Using Trays with Wheelchairs

The importance of newborn screening for SMA

Rory and Carolyn met in seminary, fell in love, and got married. They decided to hold off on starting their own family while they settled into their first jobs in North Dakota. After a few years, they moved to Minnesota, where Rory accepted a job as a minister, and Carolyn enrolled in a hospital chaplain residency program. At the time, they did not know how important the decision to move would be for their future family. When they moved, neither North Dakota nor Minnesota had SMA on their newborn screening panel. It wasn’t until March 2018 that Minnesota adopted and implemented newborn screening for SMA, and then several months later, in 2018, Rory and Carolyn’s only son Edan was born.

Tagged: assistive technology, wheelchair trays

This topic has 5 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 2 years ago by Ryan Berhar.

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- September 14, 2018 at 7:00 am #14078
  
  Kevin Schaefer
  Keymaster
  
  Most wheelchairs, especially permobil models, come with an attachable tray. Especially as I’ve gotten older and lost more arm-strength, I’ve become more and more reliant on my tray. I use it for working, reading and just using my phone or iPad. For me it makes things much easier, and I rarely go anywhere without it.
  
  However, I know many other people with SMA and other disabilities who never use their trays. For those of you who don’t use your tray, do you use a different kind of adaptive equipment? Certainly do what works best for you, but I was just curious.
- September 14, 2018 at 10:16 am #14098
  
  DeAnn R
  Keymaster
  
  Honestly I hated using a tray. I used one throughout middle school and ditched it the instant I got off the bus. Didn’t use it in Sr. High. For me it felt my mobility was restricted. Funny, you find the opposite. That’s what’s great though, everyone finds what works for them. It’s nice to see what works for other people in case it would be something that would work for you.
  - September 14, 2018 at 10:21 am #14099
    
    Kevin Schaefer
    Keymaster
    
    So there are times when it is restrictive, but for the most part I use it like a desk. For instance, I need it to prop my phone. Otherwise I’d have to rely on other people to type on it for me.
    
    Are you able to hold things like your phone when you’re on the go? For me I just don’t have enough arm strength.
    - September 14, 2018 at 10:41 am #14101
      
      DeAnn R
      Keymaster
      
      Most of the time I just have my phone on my lap. I am looking for a holder for it, just not sure yet what I want yet that would work for me. For a tablet I do need to use a table. Recently I acquired a cute hospital type table. Since it has wheels it’s pretty easy to move it around.
    - September 14, 2018 at 10:48 am #14102
      
      Kevin Schaefer
      Keymaster
      
      Yeah I’ve seen a lot of SMA people just put their phones on their laps as well. I’ve tried that but it doesn’t work. I can’t keep my phone steady there, and I don’t have enough flexibility to move my hand back and forth to my joystick. That table sounds cool.
- September 14, 2018 at 11:22 pm #14111
  
  Ryan Berhar
  Keymaster
  
  The only time a tray is helpful for me is writing—something I never do anymore. When it comes to using my phone, or really anything else, I find it restrictive.
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