Well it is memorial weekend. I see it spread out all over Facebook (and I also heard it at work) where most people are out camping or boating or hanging out at the river. 3 things that just aren’t options for me right now. I know that I have talked about this stuff before but I feel it again today so it is the perfect time to revisit it.
I want to go camping. I know I have said it before and I believe I have even listed it in my goals. I saw the other day where another company made a “handicap camper”. It was kind of a joke though, as the only thing they really added was a ramp in the front of it with a fold down bed. I don’t think I could have made it into the rest of the camper, as the wall and the sink were too close together. Even if I did, the bathroom was a complete no go. There was no way to get to the shower and it had a step up into it. I still believe the company I talked to in Oklahoma City that would make a custom trailer from a cargo trailer would probably be able to help me get something that would work. The problem is lumber went ridiculous so the cost to build it probably doubled. I don’t have that kind of extra money laying around since I am still saving it to put the addition on my house (which is sort of on hold for lumber prices as well). I still almost would like to go to work for a camper company and help them design something a lot more disabled user friendly. They always use the same line that everyone requires something different so they can’t make something that will accommodate all. I agree to an extent, but they could get a lot closer to accommodating most than they are. They are too focused on the normal camper things to focus on what is required for most handicap people in a chair. They need to simplify their layouts and focus on the bathroom and bedrooms. A very small kitchenette and living area is all that is really required. If I could figure out all that is required to build these, I would start my own company building campers. Maybe I should, I would just have to find the right help.
Boating is a similar problem. I don’t know that it would be too difficult to figure out how to make a boat that has a lift in it so that you could get a disabled person in it. Boat docks are required to have at least one spot that is handicap accessible per the ADA rules that were revised in 2011. The only boat that I could think of that would work for a chair is a pontoon (I am a little skeptical of taking my $25,000 chair on a boat though!). I have seen where people have modified their boat trailers to put a lift on it so that you could pick someone up and put them in a boat seat before you put it in the water. I feel like you could take a similar concept and put it on a boat and basically do the same thing. You could also do things like custom seats and moving chairs that could work. These ideas are some of the ways that I think that I could be beneficial to a company that builds or sells boats.
Remember if you do take a handicap person out that you should always take their seat belt off if they are still in their chair. If you would happen to be in a boating accident, that chair is nothing but a big boat anchor.
The last thought I brought up was going to the river. I saw a company that was trying to manufacture a handicap kayak once. Unfortunately, I believe the owner died in the middle of trying to get it finished up. I feel like I could take his idea and tweak it or maybe even try to figure out what happened to the company he was trying to build. I could see it as an opportunity to maybe get into a business and further his vision. You could probably apply the same concept to a canoe. The other thing I want to do is make a waterproof off-road chair. That way if I wanted to go to the river, I could. I have seen a few things made for the beach that you might be able to take their concept and adapt it for the river. I need to research this more. Once again this could be another business idea.
Maybe I should start combining all of these ideas together and start a business that does all of them. It would be nice to find someone that would be willing to partner with me (or as I have stated numerous times) or sponsor me to help me build some prototypes. If anyone would like to help or knows someone who might be interested, please contact me. rick@retainingmobility.com
I want to be able to do the things that everyone else around me can do that they don’t think about me not being able to do (even things like mowing my own grass).
Thanks for reading!