Our story

One day I entered a store with my 6-year-old son. A young employee was greeting customers at the entrance, seated in his wheelchair. My son walked right to him and said, “Hi! Why are your legs so short and why do you use a wheelchair?”

I smiled but felt uncomfortable by the way my son reached out to the young man. Yet, that was the start of a great conversation. And not just for my son.

The young man replied: “Thank you for being so straightforward and asking me. Most people just stare at me, or ignore me, not even saying ‘Hi’. I appreciate your coming to me and asking”.

We talked about how wheelchairs are often an obstacle to starting a conversation, because people tend to see the wheelchair BEFORE seeing the person who uses it. This was my ‘aha moment’. I realized that this is a lost opportunity to connect with people because about 5.5 million Americans use a wheelchair!

Connecting with this young man awakened some of my strongest convictions:

  • Life is CREATIVE, DIVERSE, and BEAUTIFUL!
  • We are all unique and should be encouraged to express our uniqueness.
  • The aesthetics of practical objects is important. They should be designed with an artistic perspective.

This experience developed into something larger in my problem-solving, creative, human-centric mind. It sparked my passion for enhancing wheelchair design. In addition to making the world more beautiful, I hope I-WHEEL designs will help break the ice to start conversations between people, bridging a pointless cultural gap and promoting inclusivity.

I-WHEEL reflects my life as a whole: my passion for design, humanist values, entrepreneurial mindset, and inclusive spirit which I hope will inspire my children.

I-WHEEL is my first endeavor to promote inclusivity in society.

I’d love to hear how I-WHEEL designs impact your life! Has it helped you connect with people?

Please share your stories and ideas with me on Facebook, Instagram or here!

Let’s build a better world together!

 

 

PS: wanna play? Assemble all the letters in bold and blue to discover an empowering quote from Gandhi. Enjoy!