New Mobility: The magazine for active wheelchair users

Roll on Capitol Hill
Washington, DC
Jun 16 2013
Kids Sports Spectacular
Philadelphia, PA
Aug 17 2013
Submit an event
See all events

Spin 2.0

Tiny wheelchair to the rescue

Mar 27 01:18

I’ve always felt little kids in wheelchairs - more than anyone else on this planet - have deserved better things in life. Since I was injured at 14, I’ve been keenly aware of these kiddos. I was hurt after my childhood ended and I was SO grateful it happened that way. Dance classes, bike rides, climbing trees, ice-skating on frozen ponds….all of that would’ve been off-limits.

This is why the new ZipZac wheelchair, an adorable wheelchair made for toddlers, makes me so happy. This wheelchair is opening up new worlds to these kids and they deserve every second of it. It’s a manual wheelchair, but with a lower seat-to-ground height, so the child sits in a more natural position; a position kids need to explore the world, to play with kids their age, to essentially operate as much like a 2 year old as possible. The wheelchair also has larger push wheels with extra grip, making it easier to push for their little hands. And this little chair can make 360 degree turns, further adding to the “move as naturally as possible” aspects to the chair.

And there’s a great video on ZipZac’s site with a Mom talking about how the chair has helped her son tremendously. She says he is smarter and mentally quicker because of the chair. Love it! As someone who knows what it’s like to be stuck in one position, waiting to be pushed (oh those no-powerchair days), I gotta say I’m not surprised the chair helped that much. The worst thing you can is not give your child the stimulation they need. Before the ZipZac, kids with disabilities had to sit in chairs that were so high up from the ground it was impossible for them to connect.

The ZipZac was invented by an engineer, who had a nephew, Zachary, with Spina Bifida. He saw he needed a much better mobility solution and went at it (this is usually how all great things are made). After he created the ZipZac and saw how miraculous it was for the little guy, they’re now available worldwide, which is a great thing. And at $800, you can’t go wrong. So glad this chair is affordable…hopefully all the kids who need this chair will get access to it eventually.

- Visit their site: ZipZac

Post a comment about this blog!

Screen Name Please enter a screen name.

Contact Email Please enter a valid contact email.

Add your comments in the field below. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted. Please limit your comments to under 1,000 characters.
chars
A value is required.

Security Code : 595
Re-enter security code :

1. Justine | Mar 28 01:46

The only thing cuter than the chair is that face! What a beautiful little boy.

2. Tiffiny Carlson | Mar 30 04:43

So true! That picture is worth a thousand oohs and omg cutes.

Spin 2.0

By Tiffiny Carlson

Tiffiny Carlson Disability buzz, travel, fashion and dating — fun things to amp up everyday wheeling life.

Tiffiny Carlson is freelance writer and writes the “SCI Life” column for New Mobility. She's also a C6 quad from a diving accident that occurred when she was 14 years old. A lifelong resident of Minneapolis, Tiffiny has been a writer in the disability community for over 10 years and writes for several publications and blogs, as well as her personal blog BeautyAbility. Her work has also appeared in mainstream publications such as Nerve.com and Playgirl.