Tamara Lights the Way

It was 2004, and Tamara was starting her freshman year of college, living in the dorms at Hunter College. At three foot two inches, Tamara was easy to overlook in a crowd. When sitting in her wheelchair, she was even closer to the ground. Tamara was falling below the sight line of her classmates and pedestrians and was in danger of getting injured. Once, an addled man accidentally stepped on her and her chair as if she were a bump on the sidewalk, resulting in a broken collarbone.

When Tamara was living with her family in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, her surroundings were fairly predictable. She knew the neighborhood and which sidewalks to avoid. “I was so excited to move into the dorms. I wanted to be in on all the action!” she said. “Going out at night was challenging because I was invisible to cars and pedestrians alike. I had to come up with a solution quickly… there were parties to go to, and I wanted to have fun!”

Tamara thought hard about her predicament and visualized a light pole that could be attached to her chair, acting as a beacon. She took her idea to ADA, describing her need to be more visible. Staff at ADA listened closely and came up with a prototype using a steel pole and a portable light used on top of emergency vehicles. The pole was heavy, the light burned out frequently, but it worked—and Tamara was able to be out and about.

The light pole worked well enough, but Tamara kept thinking about designs that would be easier to use on her chair. “There truly weren’t any light poles for wheelchairs. I just kept going to ADA with new ideas, and they would make a newer, sleeker version for me.” As the designs improved, the poles got lighter; LED bulbs replaced ambulance lights.

Tamara got to know the staff well and started thinking about changing her career goals. She liked ADA so much, she started volunteering, joined the board, and never looked back. Fast forward to 2025, and you will find Tamara in a leadership position at ADA as Community Partnerships Coordinator. And you will find Tamara with the sixth version of a light pole. This pole was inspired by an ADA designer who was watching dune buggies racing one night while on vacation. “I saw these whip lights attached to dune buggies and thought that one might work well for Tamara’s chair,” said Adam El-Sawaf, Senior Designer. “We adapted the whip light to the backrest of her wheelchair, and it works incredibly well!”

ADA will be there for Tamara when she needs yet another light pole for her chair. We stick with our clients for as long as they need us. There is no charge to clients for the adaptive equipment that we design and manufacture—costs are covered by donations from our family of generous donors. We invite you to join our team of innovators with a gift, so that we can keep designing better and better light poles for Tamara as she zips around on the sidewalks of New York!

Side-by-side comparison of two early wheelchair visibility lights from 2008 and 2011. The 2008 version features a bulky emergency vehicle light with an ombre orange flashing cover mounted on a heavy steel pole. The 2011 version shows a narrower and taller emergency light on a twistable telescoping aluminum pole, designed to be lighter. Text notes that a mini electrical fire prompted the design change. Title text at the bottom right reads "W/C Light Evolution 2008–2025."

A collage showing the 2025 evolution of a wheelchair (W/C) light system. On the left, a compact attachment is mounted on a wheelchair backrest. The center image displays a custom bracket holder, bendable LED light bar, and battery pack laid out on a colorful workshop table. On the right, a person sits in a wheelchair inside the Adaptive Design Association workshop, holding a glowing purple LED whip light. Text highlights features like 360-degree lighting, Bluetooth capability, app and handheld remote control. The caption reads “W/C LIGHT EVOLUTION 2008–2025.”

If you or someone you know can benefit from a wheelchair light similar to Tamara’s please get started with this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMt27vIFGWISfTzrtBn7m1ZndlVfKzAPohU1aA8re6CNprdA/viewform

We're raising funds to purchase essential workshop materials, so we can continue to create custom adaptations that empower children with disabilities. Every donation helps keep our shop full of essential supplies like cardboard, wood, and glue. Join us in making a difference— Donate Today!

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