Organised by Whizz KidzHuble Digital are delighted to be working with Whizz-Kidz on our charity partnership, helping them to empower young wheelchair users by providing the mobility equipment, support and confidence-building experiences they need.
There are an estimated 75,000 young people in the UK who need a wheelchair to be mobile. Most young people arent getting a wheelchair that fully meets their needs through the NHS, and having the wrong wheelchair can lead to dependence on others, social isolation, poor mental health, pain and injury. Without the ability to be independent young wheelchair users are restricted in their ability to socialise and participate in society.
Whizz-Kidz believe in a society in which every young wheelchair user is mobile, enabled and included. They exist to empower young wheelchair users, just like Caitlin, by providing the equipment, support and confidence-building experiences they need, and campaigning for a more inclusive society.
Caitlin, from York, is an outgoing, adventurous and passionate young woman who does maths for fun in her spare time. She relies on a wheelchair to get around, but her declining health meant that she was finding it harder and harder to self-propel.
I cant push for long periods of time. I get fatigued quite quickly and cant go uphill so I always needed someone to push me.
She received a power-assist from Whizz-Kidz, which attaches to her manual wheelchair and provides an extra boost of power when she needs it. This means that she can use her energy for things like socialising or focusing on her university lectures instead of getting around. Her equipment has given her more confidence and enabled her to live an independent life at university.
There was a moment, I cant remember exactly when but I think it was my second week of uni and I was running late for a lecture. I got there within five minutes or something and I actually made it. I realised I could be a normal person who is running late for a lecture and I can just turn the speed up on my power-assist and run there and get there on time.
Caitlin is now looking forward to the future, which includes possibly going on to do a Masters degree in biological or medicinal mathematics and advocating for the rights of other wheelchair users.
I think Whizz-Kidz have made me have a bit more of an activist kind of mind set - its made me realise that there is a life out there and I want to help other people get that too. Ive already been speaking to my uni about making the lecture halls accessible.
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