Tag Archives: Halloween

Costumes, Candy and Assistive Technology

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By MATP Staff Member Laura Hall

I’ve been looking forward to this blog for weeks.  It’s becoming a bit of an annual event for the Michigan Assistive Technology Program, as we celebrate children (and the ingenius adults) who let their AT pride shine and incorporate their mobility equipment into their halloween costumes.  Check out last year’s blog “Trick or Treat and AT Fun!”  It seems as though every year the costumes get better, and more people are picking up on the idea.

In fact, one family even started a non-profit, Magic Wheelchair , to provide memorable Halloween costumes for kids with disabilities.  With the help of volunteers and creative artists, they create dream costumes like Toothless from the DreamWorks film “How to Train Your Dragon”.

Some other favorite finds this year include: the flower garden, the bulldozer, and the the magic carpet ride.

 

 

 

 

We’ve come a long way from my childhood days when I covered myself and my wheelchair in a sheet and dressed as a ghost.

Remember, their are other ways to make Halloween fun and inclusive for everyone. If going door to door is a problem, check for events in your community that provide actvities and trick-or treating all in one place (and sometimes indoors).  For example, in Lansing, the Capital Area Center for Independent Living is holding their “Creepy, Crawly Haunted Hallways” event on October 29 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm (call 517-999-2760 for more details).

We wish you a safe, (hopefully) warm, and AT-filled Halloween!

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Trick or Treat and AT Fun!

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By MATP Staff Member Laura Hall

Kids have already been preparing for weeks.  Advertising for caramel apple and pumpkin spice everything indicate that Halloween is coming.  Choosing a costume can be a little more difficult if working around a mobility device but, increasingly, kids (and likely some inventive parents) are incorporating assistive technology right into the costume!

Cardboard and paint can work wonders to turn a wheelchair into amazingly creative trucks, cars, pirate ships, even the Batmobile!  Walkers can also be decorated and covered as part of the costume.  In one example, a young boy in a reverse walker added a jet back and rockets to the back of his walker, becoming one cool astronaut.  For more examples of costumes that incorporate assistive technology check out the article and pictures on fireflyfriends.

Halloween trach pads  are also available on Etsy.  Why not program a communication device to speak the obligatory “trick or treat!?  There are lots of ways to incorporate assistive technology into the Halloween fun while also “Letting Your AT Pride Shine“!

At the same time, children who use mobility equipment may have more difficulty approaching a homeowner’s door.  While it would be great if every neighbor would come down the stairs to be fully inclusive, I can speak from experience that this doesn’t always happen.  When I was a kid, my sister would often have to choose the candy for me (and older sisters can be mean and pick your least favorite).  As an alternative, many communities churches and organizations, hold “trunk or treats” in parking lots where goodies are kept in the trunk of a vehicles, making it much more accessible for people with disabilities.  One example happening in Lansing is the Creepy Crawly Chiller Meet and Greet Halloween Thriller event being sponsored by our partners, the Capital Area Center for Independent Living.

No matter what you decide to do, we hope you have a safe and wonderful Halloween!  Got costume ideas?  Share them with us!

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