High School Students Invent Wheelchair Stroller So Disabled Dad Can Take Newborn on a Stroll
August 17, 2021 by Cathy Stack
Potomac, MD - Jeremy King has impaired mobility following an operation three years ago to remove a brain tumor. When his wife, Chelsie, was due to give birth to their first child, he was greatly concerned about how he would assist her with parental care duties. That is when an innovative team of high school students stepped in to help. They designed a life-changing device called the WheeStroll — a child seat that attaches to a wheelchair. The pram-wheelchair hybrid allowed Jeremy to enjoy the simple pleasure of taking his infant for a stroll just like other new dads.
Jeremy’s brain surgery drastically changed the couple’s lives. They have worked hard to learn and overcome the new challenges they faced. But they knew their upcoming parental roles would soon offer a whole new set of challenges. As the couple searched for a product that would address Jeremy’s unique needs, they could not find any on the market.
Chelsie, a middle-school teacher at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, decided to recruit the help of her colleague, head of technology lab Matt Zigler. She asked him if he could design something to attach to Jeremy’s wheelchair to allow him to hold their infant while on the go. Matt then had the fantastic idea of presenting the project to his students in his “making for social good” class. The class tasks students with designing socially impactful products.
The upper-class students were excited about their new project. They went straight to work, conducting virtual interviews with the family and the fire department to grasp the specific needs and exact safety requirements. The team then purchased or 3D-printed the parts they needed. They designed custom brackets and shaped aluminum Maker Pipe to secure the wheelchair and stroller together safely. When they needed a wheelchair for the prototype, they cleverly borrowed one from the school nurse. They called their perfected device the WheeStroll.
The WheeStroll was completed just in time for the birth of the couple’s child. A few weeks later, Jeremy proudly took his newborn, Phoenix, for a walk using the pram-wheelchair hybrid. The grateful couple say the device works and is customized perfectly to fit their needs.
“Being able to see Jeremy have some independence with our son is a gift,” said Chelsie.
“It was really emotional for us to see it completed,” recalled Jeremy. He was elated at how much the device increased his independence with his child.
When asked what the best part about coming up with the successful design was, student Benjamin Gordon said, “Just to see the smile on his (Jeremy’s) face and just to know that I was able to help give him that connection to his child that he otherwise wouldn’t be able to have because of his disability.”
The students’ unique design won two international design awards.
PassItOn and The Foundation For A Better Life believe that this talented team of 10 high school students are true heroes. Their actions are a wonderful example of the value of innovation. They accepted a difficult challenge and then combined their passion and creativity to invent a device that will improve the quality of life for many disabled individuals. Please help us celebrate them by sharing their inspiring story.
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"When we work together as a team, we're unbeatable." A quote I found many years ago. Thank each one of you for your sincerity. God Bless!
Sharing this in case there is someone else out there who could benefit from this.
Jeremy's love for his baby son Phoenix lights up the picture shown here. Not a doubt the example of Chelsie as their Bullis School teacher also inspired her students, along with the dedication of Matt for his tech lab students to create the WheeStroller. This PassItOn story gives all of us hope for the future as their combined caring & skills created a solution that will serve other families into the future. Congratulations to everyone involved on the international design awards that were earned from working together to create the WheeStroller.
WONDERFUL
Love this thank you!
A rich inspiring story and it's so fine to know that hope will always connect with the love we are given. God Bless each one of you people who gave then the joy of life.
This is so inspiring and it is a proud moment for these high schoolers to have a challenge thrown out to them by their teacher. This country has great kids that will inspire many more to help our society to become better and willing to ‘Pass it On’ their enthusiasm Thank you.
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