SCI Life: February 2016


jeff-colton


Lover of the Daily Grind

Going back to work after a spinal cord injury may seem daunting, but for Jeff Colton, a T3-6 paraplegic from Chanute, Kan., it has been standard protocol since the start. Injured from spine cancer when he was 18 years old, he figured out right away things could’ve been much worse. “I thought my life was over,” he says. “But as I was going through PT, OT and rehab, I soon realized there were people in similar situations, but they were much worse off than I was.”

Realizing he was beginning a new life, Colton, now 38, embraced it. “There is not much I can’t do anymore, other than walk,” he laughs. When he returned home, his first goal was to graduate from high school on-time, which he did. “Luckily I had enough credits to graduate,” he says. “In fact, when I went down the aisle during graduation, I received a standing ovation.”

After high school, Colton entered the workforce as soon as he could. Instead of going back to McDonald’s where he worked pre-injury, he gave customer service a try. “My first job was working in Kansas City, Mo., working for H&R Block doing tech support,” he says, and he loved it. After this job, Colton went on to vocational school for computer repair, then majored in computer programming at an area community college.

Armed with his new degrees, he went back to work, this time in the call center world doing tech support, a job he currently does and thinks is great for wheelchair users. “It offers a flexible schedule and nowadays, more and more companies are hiring people with disabilities to work from their homes.” Colton’s next career goal — earning his bachelor’s in computer engineering. “This was always something I wanted. It’s never too late to go back to school.”

rip-chair

Get Ready to Rip
In the last few years we’ve seen some exciting outdoor four-wheel drive track wheelchairs, and the Track Chair Ripchair 3.0, “an extreme off-road chair,” may be one of the beefiest practical designs we’ve seen yet.

Created by Howe and Howe Technologies, a brother duo from Maine hired by the U.S. government to build a variety of technologies, the Ripchair 3.0 is an invention that is made specifically for those with disabilities —  the only outdoor track wheelchair available that lets you stay in your wheelchair. It has a ramp in the front that flips out, allowing the user to roll right in and lock their chair in.

Also, the hand controls for this device are much like those found in an adapted vehicle, with a lever for each hand for gas and brake. It can even come with a gun rack and fishing rod holder. Cost is high at $27,000, but it is built to last in extreme conditions. Learn more about it in the NEW MOBILITY November issue

[www.newmobility.com/2015/11/track-chair/] or visit www.trackchairextreme.com.

New Bedtime Friend
For those with limited hand function, Frog Leg Mobility is a bed mobility aid that could change your world. Made out of nylon, this sling goes on like a pair of shorts but stays around the thighs, and has two big loops to put your hands through to help you reposition in bed. Cost: $59.99.


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