Disabled children get special cars
When Jennifer Pietrowski saw the unveiling of daughter Ava’s custom-made miniature white BMW at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, a rush of emotions came over her.
Ava, 2, struggles with her mobility due to cerebral palsy and muscle spasticity. With her new specialized car, she can now get around like other children her age.
“It really is (life changing) and we are forever grateful because a typical child can go into Walmart, purchase a cart (and their parents can) put them in it and let them go,” said Pietrowski. “For us, that can be a little frustrating because in everyday situations we would not be able to experience something like this.”
The second annual GoBabyGo! Memphis Rodeo on July 21 made mobility easier for Ava and seven other special needs children. They were provided with toy electric ride-in cars modified to suit their specific requirements.
Several UTHSC faculty, students and volunteers partnered with University of Memphis engineering students for the event.
The idea for GoBabyGo! originated in 2006 from the University of Delaware and Dr. Cole Galloway, where eligible children were referred to the program by community therapists. Faculty from UTHSC adopted a similar template when they launched GoBabyGo! in September 2016.
“We are one of the satellites, so to speak, who does it,” said GoBabyGo! faculty adviser Dr. Kunal Singhal. But we do it slightly differently as well sometimes, because the students are on different campuses — for two different universities — coming together to do it. So, I think that’s a very neat way to do it.”
Initially, many of the families on-hand were told they would have to spend thousands of dollars on power mobility robots for their children. GoBabyGo!, which is funded by local donors and a grant from the National Science Foundation, afforded those families with a more enticing option.
The cars are similar to the ones found in toy stores, and cost an average of $300. They were purchased from Amazon using money from donors. The electrical modifications to each vehicle were funded by the National Science Foundation.
Lead engineer David Levine, 25, said multiple modifications were made to ensure the safety of each child while providing them an ample opportunity to grow with their vehicle.
“For every child, the main goal was to ensure that they could ride around in the car safely and easily,” said Levine, a recent University of Memphis graduate. “So, one of the options that we added to the cars was to lock all the steering mechanisms. If you look underneath each car, you’ll notice that we added a locking bar that prevents the kids from turning it.”
Once a child is comfortable with his or her car, the steering mechanism can be removed by parents or therapists. Other features included personalized steering wheels, buttons, braces, seats and IV bags.
Singhal said the amount of work involved with GoBabyGo! can be quite daunting, but the UTHSC assistant physical therapy professor said the final result is rewarding.
“It’s such a huge reward to see these kids laughing, smiling and enjoying themselves,” he said.
“We can complain about the amount of work we put in all year long – I have, and (other people) have, too – but at the end of the day, when we talk, we say it’s just worth it.”