The Adaptive Experience

By: Anna Tuckett

When it comes to adapting recreation for people with disabilities, the sky is truly the limit. To show this is true, Provo Parks and Recreation is having an adaptive fair next week.

On the 27th of this month, UATP/CReATE will be participating in The Adaptive Experience in Provo.

This year we will have an interactive booth where people can learn more about our services. It will also be a great resource for learning ways to adapt recreation for people with disabilities.

The event will be held at the Provo Recreation Center, and in addition to our booth, there will be plenty of fun activities to participate in.

Below is a list of some of the fun things you can get involved in at the event:

-Painting community collages with a paintbrush in your mouth
-Practicing basketball drills in highly adjustable sport wheelchairs
-Testing out adaptive equipment that lets you walk, cycle, and ski without legs
-Play a game of Goal Ball (soccer for people with visual impairments) with the BYU women's soccer team
-Participate in fitness demonstrations including Tai Chi, yoga, and tumbling tots
-Educational workshops that aim to teach parents and community members about working with mild to severe disabilities
-Live entertainment, food, giveaways and crafts

Come check it out and let us know what your favorite activity was on Twitter. Just follow us and include our handle, @utahATprogram, in your tweet.

CReATE: Reita’s Success Story

By Zach Waxler

Sometimes at CReATE, the lifecycle of a wheelchair is long and interesting. This was the case for Utahn Reita Lee, said program coordinator for CReATE, Tom Boman.

Citizens Reutilizing Assistive Technology Equipment’s (CReATE), part of the Utah Assistive Technology Program (UATP), goal is to refurbish and repair mobility equipment for Utahns with disabilities at a low-cost.

In mid-December, Lee was involved in a hit-and-run and needed the wheelchair she has previously received from CReATE repaired. Luckily, Lee was not injured in the accident.

“People that use wheelchairs outdoors are in very real danger of being struck by vehicles,” Boman said. “Since Reita really couldn’t leave home without her chair, we expedited the refurbishing process for her. I believe it was only three days before she got it back.”

Boman said the chair was damaged, but not significant enough to purchase an entire new chair.

“The front frame and footplate were both bent and damaged,” Boman said. “With a little work, we were able to straighten out the bent frame back to its original configuration.”

Boman said Lee anticipated the return of her chair.

Reita Lee in her repaired chair.

“She met me at the door of her house all ‘dolled up’ and was just beaming when she saw the chair,” Boman said. “She gave me a big hug and headed right off to do some volunteer work at her church – before I could even get back to the van and get back to the shop. It was pretty obvious that she was tired of being without her chair.”

Boman said Reita is a great client to work with.

“Reita was a real pleasure to help,” Boman said. “She donated a manual wheelchair and an electric lift to the CReATE program – so she is both a client and a donor.”

For more information about donating equipment to CReATE, contact Tom Boman at (801) 887-9390.

Sometimes it's the little things: low-cost AT

Sometimes it is the small and simple things that help a person with a disability be independent and have a better quality of life.

To make this ideal a reality for Utahns in the St. George area, the Utah Assistive Technology Foundation and the Red Rock Center for Independence have teamed up to make getting low-cost assistive technology possible.

The RRCI team evaluates the AT needs of people with disabilities in their area and if they are unable to afford the needed items or adaptations, they help the individual with a small grant application from UATF. 

One such consumer who has severe arthritis in his back and neck was experiencing some paralysis, as well as - having a heart condition and is in need of knee replacements. His doctor recommended a mattress overlay. The pain associated with getting up and moving is so severe he is confined to a bed for long periods resulting in sores and more pain. But with a grant from UATF he was able to get the mattress overlay and has experienced significant relief from his pain.

A man using the Chattervox.

Another consumer had a ramp in ill repair making the device unsafe. The ramp required welding, but RRCI could not find anyone in the rural area to perform the repair. Finally a welder was located and agreed to the repairs. Through UATF funds, the repairs will be made and the consumer can use the ramp safely.

Unable to speak very loudly and be understood, one consumer contacted RRCI to see if his voice could be amplified. He wanted his wife and others to understand what he says. After getting a UATF grant, he was able to buy a voice amplifier - Chattervox. 

UATF is proud to work with RRCI to help provide Utahns with disabilities the AT they need to be independent.