Adaptive wheelchair opens outdoor world for Texas man with cerebral palsy

CBS News

2 days ago

The outdoors bring freedom, but for the Saurenmann family, they also bring barriers.
"Even a simple set of stairs means we can't go," said Leah Saurenmann.
Leah's adult son, Jonathan, has cerebral palsy. He was born prematurely and suffered a brain hemorrhage at birth, impacting his mobility. The 34-year-old has been wheelchair-bound for most of his life, and as much as he likes the outdoors, Leah said many spaces aren't built for people with disabilities.
"Now that he's older and his chair is heavier and he's heavier, we can't physically get him in unless it's accessible," Leah told CBS News Texas. "I was watching the news the other night and realized how much attention there is on leaving the planet, going to Mars orbiting, whatever, and what my heart really said was there's a whole community right here, right now that could use that technology, that could use that kind of excitement to access the world the way we access it."
But on this August afternoon, Jonathan got to do just that. With his seat belt fastened, feet secure, joystick in hand, it was go time. Jonathan accessed Cedar Hill State Park the way he wanted to — driving himself across new terrain using a motorized track wheelchair called the Eco-Rover. He rolled himself right up to the edge of the grass.
"Tell Santa Clause, Santa Clause has a meeting," Jonathan said after he experienced the chair for the first time. "I'm on the beach."
The speed wasn't so bad either.
"Oh, my goodness that Jon… Jon loves speed," said Leah. "This is our very first turn with equipment this high tech, this terrain accessible. I was ecstatic for him."
This adaptive wheelchair is now available at certain state parks around Texas, along with two other adaptive mobility devices. Rachel Laca is the Cedar Hill State Park site superintendent with Texas Parks and Wildlife.
"This adaptive equipment makes it possible for the differently abled community to be able to come out to the world outdoors—not to be left on the concrete pad, but to be able to be next to their friends and family, exploring the world outdoors," Laca told CBS News Texas.
Laca has been instrumental in making sure anyone and everyone can not only access state parks but participate in them as well.
"This is something that I hold dear to my heart, and as you see over here in the background, we actually have an ADA kayak launch," said Laca. "I wanted to make sure that we… it's not only the land, but it's also the water that's going to be accessible to everybody."
Simple additions in the outdoors have a powerful impact for families like the Saurenmanns, giving them the chance to access new opportunities—creating moments that will last forever.
"We'll be back with that awesome chair, I got memories," said Jonathan.