Projects – May We Help

ProjectsKaty Collura2020-07-05T12:23:32-04:00

These are just a sampling of the hundreds of devices May We Help volunteers design, build
and deliver at no cost to hundreds of clients every year!

may_we_help

Last year, May We Help volunteers made a bow holde

Last year, May We Help volunteers made a bow holder for Farrah who plays the cello with her feet. It’s always great to get updates from clients, and this one came all the way from Palestine, where Farrah lives, plays and performs with her sisters.

#cello #palestine #music #disabledmusicians #cellomusic #cellolove #celloplayer #cellolife #musician #musicislife #musicians #musiclife #musiclovers #disabledmusicians #stringquartet #stringinstrument

Claire was an amazing artist before her stroke, an

Claire was an amazing artist before her stroke, and now that she’s gaining control of her hands, she’s starting to enjoy it again. But the standard table she had was small and limiting, so May We Help volunteers custom built this new table with locking wheels, padded elbow rests, vertical file holder, under-top storage drawers, and tabletop storage cups.

#art #artist
#artistsoninstagram #artwork #artoftheday #artofinstagram #artgallery #artistsofinstagram #artistsupport #artistsupportartists #artistic #artistlife #artistsupportartists #disabledartist #disabledartists #disabledart #disabledartistofinstagram #disabledartistsgallery

Callie’s request to Make-A-Wish-Ohio was to be a

Callie’s request to Make-A-Wish-Ohio was to be a princess. So May We Help volunteers built Callie this castle!

#makeawish #makeawish✨ #princess #castle #princesscastle

Aleah loves the beach but doesn’t walk, and beca

Aleah loves the beach but doesn’t walk, and because a typical stroller gets stuck in the sand, it’s a struggle for her family to get Aleah to the water.

So May We Help volunteers customized this stroller to have interchangeable wheels that easily clip in and out, and now Aleah’s family can use it on hard surfaces like at the mall or around the neighborhood, or switch out the standard wheels for these bigger ones and take a stroll on the beach!

#rettsyndrome #rettsyndromeawareness #beach #beachlife #beachvibes #beachday #beachbabe #beachgirl #beachtime #beachdays #beachvacation #beachvacations #familyvacation #familyiseverything #strollers

In lieu of receiving this finalist award at last y

In lieu of receiving this finalist award at last year’s Health Care Heroes ceremony, which was canceled due to COVID, the Cincinnati Business Courier hand-delivered this crystal to May We Help last week. Due to the ceremony’s cancellation, a winner was never selected, but regardless, what an honor for May We Help’s skilled and dedicated volunteers to be recognized for the impact they’ve had on the health of our community!

#healthcareheroes #healthcareheros #healthcarehero #healthcareheroes2020 #healthcareworkers #community #volunteer #volunteering #volunteeropportunities #volunteersrock

Allie has severe visual impairment and low gross m

Allie has severe visual impairment and low gross motor skills, but wants to be able to bike to build strength and balance and have some fun. So May We Help volunteers adapted this tag-along bike by adding a seat with back and side support, foot straps, and training wheels, and now Allie is enjoying all the therapeutic benefits and joys of riding!

#tagalong #tagalongbike #adaptivebikes #trainingwheels #bike #bikelife #bikelove #visuallyimpaired #motorskillsdevelopment #disabled

Ceci uses a walker and loves being outside in natu

Ceci uses a walker and loves being outside in nature, but the further she ventures (usually to take pictures!), the more difficulty she has keeping the wheels from getting caught and stuck. So May We Help volunteers outfitted a new walker for Ceci with larger lightweight wheels, and now Ceci's snapping away!

#walker #cpwalker #photography #photographylife #photographyart #photographyart #photography📷 #photographysouls #photographyeveryday #photographylover #photographyaddict #photooftheday #photodaily #photosession #disabledphotographer #disabledphotographers #disabledphotographers #backcountry

Brandon sings with a lot of local bands but is una

Brandon sings with a lot of local bands but is unable to hold a mic. So May We Help volunteers created this mount on his wheelchair, and now Brandon is reaching more of his fans than ever!

#band #bands #sing #singer #singersongwriter #singing #singersofinstagram #song #vocalist #vocalists #vocalistsofinstagram #disabledsinger #rockandroll #rockandpop #rockandrollhalloffame #rocksndrollmusic #adaptivemusic

Residents at St. Joseph Home love to knit their ow

Residents at St. Joseph Home love to knit their own hats and scarves or make them as gifts for family, but it’s tough or impossible for them to turn a crank. So May We Help volunteers modified this knitting machine to be switch activated!

#knitting #knittingaddict #knittingismytherapy #knittinginspiration #knittinglove #knittingmachine #knittingismyyoga #knittingyarn #knittingaddiction #complexdisability #sewing #sew #sewingproject #hobbies

Liam wanted to bike to school and around the neigh

Liam wanted to bike to school and around the neighborhood, but with his limb deficiencies, he needed a bike with modifications. So, May We Help volunteers stripped down this bike, added rear coaster brakes and gearing, and painted it to Liam’s specifications! #limbdeficiency #limbdifferenceawareness #limbdifference #limbdifferenceawarenessmonth #limbdifferent #limbdifferences #adaptiveathlete #adaptive #adaptivesports #adaptivefitness #adaptivebike #adaptivebicycles #adaptivebikes #adaptivecycling #bike #bikelife #bikeride #bikes #bicycle #bicyclelife #bicycles

Ruth was born with severe hydrocephalus, so standa

Ruth was born with severe hydrocephalus, so standard bike helmets don’t fit her head shape. @abcpedtherapy referred Ruth’s family to May We Help whose volunteers customized a helmet for her!

First, they used a casting process to create a mold of Ruth’s head, distracting her during the process with modeling clay, Legos, books, and ice cream!

Next, volunteers used a resin mold to create a nearly exact copy of Ruth's head, which they used to form the helmet’s liner, including areas to accommodate Ruth’s shunt.

Then Ruth picked out her favorite-looking bike helmet, volunteers replaced its stock liner with the new custom-fit liner, and now Ruth’s riding her bike with her brother and her friends!

#bicycle #bicyclelife #bicycles #helmet #helmets #bikehelmet #bikehelmets #cycling #cyclinglife #cyclingphotos #cyclinglifestyle #hydrocephalus #custombikehelmets #adaptiveathlete #adaptivesports #adaptivebike #adaptivecycling #disabledbikers #disabledsports

Victoria wanted to ride her scooter with her older

Victoria wanted to ride her scooter with her older sister and the other kids in the neighborhood, but because of her condition, plus a brace she wears over her foot and ankle, her balance can be off. So, May We Help volunteers modified Victoria’s scooter by adding two wheels in the back with a brake, and now Victoria’s scootering again! #skateboard #skateboardingisfun #skateboards #skateboarder #skateboardinglife #skateboardlife #skateboardlife #skateboardisfun #skateboarder #skateboarders #skateboardersruletheworld #skateboarderforlife #cerebralpalsy #cerebralpalsyawareness #cerebralpalsywarrior #cerebralpalsykids #cerebralpalsymom #scooter #scootering #scooterlife #scooterkid

Annette’s sewing machine is pedal operated, but

Annette’s sewing machine is pedal operated, but she can’t use her feet and needs both hands for operating the machine’s other functions. @Agribility referred Annette to May We Help whose volunteers modified the pedal, and now Annette can control it with a pneumatic actuator she controls with her breath!
@OhioAgrAbility
#broken hip #sewing #sewingproject #sewingismytherapy #sewingmachine #sewingroom #sewingfun #sewingaddict #sewinginspiration #sewingday #sewingblog #sewingmakesmehappy #sewingtherapy #sewingblogger #sewinglife #adaptivesewing #sew #sewistsofinstagram #sewingroom #sewingaddict

The Margaret B. Rost School provides instruction t

The Margaret B. Rost School provides instruction to students with significant disabilities, and they were in need of adaptive tools and everyday items for use in teaching vocational skills and practical tasks. So May We Help volunteers made a whole host of custom adaptive devices like these switch-operated spray bottles! #vocationaltraining #vocationalschool #practicallifeskills #spraybottle #specialneedsparent #specialneedsparents #specialneedskids #specialneedsteacher #specialneedsschool #specialneedsschools #specialneedskids #specialneedschild

Beau plays t-ball but limited hand size and grip s

Beau plays t-ball but limited hand size and grip strength mean the glove sometimes falls off his hand when making a catch. So May We Help volunteers attached a leather strap to his glove that velcros to his wrist, and now Beau’s back to playing ball!
#arthrogryposis #baseball #tball #tball⚾️ #tballmom #tballpractice #tballstar #tballer #adaptiveathlete #adaptivesports #adaptivebaseball #disabled

Halloween is May We Help’s favorite holiday beca

Halloween is May We Help’s favorite holiday because May We Help volunteers take special requests for costumes that mount directly to power chairs to create one-of-a-kind masterpieces and magnificent memories! #halloween #halloween2020 #halloweencostume #halloweenmakeup #halloweendecor #powerchair #wheelchairgirl #wheelchairlife #disabled #wheelchairfun

#Repost @littleredwheelchair ・・・ 18 months a

#Repost @littleredwheelchair
・・・
18 months ago, when Oona was 4, we attended a violin workshop with our son. He'd already been playing for over a year, and I've played since I was a little girl, so Oona was desperate to join in. She took a brush and a pen from my handbag and she put the hairbrush up on her shoulder and played along for six whole hours.

I don't know if it's true that the violin is really the hardest instrument to learn. I've heard a lot of people say that. I do know that it is certainly a very difficult task to learn to play a violin, and if you have a child with a physical disability who wants to play the violin, this adds another hefty layer of extreme! But of course, this is Oona, who has never been afraid of anything.

So I thought about the way I hold my violin and what the major difficulties would be for Oona, and how these could be alleviated. Then I wrote an email to a charity I found online called @may_we_help , and we waited. This was the start of an incredible international collaboration with a group of high school students in Ohio USA, for which we are incredibly grateful.
You can read the whole story on Oona’s Facebook page @littleredwheelchair #teamzebedee #disabledmusicians #violin #learningviolin #inclusionmatters #abilitynotdisability #wheelchair #musicforall #musicisforeveryone

May We Help was founded by “The Three Bills” i

May We Help was founded by “The Three Bills” in 2010, and although all three played key roles, Bill Sand and Bill Deimling are the first to say that it was Bill Wood who pushed for the formation of the organization, and that it was Bill Wood who saw the value that May We Help could bring the community!

As far back as 2003, Bill Wood was using his skills as a mechanical engineer to help people in the community. For example, after he met Patty Kempf – an avid reader with no arm mobility, who was using a pencil taped to her head to turn pages – Bill went straight to his workshop and built Patty an automatic page-turner.

Today, May We Help consists of over 75 skilled and dedicated volunteers who design, build and deliver hundreds of one-of-a-kind custom devices every year, all over the country, and always at no charge.

Thank you, Bill, for everything you've done to make the world an easier and more joyful, meaningful and rewarding place for people with disabilities.

As Charlie, owner of the historic Mariemont Barber Shop, said about you, “a finer man we’ve never met.” #disabledlife #lifewithdisability #disabilityawareness #disability #disabilityadvocate #disabled #disabilityinclusion #disabledartist #disabilityrights #disabilities #disabilityjustice #disabledandproud #disable #disabledandproud #disabilitylife #disabledmodel #disabledveteran #disabledgirl #cerebralpalsy #cerebralpalsykids #cerebralpalsyawareness #wheelchair #wheelchairlife #wheelchairgirl #wheelchairlife♿

Ryanne is working on riding a tricycle with her PT

Ryanne is working on riding a tricycle with her PT, but sometimes it’s tough for her to keep her feet on the pedals. So May We Help volunteers added these pedal straps, and now Ryanne’s getting all the fun and therapeutic benefits of biking! #bikelife #bike #bikes #bikeriding #adaptivebike #bicycle #bicycles #bicyclelife #adaptivebicycles #chromosomedisorder #rarechromosomedisorder #rarechromo #mom #momlife #wavehello

Harrison’s OT found that spinning helps fulfill

Harrison’s OT found that spinning helps fulfill his sensory needs, and – to encourage the helpful activity at home – Harrison’s family thought it would be more fun if they all spun together! So, May We Help volunteers created this spinning platform! #sensoryplay #sensory #sensoryprocessingdisorder #autism# #occupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapist #occupationaltherapyforkids #occupationaltherapystudents #occupationaltherapyrocks #occupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapists #family #familytime #familyiseverything #familyfirst #familyfun #spin #disabledlife

May We Help held another Adaptive Equipment Swap y

May We Help held another Adaptive Equipment Swap yesterday! We started the swap in March of last year, and it has already matched over 275 people with over $1 million worth of life-changing equipment! #adaptiveequipment #adaptiveathlete #adaptivesports #disabledlife #wheelchair #wheelchairgirl #wheelchairlife #cerebralpalsy #cerebralpalsyawareness #cerebralpalsykids

Danny’s service dog, Zach, needs a ramp to get i

Danny’s service dog, Zach, needs a ramp to get in and out of Danny’s Highlander. But Danny is paralyzed on his right side from a TBI and has difficulties setting up the ramp. So, May We Help volunteers modified this ramp which allows Danny to easily pull it down into place with one hand. #disabledlife #tbisurvivor #tbi #paralyzed #servicedog #servicedoggear #servicedoglife #tbiawareness #livingwithtbi #disableddrivers

St. Joseph Home needed a computer desk suitable fo

St. Joseph Home needed a computer desk suitable for multiple residents, but each resident has his or her own unique needs. So, May We Help volunteers designed this desk that allows residents to easily customize their orientation to the computer. #computer #computerdesk #computersetup #computers #desksetup #officedesk ##disabledlife #officeenvironment

Michael plays the violin, but after a stroke, he c

Michael plays the violin, but after a stroke, he could no longer curl his fingers around the bow. So, May We Help volunteers made this bow holder to accommodate Michael’s grip. #violin #violinist #violín #violinista #violinistsofinstagram #violinpractice #violinplayer #violinmaker #violinteacher #violinlife #violinbow #disabledlife #disabledmusicians #adaptivemusic #stroke #lifeafterstroke