Juliette loves pink. She loves the way things feel on the tips of her fingers and how her legs feel when she climbs. She is eight years old and growing quick as a colt; one day her clothes fit, the next day her pants are up past her ankles and it is time to size up.
Juliette’s favorite place to play is her bedroom, a space she shares with her brothers. Although Juliette’s ability to climb and explore is fully developed, her ability to evaluate danger is still evolving. “She wants to climb all of the time”, said her mother. “She simply loves the ladder on the bunk bed and does not understand that she can fall and hurt herself.”
The only solution to keep Juliette safe was erecting a tall, cumbersome, portable fence around the bedroom door, keeping her out when she could not be watched. “The fence never felt right”, said Juliette’s mother. “We hated that Juliette could not go into her room and play by herself. We really needed another solution but were out of ideas, that’s when we called ADA.”
Eric Gottshall, ADA’s newest designer, took on the challenge. “I remember being eight years old and how good it felt to climb and run and jump.” He said. “It’s fun to fly through the air, but not always safe.” Eric’s solution was to create an accordion shield of lightweight corrugated plastic that could fit over the ladder.
Install day was met with much excitement. The shield fit perfectly under the first rung of the ladder. Eric demonstrated how to easily pull up and click the accordion shield to the top of the bunk. Juliette watched the installation with curiosity and quickly tried to climb the ladder with the shield in place. Her feet quickly slipped to the floor. “Look!” Her mother exclaimed. “She can’t get a foothold! She can play in her room alone now! This has helped us so much”, said Juliette’s mother. “Thank you!”
ADA is a problem solver. We are there for families and individuals who need devices that have not been created or imagined. We observe, think, and then create.
We are unique and we need your help! Please join our creative community and be part of the solution with a gift to help cover our expenses, we would be most grateful!