Where can I find a tricycle for special needs sister?

Question

We need an adult sized tricycle for her. Preferrably with a full seat[one with a back] and pedal straps.

We aren't the best off when it comes to money so anything too expensive it out of the question.

I found a schwinn adult trike at walmart.com sears.com k-mart.com and more but this bike doesn't have a full seat and i'm afraid she wouldn't be able to sit on it....

Answer 1

We are in NJ and my 10 year old brother is special needs.

Call your county's social services (even if your family isn't on welfare or anything!  my parents are not on any government funding) and see what programs they have for people with special needs.

Also, call childrens hospitals and tell them you are interested in finding out more about specialty programs for people with disabilities.

Call local schools and ask to speak with special ed teachers and see if they can recomend you to any local programs.

Why do I keep talking about programs?

My brother goes to a special needs christmas party every (found out about it through a hospital) and he gets special toys for free!!!  He got special bike pedals that where about $200 last year!

Take advantage of what your community has to offer.  Other parents in the same boat as you will be able to offer lots of advice!

Good luck!

Answer 2

What you could do is buy a bike that you can afford and than customize it.  Such as buy a seat that you can put on that bike and buy the pedals seperate.  You should be able to buy these from a bike store, medical store, or you could google it.   Sorry I couldn't be more help

Answer 3

What state do you live in?

There are probably some programs that would assist with the purchase.

Maybe these people will be able to help you...

http://www.bestbuddies.org/site/c.ljJ0J8...

If you don't have any luck email me and I'll get in touch with some people I worked with years ago that would know what to do.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Check these trikes out.  Hope this helps.

http://www.kaz-usa.com/Trike.html

Answer 5

I teach high-schoolers with severe mental disabilities/autism and I have an adaptive tricycle from Flaghouse for my classroom.  I have kiddos in my class ranging from 4'11" to 6'5" in height and ranging in weight from 70lbs. to 300lbs. and they can all use the tricycle.  This tricycle was purchased with a grant several years ago and I know they're pretty expensive, so you may be better trying to find an adaptive seat that you can put on a typical adult tricycle.  Some of the adult carseats designed for individuals who use wheelchairs may be adapted/fitted to an adult tricycle with only minor effort or expertise.  A person to contact for advice/assistance in fitting those kinds of seats for other uses would be someone who modifies vans/vehicles to be handicapped accessible.  

Some of my students who are not physically handicapped ride in special carseats/restraint seats on the school bus to keep them from getting out of their seats and injuring the bus driver or other passengers and I would think those adult carseats could be modified to a tricycle.  Flaghouse is a great resource for lots of different items you may be able to use with your sister - you could probably even find a seat to put on a tricycle.  Their customer service and special needs experts are very good, too, so you could always call them and ask for their assistance in modifying a tricycle.  Their catalogs are free and I recommend ordering each catalog, because they vary greatly in their items.  Here's the link:  http://www.flaghouse.com

Answer 6

Try contacting the community services below, as they maybe able to assist with either purchasing or do a fund raising project to pay for the cost of the bike for your sister.

Kiwanis club http://www.kiwanis.org/

Rotary club http://www.ocwlrotary.org/index.cfm?disp...

I have also included some other links which have adaptive bikes and trikes for the disabled.

http://www.americanprofile.com/article/2...

http://www.blackbirdbikes.com/adaptive.h...

http://www.freedomconcepts.com/

http://www.projectmobility.org/index.htm...

Good luck