lightness + joy

They do go together… there’s scientific evidence – and now there’s SunSprite.  We first came across SunSprite on Indiegogo in their crowd funding phase.

CLICK IMAGE TO VISIT SUNSPRITE.COM

SunSprite is the first solar-powered wearable device that measures and tracks the amount of sun and light that a person is receiving. In its most basic form, it reminds you to get outside and absorb bright light, which wakes up your brain and makes you healthier!

I thought it was a great way for Mac to start thinking about managing his health (at least one portion of it) and what a great option for people in aged care or those with mobility issues in general who maybe aren’t getting access to the ‘right light’ to optimise their health.

Dappled light under our gorgeous Fig Tree at the bottom of the garden.

I commented on their campaign and they asked for more information.  We Skyped about how and why a kid like Mac, with significant physical disabilities and who isn’t yet in control of his own mobility, could benefit from something like this.

As a thank you from the team, for helping them out in their development phase, Mac received his very own SunSprite when they shipped this month.  He’s now worn it for nine days and has hit his 100% mark by midday on almost every day.  Mostly he’s been wearing it on his shoes as it’s easy to remember on school days but it would perhaps be more appropriate up on his wheelchair headrest or collar – it is working ok for now though.

SunSprite also syncs with its mobile app, for us, we have it synced to Mac’s iPad. Where it will be useful is for Mac to think about how he can use the data to see if he needs to make changes in his life (with us now, but on his own when he is older).  For now school life pretty much ensures he is getting out and about with enough light each day.  But in the future, when he is responsible for directing his own support staff/personal assistants etc, this will hopefully have been a good way for him to start thinking about how he needs to be in the ‘driver’s seat’, how he should be the one making decisions based on his own data and/or experience.

Congrats to the SunSprite team… this is a great little device.

You can read more about it on their website by clicking the image below.

Would you, could you, lend a hand?

I am not one to ask for help very often – learning how has been on my to-do list for sometime.

But, this is one thing I don’t want to ‘hog’ – this is something I am sure some of you might want to share in, help be part of the solution, part of the excitement, part of the fun.

Long time readers know of my plans, desires, dreams for a SMART wheelchair (robotic) that is affordable, light weight and, well, smart.

You can read about it here in my “I have a dream…” post.

They will also remember that the brilliant mind of Daniele Benedettelli is on the job, over in Italy.

Danny is starting to ‘ramp’ things up a little and so has put the call out for some donations to kick start the project.

The initial equipment purchase is USD$400 and Paypal donation option is available on the project site.

CLICK LOGO TO VISIT THE PROJECT SITE

If anyone can spare a penny, a pound, a dime or a dollar it would be fantastic to get this project “rolling” (I could have said “off the ground” but  since no one is offering me a ‘hovercraft wheelchair’… rolling it is).

If anyone has any contacts or ideas for getting some ‘bigger’ sponsorship behind this project then please, feel free to contact Danny via his site or myself directly.

 

 

 

 

While we know Mac would benefit from this type of chair it is pretty obvious he isn’t the only one.  In fact, a good friend who is a wonderful teacher in our local area said she would love something like this. She doesn’t have a physical disability but she is blind, and there are times she would like to be able to get from A to B on her own, while having a conversation (or daydream) and not having to put all her attention into concentrating on safe passage with her cane.

Thanks for listening