Wheelchair gets new look

A disassembled, high-backed Quickie TS wheelchair donated by Umpqua Homes for the Handicapped sits on a workbench at the Sign Factory, a custom paint shop in Roseburg.

As a volunteer project for Dave Baker of Roseburg, a 23-year-old who uses a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy, the manual-operated Quickie will be drastically modified in a way most cars are.

In a matter of months, aluminum plates will be installed, creating a box for a stereo system donated by Pro Car Stereo. Diamond Auto Upholstery will reupholster the seat and Greg Kovach, owner of the Sign Factory, will paint the wheelchair with either a lightning bolt or a flame motif.

“We’re just going to surprise the kid. Whatever we do it’s going to be cool,” said Kovach, who will be doing most of the restructuring of the wheelchair.

Brandi Bellinger, 26, a member of the support staff at Developmental Systems where Baker participates in a day program, was inspired to organize the project about a month ago after seeing how Baker reacts to cars driving to nearby Gaddis Park.

“Every time a real nice car goes by, he just freaks out,” Bellinger said.

During one of her days off, Bellinger called Pro Car Stereo and Diamond Auto Upholstery, among other businesses, to ask for donations of equipment or time for the project. All but one business said yes to the donation request.

Even though Baker can’t speak, there is no mistaking his wide-mouthed smile and arm gestures mixed with the head movements and sounds he makes to indicate his enthusiasm about the project.

Despite having cerebral palsy, Baker is just like any other man his age, said Casie Bunnell, program manager for Keasey House, where Baker lives with five other people who also have developmental disabilities.

Baker spends time with friends, laughs and appreciates jokes, enjoys MTV’s “Beavis and Butthead” and is typically in an indefatigably good mood, Bunnell said.

“Dave was certainly the best pick out of the whole house to go through something like this. I think it’s an interest of his more than anyone else’s,” Bunnell said.

The amount of time Baker spends using the chair will depend on how comfortable it is for him, she said.

Baker’s current chair, in which he spends the majority of his time, is medically designed for him and has built-in supports and cushioning he needs because of the way he sits. The new wheelchair is unlikely to have many of the supports, Bunnell said.

“If it’s supportive enough to use on an outing, even a short outing, and he wants to show it off, he’ll let us know or we’ll ask him if he wants to take that chair instead so he can show it off and he’ll look really cool,” Bunnell said.

Bellinger said she thought the initial telephone calls would be a waste of her time, and was surprised at how smoothly the project has progressed so far.

Kovach, who said he was enrolled in a special education class during school, said he jumped at the chance to help with the surprise. Helping people with disabilities is like helping friends of his, he said.

“I was in classes with those kids ‘cause I couldn’t comprehend nothing. I was terrible in school. If it wasn’t for that class, I wouldn’t have made it through school,” Kovach said.



• You can reach reporter Erik Skoog at 957-4202 or by e-mail at eskoog@newsreview.info.