Annie McNulty’s new pink Jeep raced across the gymnasium floor at the University of Scranton. The 4-year-old with Down syndrome waved a checkered flag as her older brothers followed closely behind.
Annie’s mother cried as her daughter experienced new freedom.
“She gets very frustrated when they go off without her and now she'll be able to keep up. It's just so sweet,” said her mom, Deidre McNulty, of Moscow. “It’s beautiful to see everybody.”
Annie and 10 other children received new wheels Sunday. The university launched a new chapter of Go Baby Go, a national research, design and community outreach program that provides modified ride-on cars to children with limited mobility. The Edward R. Leahy Jr. Endowment supports the new chapter.
Forty occupational therapy and mechanical engineering students adapted the cars after learning the children’s abilities. Occupational therapy student Kaitlyn Gelman helped determine the best way to modify the cars.
“This is going to have a huge impact on their lives,” Gelman said. “These children were sometimes not even able to go 5 feet away from their parents, and this allows them all to be able to do whatever they want, to have fun, to play, to hang out with their siblings, away from their parents and get that independence, mobility, the opportunity to play and socialize with their friends.”
One by one, the children appeared from behind a curtain, riding on a makeshift track on the gymnasium floor. The crowd cheered.
Stephanie DeNaples, a faculty specialist in the Occupational Therapy department at the university, oversaw the project. For people with limited mobility, there’s a gap that exists for younger children before they’re able to use power wheelchairs.
“They're missing out on a lot of years of play of just learning how to move and feeling that independence,” she said. “So this fills that gap.”
With DeNaples’ assistance three years ago, Cayden Orr received his first go-kart. The 13-year-old from Dunmore received a new one on Sunday that can go in reverse.
His dad, Jim Orr, said his son gained independence with his go-kart. Cayden has spina bifida and usually uses a wheelchair. His license plate is “2 Fast 4U”
“It was nice, you know, because his siblings are there riding bikes and they’re running around too so instead of him sitting on the porch and watching them, he was able to adapt and really get out there,” Orr said.
Using a remote control, Mark Williams helped his 7-year-old son, Tommy, navigate his new Jeep through the crowd.
“His brothers and sisters have Power Wheels so he's going to be right in the mix with them,” Williams, of Dunmore, said. “He's adjusted his mirrors. He's good to go.”
