Update: We would like you thank you all for your kind and generous contributions to provide Katie with this wonderful new wheelchair. We have been fortunate enough to have also been given a large donation from The Andrew and Catherine Carter Trust. This has meant that we have now reached our target. Thank you again for your support. You will see Katie zipping around in the near future.

Hello, my name Katie, i have been in care for 13 years, I am nearly18 years old and have Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. I am a very bright and determined young lady, with a great sense of humour. I love socialising and being the centre of attention. I communicate using eye gaze, gesture and signing.

As I have got older it has been increasingly difficult for my family, carers, and college staff to manoeuvre my wheelchair, especially over long distances, uneven ground, grass, and up/down hills. This is severely impacting on my ability to access college buildings across two sites, the wider community, and many visitors’ attractions further afield.

I have had two different types of power-pack fitted to my existing wheelchair base, but neither have contacted the ground reliably enough to make pushing my wheelchair uphill any easier, in fact it has made my chair heavier and more difficult to manoeuvre, especially around corners which puts considerable strain on my carers. I have difficulties with hand function and much of my arm movement comes from the shoulder. When I trialled a powerchair many years ago I was unable to manipulate the joystick accurately enough to operate the powerchair myself, for this reason I have been refused NHS funding for a powerchair, unlike my more able peers at school. I feel strongly that I have been discriminated against because of my disability, and this is simply not fair!! To exacerbate my difficulties more, changing places facilities are few and far between, which limits where my family can take me even further.

The NHS will provide me with a voucher for £1143 towards the cost of a powerbase to fit to my existing moulded seating, but I am reliant on raising the remaining funds necessary myself, so that I can participate fully in college life and be able to access leisure facilities and attractions with my family, carers, friends, and peers.

As I spend the whole day in my wheelchair, with your kind generosity I hope to be able to raise the £18, 200 I need, to fund a powerbase with a high-low function enabling me to get in under tables to engage with my peers or up to the height of a work surface to participate in cooking; in addition a tilt function enabling me to be moved to a more horizontal position to be changed, so that I can enjoy days out with my family and carers. The powerbase will provide me with greatly improved manoeuvrability and a small turning radius which will help enormously when navigating my home environment and the wider community. I am very excited because if funding allows Consular can fit dual controls, and tailor these to meet my needs, this will enable me to develop the skills necessary to navigate my immediate environment without being reliant on someone else, which is of huge importance to me.

With your help together we can redress this discrimination, improving my quality of life as I transition into adulthood, further developing my independence and empowering me in a world where I face more challenges than most every day.