child with disability

[h2oski]

Hello,
my Son was born with a joint and muscle condition called Arthrogryposis

From the first day I saw the Segway I have looked forward to the day I could see him cruising around on one.

He is now 5 years old and only weighs 35 pounds.
He is quite tall for his age at about 46"

He had a power chair before he was 3 and managed it quite well, so I am not concerned about him being responsible on the Segway.

My question is what is the absolute minimum height and weight I can think about putting him on a Segway?
I looked at one today at the local Brookstone store. My initial reaction is that the height is not a big problem because the store manager told me that the Segway would operate with the handles in the lowest position. Is this true?

I guess the biggest concern is the weight.

Anyone have any thoughts or experience with children on a Segway?

[Stewbonz]

9 or 10 year olds are the minimun age requirements for my Segway Tour.
In your situation, I'd recommend buying one today.


JEFF JARVIS
http://www.thailandsegwaytours.com/

[Segway City]

The weight for depressing the "dead man" sensors in the platform is a concern, as well as the amount of mobility he may have in shifting his weight rearward in order to stop safely. The stopping part could be overcome by limiting his speed to black or slower. The sensor problem could be overcome too. How is his reaction time? His height shouldn't be a problem.

Your profile doesn't list a city, perhaps you live near a member who would provide a trial run? I'd be happy to, if you're somewhere within a couple hours drive.

[teekay]

H2oski, you came to the right place, Segway Chat Is full of great people, just let us know where you are, and we will help you find a local dealer. or member to help.

I am in Southern California.

Hope to hear from you!

:) Tim

[h2oski]

Thank you all so much for your kindness.

Segway City: I am confident in his ability to shift his weight for both the stop/start and turning. He has excellent torso mobility, it is the joints on his extremities that are affected. He has very limited range of motion on his knees, but can support his weight well.
His reaction time is quite good, using the power chair in crowded places such as the zoo is not really a problem.

He can walk with a walker, but not for long periods and is very slow. He also can not use the walker on grass or gravel.
So you can imagine keeping up with the other kids in the neighborhood is difficult.

He does not use the power chair very often because he does not like being in a seated position while trying to interact with the other kids, it just makes him feel too different.
That is why I think the Segway is such an ideal vehicle.
(sorry I am rambling, I just get so excited thinking of seeing him gliding around the neighborhood with the other kids)

I have an appointment Monday to try the Segway at our local Brookstone store, I am going to see if the manager will let my son try it, but I will not be surprised if he says no.

I think you may be right that the biggest problem will be the weight requirements to simply activate the Segway, guess there is only one way to find out :)

If there is anyone in South-East Michigan who would be willing to assist I would be very grateful

[pam]

I hope you can find someone who has a 'p' who will let him demo it. 35 lbs is a bit light for an 'i', IMHO, but may well work for a 'p'. Have you checked the search feature here on SC to see who is from your state. You may find someone close enough that you can email and arrange a demo. The Brookstone near me does demos, but they have them set up for specific times - not every day. That might also be an option for you. Plus, check segway.com to see if they've got another dealer near you - they've had a number of dealerships open across the country, so it's possible.
Good luck!
Pam

[Segway City]

You're a too many miles for me to help much, but doing a search for Michigan SC members who own HTs returns 7 hits. I don't think it would be inappropriate to send them an email request for a demo through the SC mail feature. Try that here: http://www.segwaychat.com/forum/search.asp

The Segway may be a bit tricky at first for your son, but I have a feeling it may be just the trick. Pam's right on the "p" model being suited for your demo, it's smaller and would suit his stature.

Continue to inform us on your progress, you have our support.

[W9GFO]

My kids have been riding the Seg since they were 7 with no problems. Yes, they are way under the weight requirement but they did just fine. Now they are 8 and could probably out-seg many on this list. They have never had a problem with the rider detects.

http://www.spinfoot.com/slalom.jpg

Rich H
Indianapolis, IN (not for long though)

[jillmac]

Just a thought - can he wear a backpack? Would it be a problem. I was just wondering if weight could be added by actually carrying the weight - just a few pounds to help with the sensors.

I have demoed to friends children and a relative. One was 8 but about average weight but the other was just a tiddler. A very small 7 year old. He got on and was an absolute natural.

I think your son would be helped so much by the Seg - he will feel 'just like the other kids' because he can keep pace, and he's riding a cool machine. I would make it a number one rule - he doesn't let anyone else ride it. Too much risk of damage and injury.

You mention the grass and gravel terrain. Both of these really require slow riding. The Segway needs to keep good traction on both wheels for the gyros to work. By traversing either of those surfaces at high speed the Segway can lose traction and will tip forward.

I hope the Brookstone appointment goes well and they let him ride - or that you can find a Segchat member close to home. The Segway sounds like a great answer for your son and it can grow with him too!!!

Good luck.

Jill

Nothing is inexplicable, merely unexplained..... Dr. Who

[W9GFO]

Yeah, good point on not letting anyone else ride it. As for the grass and gravel, in the picture above he was slaloming full speed on red key. Not even close to losing traction. He had the benefit of knobby tires though. With regular tires care must be taken.

[jrmiller]

H2OSKI... Greetings and welcome. I tehiong the weight problem should be a no brainer. Second hand preowned stores ssell exercise equipment including weights and scube gear. Both have weight belts or ankle weights that would be easy to put in and take off. Just figure out what the minimum difference for the HT and have your son don the appropriate weight. Other than that I think he will take to the HT like Fish to water. Best of luck and hope to read a posting here shortly about your trip to Brookstone. Remember.... SEG-ON SEG -RIGHT JR

[W9GFO]

Well, on my Seg, it requires only maybe five pounds (each side) to depress the rider detects. I don't think there will be any problem.

Rich H
Fairfield, VA

[Brian]

W9GFO-What kind of tires do you have on your Segway in the Picture above?


Brian

[W9GFO]

I think they are Dunlop D756 60/100-16. They are a couple thousand miles awau right now so I can't check. I have Michelin MS2s with me now.

Rich H
Kingsport, TN

[fredkap]

H2oski,

Good luck with your Brookstone appointment tomorrow. My concern is that many of the Brookstone stores may not have the best qualified trainers. I hope that I am wrong. There is a huge difference between the level of service that you would get from a Segway store and a Brookstone store that sells Segs. Oftentimes you would be much better served by finding an enthusiast that lives near you to demo. The P model is appropriate for a child and should be fine for an adult up to even 250 pounds even though it is rated for a 200 pound adult. The smaller size and weight make the P the correct choice for you.

The biggest concern for everyone is that a tumble is always possible. Many of our disabled community joke that they fell without being on a Seg so falling is no big deal. Your son being very thin means that a fall could be more serious to him than a typical person and that is a concern. During the learning curve, it is possible to fall and no one wants a serious injury to anyone that already has a full plate of issues.

I hope it goes well for you. If you purchase a unit, a fully qualified trainer will visit your home to do the training.

Fred

[MagiMike]

I can't find Cannon Mich. on my map but the forum lists seven members in Michigan. You can find them with the search function. Surely one of them must be near you. you can send them e-mail by clicking on their names in the search function.

[whyychan]

W9GFO,

with those tires, what kinds of terrain could you traverse?

[fathertime]

Dear h20ski,
My wife and I own Segway of Chicago and would love to give your son a demo. We have demo-ed lots of children and can make sure that this is a positive experience for him.
We are located in LaGrange which is a western suburb of Chicago and are easy to get to from Michigan.. As a matter of fact we had two customers in today from Ada, Mi and they had no trouble finding us since we are on a major artery. We are located at 515 S. LaGrange Road, in LaGrange, Il. (312) 718-5461.
Our Grand Opening is next Saturday the 21st and, if you can make it we woud love to see you. We have all of the models in stock and can take the time you will need to help you decide if this is for you and your son. Feel free to give us a call if we can help.

[^]
Kind Regards,
Jim & Chandra Reynolds
Segway of Chicago

[W9GFO]

quote:Originally posted by whyychan

W9GFO,

with those tires, what kinds of terrain could you traverse?


Well, just about anything reasonable I guess. Really soft sand, the kind ya just sink into, is a problem. I haven't tried mud, but sand, dirt, gravel, grass, and slickrock are no problem. I am not comfortable tackling anything more than about 30 deg steep.

Rich H
Nashville, TN

[Burke]

In our recent training at Bedford, Gerri Moriarty explained an important issue about very small children being on a Segway, and no one's mentioned it here yet. I've seen it happen firsthand and realize how right she is.

The main concern would be when the child is going downhill on any kind of slope. His little arms just might not be long enough to let him lean back far enough to stop the HT.

We have also demo'ed (under tight control) to very small children, say less than 60 lbs., who simply don't seem to have control of the HT on their own, and I suspect that not being able to lean back far enough was really the problem.

While I'd love to see this little boy benefit from the Segway, particular care will have to be given on any slopes, and I think his size at this time may just preclude it from being practical. Let us know how your demo goes!

Janice
Segway Orange County

[SegwayUtah]

Janice,

Yes, it is a real problem with children being heavy enough and having arms long enough to get their center of gravity back far enough to stop quickly. They often seem to do well on black key, especially on smooth surfaces.

Wearing a backpack might help :)

Seriously, though, the minimum weight requirement is also a good thing for maturity purposes. Although I do know at least one person who was like 98 pounds when they were an adult.

Chris

[W9GFO]

Good point about downhill. My kids have trouble going up really steep hills because they don't have much weight to throw around. Downhill however they just stick their butts out with arms outstretched. A child with joint/muscle issues may have trouble with that.

Rich H

[h2oski]

Sorry for the delay in getting back with all of you.
I truly appreciate all of your input.
The demo at Brookstone went very well. I was firmly told that under 18 could not ride, so he did not get a chance to try it, but I was able to ride it for a while.
what an amazing machine.

sorry to those of you who tried to lookup my address, a typo when I setup my profile was the problem. It should have been Canton, MI
I am just outside Detroit, so Chicago would be a bit of a hike. I truly appreciate the generous offer fathertime and may take you up on it next spring if we do not find a user in South-East Michigan willing to let us demo.

Interesting points about the lack of weight and stopping. For sure something to test when we are able to get him on one.

The only major issue that came up in my demo at Brookstone was the platform height.
the P series seems to have about a 6 inch platform. He is not able to manage a 6 inch step unassisted, I am wondering how it will work getting him on the segway. It seems as though untill he is able to manage the platform on his own we will need to assist him in getting up because he will not be able to use the handlebar for assistance. From the limited demo I had it seems that the segway will begin to move backwards if he pulled on the handlebar for assistance.

I suppose I could build a small ramp and platform that he could use to walk up to the segway platform.

After my initial demo I think we are going to look very seriously into getting one in the spring.

Thanks again for all of your feedback.

[W9GFO]

As much as I hate to be a naysayer, I think that without the ability to mount and dismount unassisted, the Seg would not be a good solution. The ability to step off quickly is essential in case of something unexpected happening.

Rich H
Moses Lake, WA

[jillmac]

A friend who had a distinct problem stepping up onto the platform found that leaning the Seg against a wall (or whatever) made the step up a lot easier. Then he just reversed away from the wall.

I took my Seg to his workplace several times so that he could try it out and this method worked very well. He subsequently got a Seg.

As far as needing to step off in an emergency - this again would take practice. Keeping your son on the black key would go a long way to avoiding emergency situations. Additionally, researching the routes he would ride would help a lot. Find out if curbs have cutouts, if paths just end, if there is a way to get around stairs (elevator, ramp etc). It is surprising how many of these things you don't notice until you are out on your first ride and of course, then it goes through your mind - how on earth do people who are forced to use a wheelchair manage!?

I hope you can find someone who will give you an extended demo in your area.

Jill

Nothing is inexplicable, merely unexplained..... Dr. Who

[terryp]

FWIW, I had my four year old nephew riding solo on my i-series last week. His light weight wasn't a problem.

Practicing safe Segs in Seattle

[trigeek]

h2oski, it sounds as if the segway is going to be an incredible help to your son! i use it for arthritis because of stiffness in my hips and knees. it's incredibly freeing to be able to move quickly and easily. i can imagine the sense of freedom it's going to give your son!

i'm certain that the step up problem can be solved. if you can't work it out alone, get an occupational therapist to help you figure it out. having him stick to the black key until he's a bit heavier sounds like a great idea.

let us know how it goes. i really hope you're able to get it!

[Nelda]

Well, jeez, just put fishing weights in his pocket for weight.
LOL
Nelda