by: Nerissa Cannon
Nerissa’s journey with chronic illness has made her passionate about helping other people get the most out of life in spite of a disabling condition. In her new series, “It’s a GRIT Life,” she shares how the GRIT Freedom Chair helps her engage in her favorite activities and live a life of adventure.
Click the above video to watch Nerissa demonstrate the techniques she discusses in this article.
The GRIT Freedom Chair is synonymous with off road mobility, hence its catchphrase “Move Beyond the Pavement.” However, the Freedom Chair is also the most versatile, all-terrain wheelchair on the market, so what exactly are it’s capabilities on pavement?
One thing that I truly love about the Freedom Chair is that I can just ride straight off of a curb.
While cities are SUPPOSED to have curb cuts for easement, many places have a long way to go to align themselves with basic accessibility standards. Inaccessible spots shouldn’t keep you from being able to enjoy your day out, though. One thing that I truly love about the Freedom Chair is that I can just ride straight off of a curb. I can wheelie in my standard wheelchair, yes, but there’s always this margin for error. I feel much safer, and my movement is much more fluid when I use the Freedom Chair to tackle curbs.
Riding up curbs takes practice to get the timing and balance right, but it is absolutely doable.
Riding up curbs takes practice to get the timing and balance right, but it is absolutely doable. Something I always had a hard time with in my ultralight chair was hopping a curb where there was natural terrain on the other side. It has a tendency to slow down your momentum, and then you don’t have the momentum that carries you through. With the GRIT Freedom Chair, I don’t have to worry about that. It just powers through any type of soft terrain that might be on the other side of the curb.
ADA Information: Ever wonder if an outdoor space meets ADA requirements? Look no further than the US Access Board’s full description of the guidelines, located here. This page features ten chapters of specific guidelines, including but not limited to path width, side slope, signage requirements, fishing piers, firing ranges, and parking lots. It is helpful to see what standards outdoorspaces are being held to (and, of course, to see how far so many of them have to go).
The Freedom Chair makes it easy to compensate for side-slopes. I typically hold one level and just pump extra on the opposite side.
One thing you’ll encounter with pavement is the side-slope, or camber. That is an angle in the sidewalk for drainage. A lot of people, when they first start using a wheelchair, discover this. If you’re ambulatory you don’t really notice that the sidewalks slope. However, the second you get into a wheeled device gravity wants to work, and it starts to pull you a little. The Freedom Chair makes it easy to compensate for side-slopes. I typically hold one lever and just pump extra on the opposite side. I do like to ride the center crown, but that’s not always possible, or safe.
Continued Reading: There’s no shortage of data on how challenging side slope, or camber, can be for wheelchair users. While camber is great for water run-off, it can be an absolute bear for anyone propelling themselves with a mobility device. Click here to see “Effects of side slope on wheelchair performance,” an article that discusses just how severely impactful side slope can be.
The Freedom Chair is a great tool for going over broken-up pavement and rocky terrain.
Pavement is not always smooth and maintained. There are a lot of places that have really broken up pavement. The Freedom Chair is great about going over broken up pavement because it’s great about going through rocky terrain. There’s not much difference!
Bonus Feature: Dave of Active MSers wrote this review of off-road wheelchairs like (and including) the GRIT Freedom Chair. This article gives some clear, concise, and candid feedback on how different products handle different terrains. Of the GRIT Freedom Chair, Dave says, “The GRIT Freedom Chair eclipsed expectations, and will take you to places on three wheels you never thought possible. Its design is elegantly simple—and brilliant. The unshackling of the restrictions of being mobility challenged underscores its freeing name.”
The Freedom Chair helps me get around even on really soft mulch.
I love to take my dog to the playground. It’s good for confidence building, and it’s just a different outing for him. It keeps things interesting, but a lot of playgrounds are challenging to get around because of the turf that they choose to lay. The Freedom Chair helps me get around even on really soft mulch. Sometimes landscape architects try to help out, but they don’t really understand accessibility needs. At my local park, there’s this ramp that goes down into the playground, but there’s still this huge curb drop that goes down into the mulch. If you are unable to wheelie, typically your casters will get stuck in the mulch when you go down that ramp. Well, with the Freedom Chair it’s just smooth sailing.
ADA Playground Information: If you’re looking for more information about what makes a playground “accessible,” check out this article from Playgroundsafety.org, which mentions some of the requirements and directs you to the full writeup.
Want to continue the conversation?
To chat with riders like Nerissa in real-time about their experience with the GRIT Freedom Chair, come on down to Beyond the Pavement, the Facebook group dedicated to all things outdoor adventure. There, you’ll be able to ask questions and connect with GRIT Freedom Chair riders and many folks who use mobility equipment to get outside and do what they love. Click here to view and join the group today!