BayToday reader Lynda DeCiccio, in the midst of a European vacation, spotted something she had never seen before and took the time to email to share her find.
"I am reaching out to you as a resident of North Bay and a mother of an adult son with a disability who uses a wheelchair. I have been on vacation and have recently seen a shopping cart designed for wheelchair users. Currently, they must sit a small shopping basket on their knees and manoeuvre awkwardly through the store. It would allow more freedom for their hands and give them the feeling of inclusion."
DeCiccio snapped a shot of the adapted grocery cart (or wheelchair attachment trolley) she came across in the Czech Republic (see above) and included it with her email.
"I would like to encourage our grocery stores and others that provide carts, to investigate and think outside the box. I have never seen one of these carts anywhere else," she says.
In 2016, an initiative through the Elks Club saw "Caroline's Carts" made available to customers at one local store but these carts are designed for shoppers with children with disabilities and not disabled shoppers themselves. Caroline's Carts are included in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act but adaptive shopping carts are not covered in the AODA.
In 2019, American grocery chain Publix began to offer wheelchair-accessible shopping carts.
Customers with disabilities who use a wheelchair to get around could avoid the balancing act with shopping items on their lap.
"This cart would allow wheelchair users to move freely and to feel a part of the shopping community," DiCiccio says.
Courtesy WheelzOfFortune via YouTube