Inspiration Dissemination

It is estimated that approximately 500,000 children in the United States have some sort of mobility limitation. Mobility at a young age allows children to begin exploring their surroundings, which helps with not only motor development, but also language, social, and cognitive skills. Typical pediatric wheelchairs cost upwards of $17,000 making the economic barrier, and social stigma of needing a device to move, extremely harsh. Our guest Christina Hospodar, finishing her Masters Degree in the College of Public Health and Human Services, is working with a national program called Go Baby Go which aims to bring self-directed mobility to children at a fraction of the cost. Using materials typically found at home improvement stores (like PVC, electrical wires, foam) and modifying children’s ride-on cars (typical Christmas toys for kids), they can provide a vehicle for a child to self-direct their movement for $200. Christina’s research looks to see how these modified ride-on cars can be used to incorporate physica