by Michael J. Workman PT
8. December 2009 01:06
A request for a sports wheelchair came to Ability Found through a university program that coaches/trains kids and adults with spinal cord injuries to play basketball and tennis. It seems a very special young man who is a refugee from Sudan enjoys playing sports but has no wheelchair to use. He has been in the USA for about two years and was paralyzed at the waist from a very young age.
Everyday chair is the term for the regular wheelchairs that people use to get around, go to school, work and in the community. Sports chair is the term for the wheelchairs that people use to play sports. Sports wheelchairs are too customized to use everyday and everyday chairs are not designed well for sports.
As a general rule insurance companies and Medicare/Medicaid will not purchase sports wheelchairs on behalf of people with disabilities. The reasoning is understandable, which is probably that they cannot even keep up with purchasing everyday wheelchairs to say nothing of sports wheelchairs. That, however, does not matter to Ability Found, as we are thrilled to help.
With the assistance of his physical therapist, our wheelchair vendor and the boy’s coach we ordered a custom sports wheelchair that is convertible for both basketball and tennis. The look on his face as he rolled onto the court to play tennis was breathtaking and made me realize why I enjoy working with Ability Found. The hours of enjoyment he will receive by playing sports may not make up for his paralysis but the freedom he has gained is priceless.
Michael J. Workman PT
Abilityfound.org