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The Water Scooter

THE PROBLEM:  When the family goes swimming, either in a pool or at the lake, my daughter Abigail, who has Cerebral Palsy, would either just have to float around in a life jacket, or be carried around by an adult. Either way she had no independence. Also, because she is so skinny and isn't moving around, she would get cold very quickly, even on a warm day. I saw the water chair below at Canadian Tire:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/5/SportsRec/Marine/MotorizedWaterToys/PRDOVR~0793908P/Fluid%2BMotorchair.jsp

Unfortunately, it provided no support for a child with high (or low) tone.

THE SOLUTION:

IMPORTANT NOTE - NEVER USE ANY EQUIPMENT LIKE THIS WITHOUT PARENTAL SUPERVISION AND AN APPROVED LIFE JACKET ON THE CHILD USING IT.

I took the electric motor and mounting tube from the chair and added a golf ball to the steering post to make it easy to use one handed. Then, making a grid of PVC tubing from Home Depot, an old set of floats from an old water chair, and the seating system from one of Abby's old wheelchairs I put together the "water scooter."

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