5 Accessibility Tips For People Living With Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders (SCI/D)
For do-ers living with spinal cord injuries and disorders, it’s important that everything stays in its place to ensure no distractions or mishaps. But slip happens. At CatTongue Grips, we know it doesn’t have to. We’re honored to partner with the United Spinal Association to explore how our products can prevent slip in the lives of millions of people in wheelchairs.
The United Spinal Association is the largest membership and advocacy organization for people living with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D). The United Spinal Association transforms the lives of people by empowering their members, promoting independence, and advocating for greater access. We worked closely with Bill Fertig, the Director of the SCI Resource Center to understand more about how we can help people in wheelchairs get a better grip on everything. Bill has dedicated his entire career to helping communities, serving 25 years as a police officer before an off-duty motorcycle accident resulted in T-7 paraplegia. He brings his experiences to the United Spinal Association to offer direct support to over 3,600 cases of people living with SCI/D per year and to help millions more around the globe by maintaining a large library of online resources. In working with the United Spinal Association, we’ve come up with 5 accessibility tips to help do-ers in wheelchairs get a grip on the go.
Use Phone Grips For Stability In Your Car
We know getting in and out of cars can require intricate techniques for people in wheelchairs, so it’s essential that everything stays exactly where it needs to be. And if you're one of many people living with SCI/D that drive often, having your phone in place is a necessity. Non-slip phone grips provide the cell phone stability that people in wheelchairs need. Your phone should always stay exactly where you left it during your transition in and out of your car. The non-abrasive grip also won’t ruin your phone or leave behind any gummy, sticky goo or residue. You can get a better grip and live your dreams of a tropical summer vacation with phone grip from the Hawaiian Collection.
Stabilize Your Electronics With Tablet & Laptop Grips
Our products can be used on many electronics, not just your phone! In addition to the phone grips, the Phat Cat slip-proof tablet & laptop grips allow you to protect your devices while maintaining your active lifestyle. When you’re on the go, it’s important that your devices stay exactly where you want them to prevent any damage from a slip and fall accident.
Bill from the United Spinal Association previously used skateboard grip tape for the bottom of his laptop, but found that not only would the skateboard grip tape ruin his business pants, but it would also quickly show signs of wear and turn up at the corners. For Bill, the Phat Cat slip-proof laptop grip is the perfect solution for keeping his laptop secure on his lap.
Improve Your Gripping Ability With Our Gription® Roll
The household use of our Gription® Roll is limitless, and through our collaboration with the United Spinal Association, we’ve discovered another way people living with paraplegia and quadriplegia alike can improve their accessibility with a better grip. Our Non-Abrasive Gription® Roll is waterproof and can be easily and quickly cut to your custom size specifications with any household scissors, which makes it ideal for use in the kitchen. Wrap the Non-Abrasive Gription® around silverware, glassware, and other kitchen utensils to get a better grip on slippery items. Our Non-Abrasive Gription® Roll will help you enhance your performance when you’re grasping and releasing items, and prevent little things like gravity and slick surfaces from causing a mishap in the kitchen.
Secure Your Feet With Grip Strips On Your Footplates
Bill also discovered use for non-slip Grip Strips on the footplates of his wheelchair. Instead of the rough, sandpapery grip tape he was previously using, Grip Strips are super durable and can withstand water, weather, and more. Conveniently pre-measured to 2” wide x 8 ½” long, Grip Strips can be used as-is or cut to smaller, custom sizes as-needed. And rest-assured, they’ve been purposefully manufactured to protect your sensitive skin—they’re 100% latex free. After speaking with Bill, it was clear how happy he was in making the switch to using CatTongue Grip’s Grip Strips for grip safety.
Prevent Slip In Folding, Transporting & Unfolding Your Wheelchair
As the first and only Gription® Roll, our customers have found thousands of uses for Gription®. Do-ers living with SCI/D are no exception! For those in wheelchairs that have slide-on upholstery, our Non-Abrasive Gription® serves to secure the upholstery in place when folding, transporting and unfolding your wheelchair. Non-Abrasive Gription® is the perfect solution for easy storage, travel and transport.
Place the tape along wheelchair rods to prevent the upholstery from sliding up or down while in use or in assembly. Our Gription® Roll will enhance your wheelchair’s performance and help you have quick and easy transitions. You should have no limits, restrictions, or restraints. Your wheelchair, on the other hand, should always be under your control.
As an epic, empowered community of do-ers that manage adversity every single day with inventive solutions, our Non-Abrasive Gription® is a necessity. We invite you to see for yourself just how much it can help by taking advantage of a special offer—10% off of your entire purchase. Additionally, we’ll be donating 10% back to the United Spinal Association to help further its mission of enhancing the quality of life of all people living with SCI/D and providing support and information to loved ones, care providers, and professionals. Shop now to get an affordable solution to life’s slippery situations.