I have been writing the Outdoor Tracks column for NEW MOBILITY for over 10 years now, and looking back on some of my old columns, it is crazy to see how things have changed.

Back in 2011, when I wanted to try flying a sailplane, I needed a way to get from my wheelchair into the cockpit of the aircraft. My friend Garnet and I designed — and he built and mounted — a system that would allow me to be lifted out of my wheelchair and placed safely into the glider. This allowed me to learn to fly sailplanes and experience an incredible feeling of freedom.

Looking back at the story, I can still feel the excitement of performing wingovers, circling to find lift, and concentrating during the landing. At the heart of the system was a golf cart my mom’s cousin graciously donated to the project. It makes me smile that the old golf cart is still lifting people out of wheelchairs and into sailplanes 12 years later. Today, there are many soaring clubs that can accommodate persons with disabilities, making it much easier to enjoy the freedom of flight.

Garnet’s inventiveness also starred in a 2012 story I wrote about our quest to build a four-wheel-drive power chair. At the time, wheelchairs were not great at transporting users outdoors. I love fishing and hunting, and it is always so difficult to access areas that are out of the mainstream. I had long dreamed about a four-wheel-drive wheelchair, but they were so rare and expensive that it wasn’t feasible.

After months of pondering, Garnet took my old Quickie P300 wheelchair apart. He made a four-wheel-drive unit out of it with snowblower tires and installed a tilting mechanism that we borrowed from a minivan seat, all for about $100. I still have fond memories of that chair, although sadly I lost it in a house fire. Thankfully in 2023 there are many models of off-road wheelchairs to choose from — including used ones — though price is still prohibitive for most.

Evolution of Adaptation

When I started writing the column, our adaptations were made from household items and the odd piece of splinting material I could talk out of an occupational therapist. There wasn’t much on the market as far as inexpensive home automation. Improving access involved moving a light switch, nailing the TV remote to the table, keeping a ski pole nearby to adjust heat, and other low-tech fixes. Now Alexa takes voice commands from any room. I can play my favorite music anywhere, adjust the heat and air conditioning, turn on the coffeepot, turn on the outdoor grill and lights, turn on block heaters in vehicles, and much more, all by voice commands. It is surprisingly inexpensive and so convenient.

The advent of 3D printers has also made it much easier to invent solutions. When I needed cuffs to drive the lawn mower, I simply drew and printed them. No consultation with therapists or ordering and waiting. When my computer joystick needed tweaking to fit my paws, I printed a fix. When I needed a way to drain my leg bag outside, out came the printer and, voila.

Back in the day, I was learning to fly remote-controlled helicopters in hopes of adding a camera to one. I spent more time fleeing from them than flying, and got proficient at constant disassembly. Today, drones encompass everything I tried to achieve back then, and they hardly ever crash.

More recently, I wrote about my long-held dreams of sailing, and how fun it was to finally see how the adaptations work when I took to the water. Like so many of my adventures and projects, seeing the controls got the hamster-in-my-head running on its wheel and inspired new dreams of adaptations.

Nowadays, we can add electronics and computer control to projects at minimal cost. Arduino boards are small, relatively inexpensive open-source electronics platforms. They’re powerful and offer endless possibilities. They are controlled by C++ programming, which is new to me, but even an old guy can learn. The boards can sense inputs like joysticks, temperature or humidity, then run outputs like small motors or lights.

My friend Landon built a head-tracker mouse and is working on voice-activated signal lights for vehicles. I have a few ideas: I dream of affordable joystick-steering, underwater remote cameras, and a 3D-printed robotic hand that is run by small motors called servos — but that’s way off for me.

There is an online simulator at tinkercad.com where you can test your circuits and coding. You don’t need anything but the online simulator and videos (there are several free courses online) to learn this amazing technology, and it never hurts to learn computer coding. It is the perfect addition to 3D-printer projects. Just think of the amazing, inexpensive adaptations that can be invented, especially if the technology is shared.

As far as the Outdoor Tracks column goes, this will be the last one. I’ll miss writing the column, but I have so many fond memories of the adventures and troubleshooting that inspired these stories. With one door closing, more are opening. I will always be searching and figuring out new ways for us with mobility issues to get out and have fun. Stay tuned — I’ll keep writing and sharing what I’ve found.

Read Wright’s columns online.