Tag Archives: wheelchairs

Accessible Holiday Parties

Plan ahead by finding out information about your guests.

Ask if anyone has a special diet or food allergy to consider
Find out if anyone is bringing a service animal – your Fluffy may not appreciate Fido, so you may want to take your pets into a separate area of your home
Decide what area of the house could be a private place – some people may need to take medication, change feeding tubes or have other personal needs

Food accessibility can be determined by thinking about food shape, size, consistency, and packaging.

Large and floppy sandwiches with loose ingredients may be difficult to hold for those with limited dexterity
Try to limit the use of wet ingredients in sandwiches, like tomatoes, because it makes them soggy and hard to hold
Smaller items are easier to eat and pick up
Limit the amount of cutting that foods require
Serve foods that stay on a fork – rice, small vegetables and long spaghetti noodles are more difficult than tortellini or rigatoni
Soup is not very accessible
Have a variety of differently sized and shaped cutlery
Straws, cups with lids and beverages in both cans and bottles provide beverage accessibility
Packaging should be easy to open and re-sealable to enable small eaters to save food for later

Conduct an accessibility review of your home. You can’t change everything, such as the foundation of your home, but you can make some simple changes to your home to ensure that people in wheelchairs have better access to things they need:

Consider the height of your table – can a wheelchair fit comfortably? If not, consider swapping out your regular dinner table for something taller or shorter
Remove barriers that make navigating your house difficult – take out extra coffee tables, lamps, chairs, throw rugs and items that sit on the floor
Ensure adequate lighting for persons with visual impairments
Keep music low as laughter, noise, talking, music, lights and excitement may already cause over stimulation

Magic Wheelchair

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Magic Wheelchair is a nonprofit organization that makes epic Halloween costumes for children in wheelchairs.

Their vision is to put a smile on the face of every child in a wheelchair by transforming their wheelchairs into awesomeness created by their hands and their imaginations.

Their mission is to give kids in wheelchairs an unforgettable Halloween by creating custom costumes for them at no expense to their families

Kids, with their parents’ permission can submit a 1-3 minute video telling them what they want to be for Halloween and why they should be selected for this year’s Magic Wheelchair Build. They will review the submissions and select 5 children, who will then work with designers and builders to create the ultimate wheelchair costume in time for Halloween!

Being in a wheelchair can be tough, so they want to help kids make something truly epic. To do that requires time, money and the support of people like you. But when they’re done, they will change the life of a young wheelchair rider. See some of the costumes here.or check out their Pinterest account.

For more information about Magic Wheelchair you can visit their website or their Facebook Page.

Accessible Fun Family Summer Activities

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Picnics in the park are a great way to have a nice and affordable time with your family. Most parks are also easily accessible for those in wheelchairs, so pack your favorite snacks and just enjoy the amazing weather. Some local parks will have music playing, or community events that the whole family can enjoy—some even welcome dogs so you can enjoy the day with your furry friend.

Why not take a trip to a museum? Not only are most museum entrance fees affordable, but also this idea is a great way for you and your family to discover foreign cultures, classic masterpieces and more of history, while having a great time doing it.

Have a family game night. Who doesn’t love some mildly intense family competition? Find your favorite board games and plan a night in with the family. Great snacks are a definite must for this kind of fun, so make sure you have plenty of finger foods and yummy treats to munch on while you play. If you’re inviting friends or family members over to your home, it’s always a good idea to ask if there are any special dietary needs or food allergies you should know when planning the evening’s menu.

At home science experiments are a fun way to keep kids engaged even while they’re on summer break. It’s been shown that being away from school, kids lose a third of what they learned the previous year. Help them retain their knowledge and go back to school smarter than ever before by doing fun at home experiments and projects.

Horseback riding and/or fishing have also proven to be very therapeutic for folks with disabilities. Both items provide a great opportunity to be outside in a healthy environment.

Volunteering is definitely the least costly and most rewarding way to spend your time this summer. There are tons of different organizations and causes that you can dive into as a family. Pick a cause, assemble your team and give back to your community this summer.

Accessible Preparations for Memorial Day

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Hosting a Memorial Day Party is the perfect way to kick off your summer adventures, and here are some tips on how to make sure your gathering is accessible and fun for all!

Choose Your Location
To ensure all of your guests are able to easily maneuver around your party and its surroundings, make certain there are ramps, lifts or unobstructed entryways available for guests in wheelchairs. Another thing to consider is parking. If some of your guests will be arriving in wheelchair accessible vans, they might need a little bit of extra room to deploy a lift or ramp.

You can host an accessible Memorial Day party if your home or apartment is less than wheelchair-friendly. Local parks often rent out pavilions or picnic areas for gatherings, and these areas often boast open spaces and paved paths, making them a great bet for guests in wheelchairs.

Perfect Your Spread
From grilling up veggies and even fresh fruits, to stocking up on refreshing drinks to beat the summer heat, making sure you’re serving up tasty treats is perhaps the most important part of throwing a great, memorable party. When planning your party’s spread, always take into consideration any possible allergies or food restrictions your guests might have. If you’re sending out invites, it might be a good idea to ask guests of any food requirements right on the invitation, so you’ll be armed with the right information when it comes time to shop and prep.

Don’t Forget the Entertainment
Every good party needs some entertainment. That doesn’t mean you have to go out and hire a full band though—making your own fun is easy! You could set out the board games for some old school fun or create a dance floor on your deck or living room with plenty of room. Start a game of trivia, charades or bingo, you could even break out the karaoke machine and make some hilarious and potentially embarrassing memories.

Memorial Day is a day for honoring and remembering all of the brave men and women who served (and continue to serve) in our country’s Armed Forces. As such, if you have a disabled veteran attending your party, think of ways that you can honor him/her in some special way.

Adaptive Golf

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Whether you want to learn the game or hone your skills, there is a golf program for everyone! Many solutions exist for whatever stops you from enjoying the game of golf, from carts to clubs to accessories and specialty devices.

Adaptive golf carts now have swivel and extending seats and armrests to play while seated as well as elevating lifts that allow paraplegics and others with limited leg strength to play from a standing position.
Adaptive golf clubs can have special grips for those with missing fingers, deformed hands, osteoarthritis or loss of strength. Some are specialized for seated or standing golfers. Some club shafts are bent for seated individuals.
Gloves and grip aids include prosthetic golf grip devices, elastic gripping devices and more.
Accessories include tee setters and ball retrieval systems to reduce bending. One device even stabilizes your balance.

Search for a golf program for those with disabilities in your area to get tailored instruction from golf instructors certified to teach. For more information, check out national associations like the National Alliance for Accessible Golf, the Disabled Sports USA, and/or the United States Golf Assoc.

The Adaptive Golf Foundation of America has scrambles, classics, opens, championships and tournaments across the country throughout the year.