by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Hilary Lister

On paper, Hilary Lister could very well be one of the most interesting women in the world. From being an accomplished clarinet player and biochemist in her early years to becoming a world-renowned sailor, this woman is no average lady at the coffee shop. Hillary is in fact quite extraordinary.

But her journey into these exciting areas of life were all because of one thing and one of the only – her disability – and not some able-bodied dream she had before becoming paralyzed from the neck down.

Hilary has done more in her life than most able-bodied people, and she has no intention of stopping anytime soon.

Read on for Hillary’s rockin’ story, as well as her most recent sailing accomplishment (she really has no intention of stopping) – crossing the Indian Ocean. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Wheelchair-User’s GoPro Extreme Adventures

In a sea of cameras, the GoPro camera is definitely the Sucker fish; the camera that very stealth-like attaches itself to anything it can. This is why this camera has become a favorite of extreme athletes, and adapted athletes, wanting to share their first person experience with the world.

Mount it, wear it, the options are endless. The camera/company itself, own by Nick Woodman, a surfer from California, has been around since 2004, and it’s become quite the phenomenon. Thousands of amazing wheelchair-perspective videos have been made over the years too, from simple stuff like “ride-alongs” to giving an in-your-face view of a hardcore adaptive sport.

Check out 3 videos below that feature some of the best GoPro footage ever taken from a wheelchair user’s perspective. When you have a rugged, HD camera like this, the options truly are are endless. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Never Before Seen Wheelchair Elevators

ference to our lives, transforming us from dependent into independent individuals and it’s been a beautiful thing to witness.

Elevators too have come a mighty long way since they were invented in the late 1800s. They’ve especially become cooler since the dawn of the Computer age, especially when you throw in a healthy dose of American ingenuity. They’ve been so fabulous in fact we had to write this post.

Read on for three unforgettable videos showcasing elevators made specifically for wheelchair-users. Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Capt. Stewart McQuillan

They say the desire to be up in the great blue yonder is something you’re born with. If that’s true, then that certainly explains Captain Stewart McQuillan’s lifelong passion for aviation, the world’s first paraplegic to fly a helicopter.

A hardy veteran of the Royal Air Force, McQuillan’s father and grandfather were both pilots and he himself began flying at 11 years old, but he’s much more than just a pilot.

He’s also an electrical engineer and the brain behind a groundbreaking device that allows those with paralysis to fly a helicopter (or any other rotary device).

For a fearless story that crosses oceans and endless skies, read on to be inspired by Captain Stewart McQuillan. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Adapted Skydiving Part Deux: The No Fear Club

One of the sweetest releases of life in a wheelchair is without question skydiving. When you’re barreling through the sky at 200 miles an hour, it’s hard to think about your limited mobility. In fact, it’s pretty much an afterthought.

And we believe this freeing thing is something all people with disabilities need to experience. For many people with disabilities, skydiving takes them out of their “spot” and into a more tactile world. It’s hard to not feel alive when you’re skydiving.

For videos that touch on the braveness required for skydiving, here are three that do just that, including a few tough paraplegics and quadriplegics who are determined to do what they want t no matter what. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Getting Even Smarter: More Ways to Climb Stairs From Your Wheelchair

When it comes to climbing stairs, that’s not really in the vocabulary of someone who uses a wheelchair on a regular basis. Most of us resign ourselves to the first floor and that is that. However there are some people in wheelchairs who are the exact opposite and would never let a puny thing like a step dare get in their way.

I love these people too. They show the world that people in wheelchairs can be quite unexpected. Just because some of us can’t walk, it absolutely doesn’t mean we’re weak.  These very strong individuals include paraplegics and those with minor to moderate spinal bifida and cerebral palsy.

It’s a feat, a work of art, the way some individuals climb stairs without leg movement. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Keepin’ Your Ride Immaculate: The Best Wheelchair Cleaning Techniques

The wheelchair may go down in history as one of the most useful gadgets ever created by man, beating out the car, the TV, even the electric drill. How come? It replaces the need for legs. When it comes to the higher purpose of a gadget, you can’t get anymore important than this.

And since it’s such a make-or-break device, keeping it in working order AND clean are of tantamount of importance, and ensure you have a ride you can count on. After all, without your legs what do you got? Keeping your wheelchair clean however definitely takes a bit of elbow grease.

The good news is that there are loads of tricks and gadgets to get it done, getting your wheelchair as sparkly white as possible (or sparkly gun-metal grey if that’s the color of your chair). Read this post

by Tiff -

Beautiful Wheelchair Art Installations

Art can change the way you think and the way you see things. It can make you take pause, to wonder about something in this world that you didn’t before, which is why it’s great when art tackles disability.

Whether it’s showing a different way to view “failing”  by using an iconic piece of medical equipment to showing how we as people with disabilities thrive in spite of our disabilities, an art installment has the power to help the world see the truth behind disability.

For a look at some of the best art exhibits on disability, read this post.

by Tiff -

Just Say No to Curbs

Nothing goes together worse than curbs and wheelchairs. Well maybe square wheels and wheelchairs, but that’s another blog post entirely. The thing about curbs – they’re everywhere.

They’re a beacon of modern-day society, keeping pedestrians and vehicles safe from one another, but they weren’t exactly created with people in wheelchairs in mind. Some wheelchairs, or rather wheelchair-users, can do a bang up job of popping curbs, but for most wheelchair-users, curbs are as limiting as a 2 foot thick steel door.

There are however several tricks wheelchair-users can learn to no longer let curbs hold them back. Some may be tricky, but they all work. Check out our curb-traversing videos below. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Get Your Walk-On with Gait Training

When it comes to recovering from a spinal cord injury, doctors used to say there was no hope at all. But that is no longer the case, and gait training – the therapy treatment that suspends you in the air and helps you walk – surely proves this point.

Nearly every major rehab spinal cord injury facility now either has gait training or is trying hard to get the program going; that is how beneficial this treatment is. Creating new neural connections, preventing osteoporosis, increasing blood flow and more, the benefits are huge. For a quick look at gait training, read our post.