Saul is Ready to Rumble

Saul is an outdoorsy kid who loves to go as fast as he can. However, he has to move from place to place in his wheelchair to accommodate his oxygen tank. Despite his sensory deficits in sight and hearing, Saul is able to share his love for speed. Little did Saul know that he would win a Wild Thing scooter customized just for him by ADA designers at a CHARGE Conference.

CHARGE is a multisensory disability, and like many children with CHARGE, Saul is deaf and nearly blind; he needs lots of sensory activity to keep his brain active and challenged.  “We met Saul at a CHARGE conference this summer, Said Eric Gottshall, Designer & Fabricator at ADA. “We have had a strong and growing relationship with the New York DeafBlind Collaborative.”  Last year, the collaborative sponsored a CHARGE conference for parents and their children.  “This conference is a place where ADA can share its mission and services to a larger community.” Said Eric.  We gave a presentation about our services, but we wanted to do more.”Eric and his fellow designers were able to get their hands on two zippy scooters called “Wild Things” to raffle away at the conference…And Saul won the Wild Thing!

Wild Things run on a battery and are easily controlled by hand levers, almost like the ones on electric wheelchairs.  “Sometimes we can get a ready-made piece of equipment like the Wild Thing and adapt it just for our clients.” Said Eric.  “Saul has a fragile spine, so we had to retrofit the car to work with his body.  He also uses an oxygen tank so we built a sleek holder on the back of the chair.”  After some tinkering and lots of measuring, the Wild Things was ready.  Saul hopped right in the Wild Thing and took off down a park trail. He twirled his new wheels around and around, then charged ahead as fast as he could, smiling from ear to ear.

“At ADA we are all about adapting equipment, but we are also about joy, creativity, and helping kids to live their best lives.” Said Eric.  “We love the fact that Saul can go fast and feel the wind; he can enjoy being an active boy in the park, like the other kids.”  Now that ADA knows Saul, he can come back anytime he needs other adaptive equipment or outgrows the Wild Thing.  “We are always developing new adaptive equipment for kids as they grow and have new needs’” Said Eric.  Nothing makes us happier than seeing Saul tearing down the sidewalk in his Wild Thing!

Saul received his Wild Thing for no charge.  Adaptive equipment designed and built by ADA is always provided to families at no charge.  Donations cover the cost of designing and building adaptive equipment.  We invite you to join our family of supporters who believe in providing accessible equipment to anyone who needs it in New York City. 

Picture description: Progress pictures of the Wild Thing chair

Picture description: Saul trying out his new Wild Thing chair at the park in the first and last pictures. In the middle chair, Saul is receiving the chair and making sure it fits- it does!

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