Sometimes it takes a quad to know what a quad needs. Mark Fuglevand, an incomplete C6 quadriplegic, founded Abilitease Adaptive with the goal of making products to help people with disabilities. Fuglevand got his first 3D printer in 2019 and learned to design and produce adaptive devices by printing free designs and watching YouTube videos. He began making prototypes of the devices he shared on social media, and in August 2022 launched the Abilitease Adaptive online store to sell the products displayed on his Instagram page. He sent me some of his most popular products, and I was eager to see how they might make my daily life as a C5-6 quad a little easier.

Adaptive Drink Holders

Abilitease Adaptive offers two adaptive drink holders with handles to make it easier to pick up cans and other containers and to avoid drops and spills. The Adaptive Drink Holder has a U-shaped cuff handle and securely holds a standard 12-ounce can. I tried the Adaptive Drink Holder on several other containers with varying degrees of success. A taller, skinnier 12-ounce can and a 16.9-ounce bottle both fit but wobbled around a bit in the holder. Two different 20-ounce bottles proved a tad too large to fit. Fuglevand plans to produce sleeves for the Adaptive Drink Holder to accommodate different-sized cans and bottles.

The Adaptive Drink Holder comes in three sizes to accommodate different-sized hands, but I still encountered a small problem in accessing the handle. With the way that my fingers curl, I could not slide my hand through the opening. Instead, I had to position the drink holder at the table’s edge so I could slide my hand in through the opening at the bottom. It wasn’t difficult to do, but bringing an open container near the edge of a table can be an invitation for disaster.

Abilitease Adaptive offers a similar Adaptive Drink Holder for trumpet-style cups and glasses that have a flaring shape. It features the same U-shaped cuff handle but eliminates the holder base, allowing the user to slide the holder upward from the bottom of a glass until it catches snug on the wider part of the glass. I found this to be very useful with pint glasses and plastic cups from fast food restaurants. The benefit of this drink holder is that I could put it on before grabbing the container, eliminating the need to slide it near the edge of the table with a drink inside.

Can Stabilizer and Can Opener

The Can Stabilizer and Can Opener proved to be a very useful combination that made opening cans much easier than other adaptive can openers I have tried. The Can Stabilizer perfectly holds a 12-ounce can, though it does slide a little bit on a table. I attached some non-slip grip to the bottom and it stopped the problem. The Can Opener has two rings for the thumb and pointer finger attached to a projection with an opening that slides around the tab of a can. Once the tab was in the opening, I rocked my hand forward and popped the can open. I know many quads use their teeth to open a can, but I think this is a much better alternative.

Tug-A-Mug

The Tug-A-Mug is an adaptive device born of Fuglevand’s desire to push a wheelchair and carry a hot mug without having to touch it. The Tug-A-Mug has a cradle for the mug, a hook to support the mug handle, and a loop for the user to put a thumb through and carry the mug. I tried the product on two different coffee mugs and it held them both securely. I had difficulty pushing my chair with one hand while carrying the Tug-A-Mug, but it would be much easier to use with a power wheelchair. The Tug-A-Mug will not work with all mugs, so it is important to test it before carrying something hot.

Cord Adapters

Abilitease Adaptive offers adapters that stabilize and add gripping surfaces to Apple Lightning cables. The adapters have loops that the user can put a thumb or finger through to open and close the adapter around the cable. The adapter secures the cable so it doesn’t wobble around. Conveniently, the adapter is about the same thickness as my iPhone in its case and I could slide the charger into the phone with ease. One problem I experienced was when attempting to unplug the cable from my phone, the adapter would pop open and I would have to close it again before unplugging. When asked about this, Fuglevand says he already has plans to release a new version that addresses the popping-open issue. “One of the things that I changed about the adapter is that I made it tighter — harder to close and harder to open. Once you close it, you probably don’t want to open it much anymore, so I would rather make it close really hard so it doesn’t open as easily,” he says. Once this problem is ironed out, I think the adapters will be extremely useful.

Clothing Grabber and Multi Grip Clothing Grabber

The Abilitease Adaptive clothing grabbers make putting on clothes easier and enhance independence with dressing. The Clothing Grabber for shirts and the Multi Grip Clothing Grabber for socks, shorts and pants both have holes for a hand and thumb to hold the grabber, and a hook with grooves to grab whatever piece of clothing needs to be adjusted. Both devices stayed on my hand well, and the hook does a very good job grabbing and pulling on clothes. In his experience, Fuglevand has found that his customers use the grabbers for other tasks as well. For instance, I found both devices useful for tasks like pulling on sheets to make my bed. Fuglevand says, “It’s a collective kind of experiment. I have a lot of people who use them to move around in bed or grab other things. That wasn’t the intended design, but if people can use them to be independent in other ways, that’s pretty cool to me.”

Bread Bag Clip

The last product I tried was the adaptive bread bag clip. The clip has a loop to hold it, a curved edge for pushing the clip onto the bag, and three different-sized holes to secure the clip around the bag. I struggled with this for a while and could never get it to work. I came closest with a full bag of bread, the weight of which helps pull the bag tighter and easier to twist closed. It’s a very clever idea, but just didn’t work for me.

Abilitease Adaptive offers all these products and more on its website, with items ranging from $12-$50. Abilitease Adaptive also has an Instagram page with helpful videos showing how Fuglevand uses the products. Fuglevand is constantly working on new designs and also takes requests for personalized products for specific needs.