At an Abilities Expo, I saw a man operating his manual chair with some kind of lever that he pushed and pulled. I never found the booth for the product, but it looks like it would be easier for my son than using pushrims. Do you know anything about this device?

Elina

  I believe you are referring to the Wijit, a lever-based driving and braking system made by the California company SuperQuad. This is a great product for those who use a manual chair but don’t have the strength or dexterity to use pushrims effectively. The levers engage independently, which means they can be used for steering. They also stow out of the way for transfers and can be removed with a quick-release pin.

Elina, 10, recently tested the new pediatric model, the Voyager, and says the scaled-down Wijits work wonders for her.

“Now I can get around by myself,” says Elina, who has athetoid CP. “I practice using my Wijits in everyday stuff. I also like to play games with my friends, and I got to play Red Light-Green Light for the first time this Christmas with my own power.”

Wijits have forward, neutral and reverse settings, and once you get the hang of them, you can pivot in very tight spots.

Even though they are easier to use than pushrims, Wijits often provide more exercise for their users, who tend to go farther and faster than they would otherwise. “Sometimes my muscles are uneven,” says Elina. “My Wijits help me to balance my muscles. Every day my arms are getting stronger and stronger.

But independence is no doubt the greatest reward. “Before Wijits, I could not use my wheelchair rims very well,” Elina says. “Now I can get to my classroom. I like to wheel to my school library, too.”

Contact SuperQuad at 800/659-4548 or 916/791-0505; www.wijit.com.

This column was reprinted with expressed permission from Kids on Wheels Magazine.