Real Impact: Success Stories
See how Enabletech's innovative devices are transforming lives daily.
David, 38, had spent 12 years in a nursing home with quadriplegia resulting from a spinal cord injury. Wanting to operate a computer, he worked with the nursing home’s physical therapist and Enabletech to gain access to customized workstations and assistive devices. These solutions allowed him to continue his education online and now write a periodic newsletter for the nursing home.
At the nursing home’s request, our nonprofit designed and fabricated a custom computer workstation for David. The station enables him to communicate, read, and pursue his education while in bed or in his wheelchair.
Yoshiko’s arthritis left her unable to bend her legs, forcing her to spend the day on her bed and rely on her daughter for bathroom visits. At the request of a rehabilitation hospital, Enabletech developed a mobile transfer chair that allows her to stand beside her bed, be wheeled to the bathroom, and sit on the toilet at the push of a button or shuffle to it herself for complete independence.
Scott is a 14-year-old with cerebral palsy and other disabling conditions who attends a local public school. After discovering that his commercially purchased posture chair required extensive modifications and that he had no suitable seating at home, Enabletech worked with his therapist to design a custom chair and attachable work table. The design keeps the chair and table stable, allowing him to use them without disruption, and a matching set for home means that for the first time in almost 12 years, he no longer has to live on the floor.
Enabletech modified a zero-turn-radius riding lawn mower to meet the needs of Sandy, a spinal cord injured woman who herds cattle and sheep for a living and has limited use of her arms. In cooperation with the University of South Carolina, Enabletech designed a joystick control and converted the lawn mower to battery operation, allowing Sandy to travel over her pastures with confidence and carry out her herding activities. A second generation of this vehicle was designed by the following class of engineering students and incorporates an all-electric design that is quieter and smoother than the previous hydraulic version.