9 Awesome Reasons for Wheelchair Users to Visit Accessible Chattanooga
updated on
A short extract from the article published by Sylvia Longmire in Spin the Globe
3. Adaptive outdoor off-road adventure! When I was looking through my Chattanooga itinerary, I noticed something about an adapted vehicle of some sort called a SWINCAR. I thought my hosts were just taking me to see it in a showroom, or maybe a demo. Little did I know that I was going off-roading in this fully hand-controlled adapted buggy in the wooded hills of Chattanooga!
Adventure Sports Innovation (ASI) is the company that does this, and they truly offer an adventure for everyone. ASI curates the latest inventions and innovations in adventure sports and outdoor activities, providing individuals and groups with fun things to do. ASI is the first company in the USA to have one of these adapted e-Spider vehicles for wheelchair users, and boy, was I grateful for that! For a full hour, my tour guide, hosts, and I crawled over small logs, rocks, dips, twists, and turns through some of Chattanooga’s most beautiful scenery at the Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center.
Like any adaptive sports experience, the SWINCAR off-road experience isn’t for everyone. You will need significant upper body control and stability, as well as enough use of your arms and hands to steer the vehicle, squeeze the hand brakes (like those of a bicycle), and press the thumb throttle continuously. It can be a rough ride in several spots, as you are on horse and bike trails with several obstacles. If you have any injuries or chronic pain that could be exacerbated by getting jostled around, this might not be for you.
However, if it sounds like you can do this, here’s the adventure that awaits!
Press Release
