Colby
devastation
Spina Biffida: bound to wheelchair as his legs do not work, but has a perfectly sharp mind and upper body mobility.
daily challenges
•Lifting: Colby is in high school, and parents can no longer lift him
•Transferring: Can’t get from his wheelchair onto the toilet or into the bathtub
•Very small bathroom: the bathroom door was much too narrow for his wheelchair; to get inside he has to drop down out of his chair to the floor and pull himself into the bathroom
•Bathtub: once he had crawled into the bathroom, his dad would help throw his legs over the side of the tub and Colby would pull himself over into the tub – a grueling task !
design solutions
•Switched Colby’s bedroom with his sisters room so he would have direct access to the bathroom.
•Added a large cased opening from his bedroom into the bathroom with a barn door that he can open and close himself.
•New ADA walk-in shower: removed the old bathtub and created a shower that is easy for Colby to get into
•New ADA sink: he can now wheel up to the sink and wash his hands and brush his teeth with no assistance
•Grab bars for help transferring on/off the toilet
impact
•Independence! Colby can do more things for himself now and has to depend less on his parents for assistance.
•Personal Hygiene: enables Colby to increase ease and frequency of bathing
•Reduced Back Pain for Dad: since Colby is now able to get into the bathroom, it has alleviated much of the physical workout of lifting and pulling for his dad.
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