The WHAT who invented the Upsee?

I am a huge fan of Leckey Products. It is one of my favourite companies for durable medical equipment (DME). I am a big fan of their standing frames. I am a massive supporter of the KidWalk, I think it is an exceptional product and just to clarify, I am not sponsored by Leckey. I also wouldn't recommend a Leckey product over one that would be more suited to a person's needs. But as it stands, I am a Leckey fan.

I became an even bigger supporter with the company Firefly, designed by Leckey. Firefly really hits the nail on the head for me because they create products designed to help involve children with disabilities in family life. It is all about inclusion.

When the GoTo Seat started making appearances on various blogs, I was in love. The idea of a lightweight, easy to pack seat for children who need assistance with posture is both mind-blowing and so obvious. It has been such a great invention for so many people.

Daniel using the GoTo Seat.

GoTo Seat

I was in love with the GoTo Seat and Firefly instantly, and when the Upsee started to make an appearance, I quickly grew interested. For a while there was hardly any information about it, just a small teaser. The teaser showed Debby Elnatan talking about her son, Rotem, who has cerebral palsy. She talked about how she wanted him to experience the sensation of walking and it briefly showed what she originally did - the crude (but excellent) design that turned into the Upsee as it is today.

Claire and Daniel Smyth; Louise and Bethany Watson; and Cameron and Charlotte Taylor using the Upsee

I waited online with a lot of my friends in this community, excited to see the reveal of the Upsee. It has now been produced, and it's excellent. The feedback has been largely very positive. I am a big fan. I have huge respect for Debby Elnatan.

So, imagine my shock when this photo started appearing:

What. The. Heck.

This photo hasn't just been shared and seen a few times: it has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. I am furious. Credit to George Takei for correcting himself, but my fury still stands. This misinformation grates at me. All it took was a Google search and I found so many people who have been misinformed about who invented the Upsee, and also about Charlotte Taylor's disability.

Firstly, to Debby Elnatan. The woman who has made an incredible design, is getting ignored. Why? Is it because it's more emotional and adorable if a dad does this for his daughter? It is clearly better fodder for inspiration porn (another topic I could rant over).

There is only two ways I can see that this picture occurred...

1. Someone saw the photo of Cameron and Charlotte, briefly skimmed the article, threw together some assumptions, created this inaccurate picture and spread it like wildfire on the internet.

Or...

2. Someone created this picture, knowing full well that Debby is responsible for the creation but knew it would be soppier, mushier and more visually appealing with Daddy and Daughter, Cameron and Charlotte.

Cameron, Charlotte and the rest of the Taylor family are reportedly reaping the benefits of the Upsee and that makes me thrilled. She and her brother can play on the same level, and she can be part of family activities more readily. Charlotte, who is not paralyzed but has cerebral palsy, can experience the sensations of walking. This is what the Upsee was designed to do.

But, it wasn't designed by Cameron Taylor. It was designed by Debby Elnatan. Even in comments, when people read that it wasn't invented by him people say "so what? It's a great design". I get what they're saying, I do. But "so what?", "so give the person who created it the credit due her". Because, Ms Elnatan - well done. I am sorry you're not getting the credit you deserve. You have designed an exceptional product and you are changing the lives of so many children and family.

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My Family Fails at Inclusion

As I write this, I am sitting on the couch at my grandparent's apartment. Well, maybe I should start calling it my grandmama's apartment. It is grandfather's 89th birthday, and next Tuesday he is moving to a nursing home.

It's not exactly a sad occasion. In fact, things have almost worked out as well as expected. Grandfather had a stroke two years ago, and if it hadn't been for one geriatrician who, though extremely doubtful, gave him a chance at rehab, he would have been in a nursing home since then. 

It took him months, but he came home. He has been home ever since. My grandmama has been his primary caregiver, with a lot of assistance from my mother and my aunt. 

Now things are changing. Sadly, my aunt - a wonderful woman, a doctor, and a lifelong non-smoker - has been diagnosed with lung cancer and the surgery has been difficult. My mother has been torn in different directions: trying to assist with her ill sister, as well as her father. Grandfather is declining. I can see it. 

He is not going to the nursing home because he is 89. He is going to the nursing home because he has chosen to. The nursing home is in the same complex as Grandmama's apartment, so she can walk there. She can visit any time. He can come home any time. But it is less work for her. Honestly? I think this will be happier for everyone. I hope that doesn't make me a horrible person. I think Grandfather will be happier. I think Grandmama will be happier. I hope so, at least. They can spend quality time together, instead of focusing so much on care.

And the truth is, I think my family fails at inclusion.  Maybe we are in denial, but as Grandfather sits in his chair, everyone else gets up it seems. Grandmama, Aunt and Mum go to the kitchen and they are generally just talking. The men go somewhere else as well. I am the only one who sits with Grandfather. I don't often have much to say. My life is not overly interesting. We both have aphasia as well, and seem to take it in turns as to has it worse. I try to talk about medicine Grandfather after all is a doctor (I will never say he was. He still deserves the title).

My family are great at caring for Grandfather. But when it comes down to the social side of inclusion, the fact is they downright fail: and I don't really know why. Maybe they don't understand how it feels. Maybe they want to talk about him, but the weird thing is that although Grandfather is now in a high care facility... I think we might do a better job on the inclusion than ever before...

What do you think?