Mobility with Style

For thousands of years, people with disabilities were viewed as inferior, damaged, even evil. The ancient Greeks believed that those with physical imperfections were substandard, corroborated by Plato’s philosophy that the “deformed” ought to have been put away in “mysterious unknown places.” Later, theologians Martin Luther and John Calvin asserted that people with mental and physical limitations were possessed by evil spirits that necessitated painful and cruel exorcisms. As time went on, tolerance for disabilities did not increase; rather, Darwinists and similar evolutionists lobbied against aid for people with impairments, rationalizing that the continuity of an “inferior species” would interfere with survival of the fittest and a superior race. In a similar vein, Hitler and his Nazi party sought to eliminate all people with disabilities, claiming that their very existence tainted their pure-blooded nation. Historically, people with physical, emotional, and/or mental challenges have not been treated well and remained stigmatized until fairly recently.

Today, people with impairments are more fortunate than they ever have been. They are protected by laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, which ensure that they are awarded equal rights in the workforce and educational systems and are granted accessibility to public places. They are not only tolerated, however; people with disabilities are fully accepted and embraced as being just like everyone else. This is evidenced in countless respects: in the sports world, with the Paralympics, International Wheelchair Basketball Federation, and organized wheelchair-bound participants in dance competitions; in popular culture, demonstrated by actors such as Christopher Reeve and Michael J. Fox and stage and film presence of people with dwarfism and other conditions – in typical roles, not as “freaks” in carnival sideshows as they were in years past – and musicians like Itzhak Perlman and Stevie Wonder; and in the academic world, where students of all abilities are admitted to schools and people like Stephen Hawking are celebrated rather than shunned. Humankind has made great strides in our attitude toward those with differing abilities.

Because we have finally made the leap to full inclusion of people with disabilities, the mobility product market has adjusted accordingly. Gone are the days in which people were relegated to the same few uncomfortable, categorically unfashionable wheelchairs and walkers, regardless of ability. Today’s manufacturers produce chairs, rollators, walkers, crutches, and scooters of all shapes, sizes, and designs to suit users of all ages and capabilities and to allow consumers to live life to its fullest degree.

Pediatric Mobility

Medline Excel Kidz Pediatric Wheelchair

Living with a disability can be difficult for anyone. Disabilities in children create an increased set of difficulties: other children, who may not have yet developed tolerance or tact, often stare, point, and tease their peers with disabilities; playground equipment must be adapted; no child likes to feel “different” or be singled out. Mercifully, many mobility manufacturers offer full lines of products geared specifically for children to make their lives easier and help them gain acceptance in school and life. These adaptive devices often feature bright colors, child-friendly graphics, added comfort, adjustable components to grow with the child, and advanced safety features for school, transportation, and play settings. Medline, for example, offers the Excel Kidz pediatric wheelchair, which features a bright yellow smiley face on the backrest and a matching frame with upholstered leg rests and armrests, anti-tip tires, and a design guaranteed to highlight a child’s playful personality. Wenzelite’s Kanga TS Tilt-in-Space wheelchair is not only safe, with proper positioning and crash-tested safety standards for bus rides, it’s sleek and fun for children of all ages.  Children who depend on walkers and/or gait trainers need not despair; the Wenzelite Nimbo walker/gait trainer is stylish enough to have been featured on the front cover of Parents magazine!

Wenzelite Nimbo Walker/Gait Trainer

Recreational Mobility

With the popularity of assistive sports on the rise, the necessity for adaptive wheelchairs has risen correspondingly. Industry leader Invacare creates specialty wheelchairs for practically every need: their Top End® line includes chairs designed for tennis, basketball, hiking, camping, and dance. They offer handcycles – hand-powered bicycles – for users of all ages and in various styles for assorted biking styles such as recreational riding, speed racing, off-road cycling, and recumbent biking. The chairs and bikes are available in myriad colors to suit every user’s tastes. Drive Medical crafts scooters and canes for all-terrain use, appropriate for avid hunters, fishermen, campers, and general outdoorsmen. With these sophisticated, professional apparatuses, people with disabilities can participate in team and individual sports just like their fully abled peers.

Mobility with Personality

Invacare Pronto Air PT

Everyone has his or her distinct style, and individuals with mobility challenges are no different. Fortunately, their assistive devices no longer stand in the way of dressing with flair. Wheelchairs and walkers are now available in many colors and styles to flatter any user and fit seamlessly in with his or her lifestyle. Invacare’s Pronto® Air PT, for example, is marketed as a “personal transporter” and “pure mobility solution” rather than a power chair; to call it a wheelchair would not do it justice. Its sleek, futuristic body features an adjustable footplate, 12” drive wheels for smooth, consistent transitioning for indoor and outdoor terrain, a top speed of 4.5 mph, precision steering, and contoured MyBody™ cushioning with pressure-relieving foam to adapt to and supports its driver’s pressure points. Drive Medical’s Nitro 4-wheel rollator is a lightweight, sturdy device with an attractive, cherry-red Euro-style design and is intended to provide mobility and safety with character. It has truly captured nationwide attention; it earned prestige with a Medtrade Innovation Award in 2012. 

Drive Medical Nitro 4 Wheel Rollator

Aside from the assistive device itself, mobility accessories spice up any chair, walker, rollator, or crutch. Nova is dedicated to providing people with personal touches to individualize their device. They offer practical walker and wheelchair accessories in a wide array of colors and patterns, including “glamour bags” in patterns such as Leopard Diva and Boho Blossoms, saddle bags in Aloha Pink, mobility clutches and wristlets, and seat covers and cushions in plush, fashionable fabrics to customize any device. They make mobility challenges fun with innovative accessories and products such as their cane displays, which include several canes in different patterns and colors on a handy rotating rack, which allows users to pick a cane to match any outfit or mood.

How can I make my disability stylish?

Nova Glamour Bag

Individuals with mobility challenges deserve the same opportunities as their able-bodied contemporaries, and are now – at last! – granted the ability to take advantage of them. We at Tiger Medical Supplies are dedicated to easing the lives of people with disabilities in any and every way possible. Visit our website or call our knowledgeable customer service representatives to start updating your mobility “wardrobe” today. You can depend on us to help you lead an active, independent, and fashionable lifestyle!