Dr. William C Miller, an occupational therapy professor at UBC, has been working with individuals with disabilities and mobility limitations for over 25 years. But things have slightly changed since he first started.
“As I grew older, physical activity became the new medicine,” he said. “It is considered the new medicine of today.”
Miller has recently collaborated with the Recreational Adaptive (RAD) Society to bring an adaptive gearbox — a rental facility for various adaptive recreation equipment — to the UBC Student Recreation Centre (SRC) for those with physical limitations to engage in physical leisure activity.
With a background in occupational therapy and an interest in helping people engage in physical activity, Miller and his colleagues at the Mobility Assistive Technology Evidence Rehabilitation Science (MATTERS) lab found a joint purpose with Tanelle Bolt.
Bolt is the founder of the RAD Society, whose goal is to provide an “active, independent lifestyle” for those who have sustained a paralyzing injury, according to their website. After experiencing a spinal cord injury herself, Bolt saw an opportunity to help others around BC with “short-term or permanent mobility issues” with a variety of outdoor leisure equipment.
Not being able to enjoy the sun while strolling through the beach or being unable to have a bike ride with friends is the unfortunate reality for some people with mobility limitations, as some adaptive equipment can start at as much as $16,000. The gearboxes aim to change accessibility by providing equipment such as mountain bikes, stand-up golfers and even adaptable paddle boards and sailboats.
“We do live in an ableist society,” said Miller, acknowledging the lack of funding for individuals beyond basic mobility aids. “Tanelle's long term goal is not only to populate the world with gearboxes, but to bring awareness that there is … a niche group of individuals who are missing out on a big part of daily life.”
The first gearbox is already up and running right by Langford Lake on Vancouver Island, and the second box will be located at UBC in the SRC. With bike lanes around campus, Pacific Spirit Park right around the corner and even a golf course nearby, UBC is a great location for the gearbox. It provides an opportunity for individuals with limited mobility to use the equipment, figure out what activities they like doing and ultimately decide if they want to invest in the gear for themselves.
Miller said that people who can’t afford the price of adaptive gear can borrow on a regular basis, which “enables them to go out and participate in leisure time, physical activity with family or friends.”
With the support of other university groups like UBC Rec and Campus + Community Planning, the goal is to provide regular usage of the equipment, with a soft launch planned for mid-June.
“I think we do have sustainability through the partnership with UBC Rec,” said Miller. “I think that’s a real positive in terms of having a legacy for physical leisure time, physical activity here.”
The gearbox at UBC not only provides low-cost rental equipment, but a variety of opportunities to help the physically disabled community. Miller mentioned one of his goals with the collaboration is to get the occupational therapy program at UBC involved, as students have to do a project in their final year.
“This is a nested project that provides a natural opportunity to do student-based research,” he said.
He also mentioned a current master’s of occupational therapy project gathering support for adaptive mountain bikes adjacent to the RAD collaboration. But Miller's big dream is to gather enough support, as well as evidence, for policy-makers to make the city and world more adaptive.
“You can see how there would be potential growth, even from this one little gearbox, for so many additional research projects.”
Share this article
First online
