Ablequip.com Blog for the disabled

—– Original Message —–
From: “Jeff Renals” <Jeff@jjprenals.freeserve.co.uk>
To: “Mike” <ablequip@blueyonder.co.uk>
Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2008 4:37 PM
Subject: Re: Ablequip Request

> Dear Mike
>
> Thank you for sending on the missing strap and bolts.  My son has now
> fitted the Wheel Link.
>
> Unfortunately, when the scooter has the Wheel Link fitted, it becomes too
> long to fit into the lift. Since I am on the first floor of this block of
> shelterd housing, I cannot use the device as intended. So, reluctantly, I
> have had to abandon plans to use it. ( Other options like carrying the
> Link and chair separetely to the hall below have not proved practical.)
>
> I realise that this has nothing to do with the principle or design of the
> product and all to do with the way I had planned to use it. So, for your
> information only, I thought you might like to know about it as it might
> affect other potential users.
>
> Yours sincerely
> Jeff Renals
>

Hi Jeff
Thank you very much for your note.

The first thing that occurs to me is that as you live in sheltered housing
you might be able to obtain some sort of help in keeping the attachment
(which is very easy to place on your scooter) in a locked room on the ground
floor - thereby avoiding the problem of lack of space in the lift.

It is obviously difficult for me to know the exact situation but it does
seem a shame that you cannot use this item to its full potential at the
moment - though I do feel that involving the sheltered housing committee
could have a beneficial effect.

I will soon be putting your update on the web site blog, and it may have an
effect on getting other people who have the same problem to come forward
with ideas.

Thanks again
Mike

We will be at the Naidex Show at NEC Birmingham on the 29 April to 1 May 2008 stand D172, hope to see you there - see our advert below for the Naidex Magazine.

Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and for your invention that once attached to my scooter will extend my ablities.
I will be able to do the following-
1. Go to the train station use my wheelchair to board a train to go to
Art galleries
Museums
the London Eye etc. etc.

2. Go nto the local town and access the following-
Supermarkets to do my shopping.
Bookshop
Beauticians
Library
Swimming pool
Civic centre for U3A meetings

3. The local college for my art classes

4. The vets

5. The doctors surgery

Being of an independant nature and not always wanting to share these activities with my husband the “Wheel-Link” will allow me to pursue my own interests.

Speak to you soon

Sue Jackson

Dear Mike,  “I bought the Wheel-link wheelchair carrier to carry my manual wheelchair on the back of my scooter (Pride Revo 4) to my local dentist. As I have MS, live alone and cannot walk, this seemed an ideal solution for me! I am very independent and so want to continue to keep my smile looking good!” Thanks and good luck at the Naidex exhibition. Allison McGarrity 

Thank you so much for your critique

Steps to Freedom is an emotional statement but I feel that this statement needs more support from the benefits that have been very succinctly pointed out in your excellent words, which explain fully the benefits:

• Provide flexibility
• Peace of mind
• Accessibility
• Save time and effort
• Reduce the stress of going out and feeling uncomfortable, etc

The Wheel-link gives all the benefits which you have listed and sometimes it is not easy to find the words to explain them as well as you have - so

1. thanks for your interest and

2. I will now slightly add a few of these words to my WEB so as to draw people’s attention to the benefits as described.

Thanks again

Mike

When you say Steps to Freedom as your Website headline - on an emotional level, what does you product enable us to do that we are not capable of doing without it?
 
How would it make people FEEL to have it?
 
People buy based on emotion, and justify that decision with logic.  Your website information has to strike a cord instantly.
 
Does the Wheel-link:
 
Provide flexibility
Peace of mind
Accessibility
Save time and effort
Reduce the stress of going out and feeling uncomfortable, etc
  

I am very excited to see this ‘gizmo’. I would like to have my 4 wheel rollator walker with me, sometimes, when I’m out on my scooter. Is there as rack that would work for this?

Phoned her, asked for model - looked at it and agreed to send it to her within 14 days !!

My thoughts - “the needs for these types of items are huge. We must make this Ablequip product more well known.”

Good to hear from you Mike, keep it up, you are making many people happy! especially now that the wheel-link is about to be available for a tri-walker to be carried at the back of a scooter.
I am sure there are also many other ideas that will come through.

01 November 2007 14:48

The following is a request to find an item which is typical of the millions of ideas coming from disabled people for items/products which could make life so much easier for the disabled. Please continue sending them in - they will be researched, you will be updated, and the conclusion could be - JUST WHAT YOUR’E AFTER !!

There is nobody in the world better able to identify these items than the disabled population itself. The following is an email sent from Laura Thompson-Lane :

Mike,   below is a product that I found on an internet search engine (attached - attachment to the boot of a car to carry a wheelchair outside the boot), having phoned the company, it would appear that they are no longer in business.  If you could come up with something similar, easy to use, value for money, easy to secure etc. 
 
I must admit that I am amazed at how difficult it is to find out any information about products for wheelchair users.  Most companys who cater for the disabled, assume that disabled people are elderly with no young family and so most products are not suitable for my family.  We cannot be the only young disabled family!!!

from Laura

Letter sent back to Laura as follows -

Absolutely !

I actually think that we need to do something about the lack of understanding by the ablebodied of the disabled people’s experiences.

It is great to have able bodied people manufacturing items BUT ideas and corrections to the items are rarely sought from the disabled who have to use them. AND (what I find very annoying) is that some very established and well known Companies and Societies keep on putting the disabled types into a “bin” of completely useless and weatherbeaten people,

I know that these people do exist, I sympathise with them, but I am absolutlkey determined not to be placed in that “bin “.

I believe that we have in this country a huge amount of untapped resourse within the disabled environment and I cannot see any excuse for ignoring that resource which if generated would increase self esteem, and reduce health costs within this Country. There is so much to be done yet and I think we need to make people understand that disabled people are an untapped marketplace which now needs to be tapped !

Re. your email info on the Chairack I am doiung some research with my manufacturing Coy (like the idea) and will get back to you.

Any further thoughts on the above would be most welcome.

All the very best

Mike