{"id":6205,"date":"2024-06-18T16:14:51","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T16:14:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/?p=6205"},"modified":"2024-06-18T16:14:57","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T16:14:57","slug":"arboretum-receives-all-terrain-wheelchair-increases-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/2024\/06\/18\/arboretum-receives-all-terrain-wheelchair-increases-accessibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Arboretum receives all-terrain wheelchair, increases accessibility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION<\/a>) \u2014 Troy University’s Arboretum<\/a> prides itself on welcoming members of TROY’s campus and community to explore and appreciate nature. After a recent grant, the arboretum is accessible to even more people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arboretum features 75 acres of land that’s open to the public. The problem? None of the trails are paved, which makes navigating the terrain a problem for people who use wheelchairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Going on terrain where it’s not just flat and smooth, it’s definitely difficult,” said TROY graduate Jonah McWaters. McWaters was paralyzed after a car accident in January 2004. Today, he continues to live an active lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MORE FROM THE ARBORETUM: <\/strong>Troy University selected to plant, care for \u2018Moon Tree\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After learning that paving the trails wasn’t an option, arboretum director Dr. Alvin Diamond started looking for other options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If we can’t get a paved trail, what can we do to our trails to make them accessible?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s where the Hank Poore Foundation<\/a> (HPF) stepped in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Hank Poore Foundation gives individuals opportunities like providing an off-road wheelchair,” said HPF Director Hank Poore. “They submitted a grant to get a freedom chair, which will allow their students to enjoy nature who require the wheelchair to do so.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The GRIT Freedom Chair<\/a> is a mix between a manual wheelchair and a mountain bike, giving users better balance when dealing with uneven terrain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In my normal manual chair the front wheels are small and so if you’re on any kind of rugged terrain, it’s definitely a fall risk and just flipping out,” McWaters explained. “This has a big front wheel, it’s got outdoor tires and you’re able to get around any kind of terrain you would want a lot easier than it would be in a manual chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Freedom Chair also gives users exactly that: freedom, which is at the heart of the Hank Poore Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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