• Donation
  • About Us
  • Career
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Sunday, April 18, 2021
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
Africa Eco News
18 °c
Nairobi
  • Climate Change
  • Pollution
  • Energy
  • Wildlife
  • Environment
  • Infographic News
    • HEALTH
    • SPORTS
    • GAMES
      • CODEWORD
      • Sudoku
      • Simple Crossword
    • TODAY
      • HOROSCOPE
      • Quote Of The Day
      • Thought Of The Day
      • Today In History
      • TODAY’S BUSINESS TIP
      • Today’s Currency Exchange
      • Today’s Life Lesson
      • Today’s Personal Finance Tip
      • Today’s Prayer
      • Today’s Stock Market
    • NEWS KIOSK
    • PHOTO GALLERIES/SLIDES
  • AFRICA ECO NEWS TV
  • Climate Change
  • Pollution
  • Energy
  • Wildlife
  • Environment
  • Infographic News
    • HEALTH
    • SPORTS
    • GAMES
      • CODEWORD
      • Sudoku
      • Simple Crossword
    • TODAY
      • HOROSCOPE
      • Quote Of The Day
      • Thought Of The Day
      • Today In History
      • TODAY’S BUSINESS TIP
      • Today’s Currency Exchange
      • Today’s Life Lesson
      • Today’s Personal Finance Tip
      • Today’s Prayer
      • Today’s Stock Market
    • NEWS KIOSK
    • PHOTO GALLERIES/SLIDES
  • AFRICA ECO NEWS TV
No Result
View All Result
Africa Eco News
No Result
View All Result
Home Uncategorized

Kids swap wheelchairs for toy cars in innovative therapy program

byadmin
June 15, 2017
inUncategorized
0
0
SHARES
13
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

CNN–A growing grassroots movement is helping children with special needs swap wheelchairs for motorized toy convertibles.
Go Baby Go, a non-profit research program based at the University of Delaware, offers a wheelchair alternative for children who aren’t able to walk or need assistance. The effort doesn’t replace wheelchairs but provides a fun, temporary supplement.
Car designs range from Power Wheels convertibles to all-terrain toy car models. Although the models are the same as what’s offered in stores, they’re modified for kids with wide-ranging conditions, from down syndrome to health needs that require the aid of a ventilator.
Although Go Baby Go started in 2012 by Cole Galloway, a professor of physical therapy at the University of Delaware, it now has 75 chapters nationwide and is gaining international traction. Most recently, Go Baby Go chapters opened in New Zealand and Israel.
The program has modified 5,000 toy cars for infants and kids up to three years old, according to Sam Logan, assistant professor at Oregon State University’s College of Public Health and Human Sciences. OSU opened its chapter in 2014.
The changes are simple but impactful. For example, Go Baby Go replaces a car’s typical activation switch or foot pedal with tools easier for the children to maneuver. Meanwhile, new seats add extra support. The cost to modify each car is about $200.
Experts say it’s important to enable and encourage independent movement among children with special needs at a young age. Although motorized wheelchairs are common, they can cost $17,000 or more each. Wheelchairs can also be intimidating for kids under the age of five.
“Research shows their interaction with [rideable] cars help advance developmental, physical, social, language and cognitive skills,” said Logan.
The program was initially funded by the University of Delaware and later by the National Institute of Health for two years.
“Now, parents, engineers and others are organizing and funding Go Baby Go efforts in their community,” said Logan. “Anyone can do it, but you’ll need someone with the expertise to make sure every [modified] car is safe.”
Go Baby Go encourages chapters to collaborate with local pediatric clinics and work alongside people with engineering backgrounds.
The program has plans to expand to older age groups, likely up to age 5, and eventually find a commercial partner.
“Right now, there are no commercially produced [motorized] toy cars for kids with disabilities,” said Logan.”It’d be great to have an off-the-shelf model designed for all kids for parents to easily buy.”
Read More: http://tinyurl.com/y7nhc75o

Help us report stories that expose environmental degradation, deforestation, pollution, poaching and ivory trade, illegal fishing, dumping of toxic waste, e-waste and plastics, illegal mining, climate change and impacts of global warming on different sectors of the economy and communities, not only in Africa, but also across the globe. While traditional news reporting is losing its relevance, serious investigative journalism requires more than basic journalistic skills. To do this we require a lot of resources.
You can either BECOME A SPONSOR or MAKE A CONTRIBUTION


Nelson Mandela once said: “A critical, independent, and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy. The press must be free from state interference. It must have the economic strength to stand up to the blandishments of government officials. It must have sufficient independence from vested interests to be bold and inquiring without fear or favor. It must enjoy the protection of the constitution, so that it can protect our rights as citizens.”

If you like our journalism support us to continue bringing you groundbreaking and agenda setting stories.

admin

admin

Next Post

Terrorism is not the only threat facing us. It's not even the biggest one

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Around the world, renewable energy is taking over

4 years ago

Fear as it emerges two South Florida nuclear power plants lie in Irma’s path

4 years ago

Popular News

    Connect with us

    Newsletter








    Recent Posts

    • How to initiate and register a carbon credits trading project in Kenya
    • The role carbon credits projects play in implementation of SDGs
    • How Kenyan villagers are using carbon credits and indigenous knowledge to fight climate change impacts
    • Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution a threat to humanity says UN boss
    • UN releases a calendar of events to build momentum on climate change ahead of COP26 conferences

    Like & Follow us :)

    Share

    About Us

    Africa Eco News

    Shinning light on environmental degradation and conservation in Africa

    • Donation
    • About Us
    • Career
    • Advertise
    • Contact

    Copyright 2018. Africa Eco News. All rights reserved.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Climate Change
    • Pollution
    • Energy
    • Wildlife
    • Environment
    • Infographic News
      • HEALTH
      • SPORTS
      • GAMES
        • CODEWORD
        • Sudoku
        • Simple Crossword
      • TODAY
        • HOROSCOPE
        • Quote Of The Day
        • Thought Of The Day
        • Today In History
        • TODAY’S BUSINESS TIP
        • Today’s Currency Exchange
        • Today’s Life Lesson
        • Today’s Personal Finance Tip
        • Today’s Prayer
        • Today’s Stock Market
      • NEWS KIOSK
      • PHOTO GALLERIES/SLIDES
    • AFRICA ECO NEWS TV

    Copyright 2018. Africa Eco News. All rights reserved.

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password?

    Fill the forms bellow to register

    All fields are required. Log In

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In