Adaptive Mobility
and Positioning

Saad is a young man who just transitioned to our adult services from his school program in September 2017, and even though I try hard not to have favorites, Saad tests my resolve; he never fails to brighten my day. When Saad first arrived, he only had the wheelchair he came in. We put him in an old-style Rifton XL Pacer. Saad has cerebral palsy, involving a complex history with both his knees requiring...

Our team of therapists and educators works together to provide opportunities for functional mobility to our students throughout the school day.The challenges we face include a variety of health diagnoses, behavioral management issues, and cognitive and physical deficits. These situations require team problem solving for safe and efficient physical management of the student while maximizing participation in...

Johnny Agar never considered himself an athlete. Born with cerebral palsy, he used a wheelchair, depended on others to care for him and took his first steps—23 total—at 11 years old. But sports was always part of his life—after all his dad had been a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. But father and son did not bond on the baseball diamond. Inspired by My Team Triumph, a program where able...

“Jose! Jose! No way Jose!"  Lined up on the playground, 500 elementary students chanted their support for Jose as he propelled his very own Rifton mobile stander across the platform at Mayflower Elementary. Then down the long ramp he went to the playground surrounded quickly by his friends, family, the Monrovia mayor, police officers and firemen (and many cameras). What a day! A bright and...

Partial weight-supported treadmill training (PBWSTT) has widespread application particularly among patients who are not yet able to practice over-ground gait training. Unfortunately the equipment required can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Until now. One of the valuable new features of the New Pacer is a base designed for treadmill use. The upper frame of the New Pacer clips easily into the...

Usually we run blog posts from or for clinicians. It’s rare that we have the chance to share the user’s experience, so when we received a product review from a sixth-grade student we knew we had to run it. Jenny Cashion, Ana’s therapist, writes: One of my students, Ana, hadn’t had much success with previous trials on adaptive tricycles. When I introduced her to the large Rifton...

Inclusion is not easy. It takes commitment, creativity and time to help every student learn and participate. So congratulations to the wonderful teachers and staff at the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) who realized that with summer just around the corner it was time to take inclusion outdoors as well. The result? A first ever inclusive Technology and Recreation camp at nearby Sly Park...

It’s that time of year, the season of commencement ceremonies, and each year we hear words of inspiration and hope from podiums all over the country. But here at Rifton, because we make a gait trainer, we hear remarkable stories of perseverance, of high school kids whose lives have been upended by injury but resolve to walk across the stage to receive their diploma. This year is no different...

I purchased my Rifton Pacer in the fall of 2014 and it’s been one of the best purchases I ever made. I’d like to tell you about it. But I need to go back to December 2010 when my health problems began. First there was poor vision and drooping on one side of my face. Balance and speech difficulties came next. The symptoms progressively worsened until I was left with a paralyzed face and unable...

A few years ago we welcomed a non-traditional student – we’ll call him Jay – at Lincoln Developmental Center (LDC) where we work. Most of our students have had a development disorder since birth; most are undersized and fit well into traditional equipment, but Jay sustained a traumatic brain injury at the age of 14 and arrived at LDC at the age of 17, fully grown, with limited positioning...