Get a Lift!

July 31, 2025

Our colleagues at the Utah Assistive Technology Program (UATP) are doing great things in the assistive technology reutilization space! Recently, they partnered with a high school student in Salt Lake County who faced a significant challenge in his workshop class. While he loved the class and was eager to participate, his power wheelchair couldn’t elevate him to the height of the worktables. This meant he couldn’t fully engage in projects, collaborate seamlessly with his peers, or get truly hands-on like his classmates.

Instead of seeking a completely new, off-the-shelf solution, the UATP team embraced a creative and sustainable approach. They innovatively reused and repurposed parts from other wheelchairs to custom-build an elevating mechanism directly into his existing chair. This kind of resourceful problem-solving is a hallmark of effective assistive technology implementation, especially at UATP.

The outcome? Absolutely transformative!

Now, with a simple press of a button, his wheelchair smoothly raises him to perfect working height. With the barrier removed by the addition of assistive technology, he is now able to participate fully in all activities of the class, working side-by-side with his classmates on projects.

Assistive technology (AT) services such AT device customization and reutilization, illustrated above, are integral parts of the AT service delivery system, which helps people with disabilities and those aging into disability to fully participate and thrive in all aspects of life.

Do you have a story about how assistive technology has made a difference in your life or someone you know? We’d love to hear about it and share these successes!

Image Description: A power wheelchair with a lift extended in standing mode. It is located in a warehouse with shelving, boxes, and another wheelchair in the background. The ATAP logo is at the bottom with the website ataporg.org

Topic(s): Assistive Technology,AT Success Story