DESIGNER AND BASKETBALL STAR IMPROVING LIVES
A GOLD Coast Paralympian and designer is “changing lives” by making customised wheelchairs more accessible for people with disabilities.
Wheelchair basketball star Matt Mcshane has combined his industrial design qualifications from Griffith University with his everyday experiences to create Proactive Mobility.
The company fits people in custom chairs and equipment.
Mr Mcshane, a four-time Paralympic athlete, is in training with the Australian men’s wheelchair basketball team for the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
He said customisation was “crucial” to disabled people.
“Everyone is slightly different as no two injuries are the same,” he said.
Mr Mcshane experienced neurological condition transverse myelitis at 18 years old. It causes inflammation of the spinal cord. He was in hospital for nine months and told he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
“When I first got into a chair you were handcuffed to a few different brands and different suppliers,” he said.
“People now have more options to choose. It might be a little more work in making a chair slightly unique or making it to suit one individual, but the reward is just drastic.”