water lovingly wishing you can get in, and read how it’s possible below.

Our first video comes from seasoned spinal cord injured video-maker WheelzofFortune, a 20-something paraplegic who’s made hundreds of videos showing how he does things in life.

In this video of him enjoying a hot tub, he shows how he can transfer himself completely out of the hot tub independently. Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Anthony Netto

When Anthony Netto was injured in a car accident in 1994, hit by by a drunk driver while on his way to a major golf tournament in South Africa, he thought he would never be able to play golf again. But fortunately for all of the golfers in the world, he did not concede so easily.

Instead, after meeting a young boy with a disability while in rehab, his self-pity went out the window and he decided to figure out how he could golf again. Anthony ended up creating one of the coolest machines ever invented to help people without leg movement to stand up and play golf. Read his amazing story and how he’s helping others rediscover golf here.

by Tiff -

Turning Your Wheels Into a Paintbrush

Creating art can be quite cathartic, especially if you’ve gone through a traumatic bodily experience like a spinal cord injury.  And while many people spinal cord injuries have discovered painting post-injury, not many use their wheels as their paintbrush. It’s a very cool growing art however.

From a manual wheelchair-user creating thin lines with his wheels to a power wheelchair-user creating art with a more robust tire-track look, check out three videos below showing one of the coolest art forms to exist solely because of a wheelchair. Read this entry