For some, disabilities are challenges of personality and spirit that need to be risen to. Sharina Jones felt this when she became a mother. Living most of her life as a paraplegic, Jones knew that it was going to be a trial of fortitude and determination.
“A lot of my friends have babies, and they are out running with their babies in the stroller, and I thought, what am I going to do?” Jones, 35, told Fox 2 Detroit.
The simple act of taking a baby for a stroll is one that should be possible for every mother, and thanks to the ingenuity of 16-year-old University of Detroit Jesuit High School & Academy student Alden Kane and the University of Detroit Mercy, it is one that Jones is now able to do.
Through both a STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – course and the university, Kane designed an adaptable stroller for the new mum, according to the high school. The stroller simply snaps onto the wheelchair using steel tubing.
Sharina Jones.
“After six months of hard work, six months of working in the machine shop designing it up, it was priceless seeing the design on her wheelchair, being used with her child in it,” Kane told FOX.
Kane says he wants perfect the prototype and eventually patent the adaptable stroller.
As for Jones, the stroller has become another essential item she uses to live a full and active life, despite being a paraplegic.
Jones was just five years old when she was accidently shot by another child playing with a gun. Determined to turn her misfortune into inspiration to help others, Jones established the Think Beyond the Chair, which provides social activities, support and education for people with disabilities.
She even wrote a book titled ‘Life of a Push Goddess’, sharing her life experiences following her tragic accident.
“You’re still the same person, it’s up to you how you want to live life,” said Jones.
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