Empower Cars Hit the Road

The Cause

GRIT has collaborated with APEGA, Alberta Professional Engineers & Geologists of Alberta to co-create a solution for young children with disabilities. Having access to independent movement is critical to brain development for all young children. Considering that children without disabilities are rolling and moving independently at the very young age of 4-6 months, GRIT aimed to find a power mobility solution that would be safe, family friendly and economical. The critical benefits of our simple mobility solution will allow children to zip around with their friends, develop a sense of spatial awareness, interact and explore their environment and most importantly, gain independence. Current commercial solutions do not offer sufficient support for children that need more robust seating options. Children with conditions such as cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophy and other mobility conditions will benefit from access to our new solution. A motorized solution that is also easily adapted to be used with different switches for operation. And so the the Empower car was born. This everyday complex problem was a challenge that GRIT therapists and APEGA volunteers came together to tackle. The Empower car was proto-typed, tested, and revised, over 4 years, resulting in a final product that is ready for distribution to 5 families this fall. The journey to bring this needed solution to young children included seeking medical device licensure with Health Canada, which also comes with a hefty price tag. The Empower cars fill a gap, and more importantly offers families a motorized, customizable option that can be folded up to go wherever a family journeys. The car was tested on a variety of terrains to ensure it's usability in the changing weather conditions here in Alberta. The nearest competitor to the Empower car has a price tag of over $15 000 which prohibits it's use outside of clinical research settings, and is no longer available in Canada. Our dream is to expand our fleet so that Alberta children with disabilities have access to the Empower car. When children learn to 'drive' their car, they are developing critical skills that will also improve their eligibility for more traditional power wheelchairs sooner. Our dream is to ensure children with disabilities can independently move around classrooms, community spaces, and family gatherings. You can't learn to ride a bicycle without a bicycle.

Who Will it Benefit?

The Empower Car is designed to be adaptable and can fit children aged 2-6 years old. Children with disabilities impacting their ability to move around. without being passively pushed by an adult, include the following conditions: cerebral palsy, brain injury, spinal muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophy, genetic difference, and limb difference to name a few. Children enrolled in GRIT's Early Childhood Services (112 children/year) will be eligible with future collaboration planned with other community pediatric rehabilitation programs.