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COMMUNITY SERVICE GROUP SEEKS PARKING SPACES FOR SPECIAL TRICYCLES

November 19, 2000

Non-profit community service group National AMBUCS Inc. has adaptive tricycles to give away to children with mobility challenges, but it needs more places to show them off. AMBUCS has given away or sold at cost about 1,400 tricycles this year through 54 demonstration sites in 35 states, and the group hopes to distribute another 600 by year's end, AmTryke Program Coordinator Pam Burleson says.

AMBUCS, which started its AmTryke program in 1998, designs, builds and distributes trikes with hand cranks and safety seats to give children with physical disabilities more mobility and independence during play. The group currently offers models with 12-inch and 16-inch front wheels, while two more -- an 8-inch version and a 15-inch all-terrain trike for higher-functioning children -- are in production. The trikes sell for $400 to $500 apiece but are available free to families who cannot afford to buy them. Families applying for the free trikes must submit an application to their local AMBUCS chapter and have the child assessed by a therapist to ensure the trike will be useful and not endanger the child, Burleson said.

To increase distribution of the AmTrykes, AMBUCS is recruiting schools, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities to act as demonstration sites, Burleson said. The group hopes to establish at least one demonstration site in each state, then expand the program to include one site every 200 miles, she added. AMBUCS will provide demonstration sites one or more trikes to be used for evaluation by therapists, parents and children. To qualify, a school or health facility must agree to allow free access to the trike for evaluation purposes, with appointments scheduled by the local AMBUCS chapter.

AMBUCS, also funds about $225,000 in scholarships each year for college students and grad students in physical or occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and hearing audiology programs. Single-year awards range from $500 to $1,500 each, and the group awards one two-year scholarship each year for $6,000. The awards are based on financial need, citizenship and commitment to community and career objectives.

AMBUCS began organizing community efforts to help people with physical disabilities in the late 1940s. The organization's 138 U.S. chapters, consisting of about 6,000 members, build wheelchair ramps in their communities, convert playgrounds to accessible facilities, sponsor local athletic teams for children with disabilities and raise money for other projects. AMBUCS also contributes money to the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association and partners with the Canadian Progress Clubs and the Apex Clubs of Australia on community development and service projects, including expanding the AmTrykes project to Australia.8