“I Can Choose Where I Go”: Levi’s Experience with Independent Mobility

What does independent mobility actually mean? For Levi, it can be as simple as being able to decide where he wants to go.

Levi is a CoMoveIT user who would love to share a few of his experiences, from shopping and travelling to playing Fortnite with his dad. Together, his stories show how alternative wheelchair control can change more than the way someone drives. It can change what they are able to participate in.

“I think driving by myself would be more fun”

When Levi travelled to London with his family, he had a great time. They explored the city, went shopping and visited Westfield and ABBA Voyage.

But there was one thing he missed. Inside shops, Levi could not independently drive his wheelchair. He was usually pushed by his parents or sister. As he explained after the trip:

“I think driving by myself would be more fun because I can choose where then I stand.”

That sentence captures something fundamental about independent mobility. It is not simply about moving without assistance. It is about having a say in what happens next.

After starting to use CoMoveIT Smart, Levi noticed that he felt “much calmer” in his wheelchair. He saw the possibility of going shopping independently and exploring the city himself, provided, as he points out, that the doors are wide enough.

And that last detail matters too. Independent mobility does not remove every barrier. The environment still has to allow someone to participate.

“Then I drove inside and the fun began!”

Levi later put his independence to the test during a trip to a local shop.

He travelled 1.2 kilometres to the store and then drove inside. He picked up Oreos for his sister, bought his milk, found bread and even chose waffles for his colleagues.

He still needed help along the way. Employees helped him reach products and put them on his lap. At the checkout, someone assisted with his bank card. But Levi was driving. And his conclusion was simple:

“I liked it and I would like to do this more in the future. Maybe even a shopping center!”

It is a good example of what independence can actually look like. It does not have to mean doing everything alone. It can mean being able to take control of the parts of an activity that matter to you.

From wheelchair control to gaming with his dad

For Levi, independent control is not only about getting around. He and his dad also found a way to connect his head control to an Xbox Adaptive Controller so that he could play Fortnite.

They started by assigning functions such as shooting and jumping. It did not immediately go perfectly.

“But I only jumped :)”

So they experimented again. Levi tried using the reload button instead, and that worked better. After winning a few games, his dad added two more buttons, allowing Levi to change weapons and switch to the pickaxe.

What started as an experiment became something much more meaningful: Levi could play Fortnite with his dad.

CoMoveIT FLEX can similarly connect directly to adaptive gaming controllers such as the Xbox Adaptive Controller, allowing its configurable sensors to be used as gaming inputs.

It starts with the person

Levi’s experiences also show why alternative control cannot be reduced to choosing a product. The right solution depends on the person’s movements, positioning, consistency, fatigue, preferences and goals.

CoMoveIT FLEX can be configured as head-only or head-and-foot control, while CoMoveIT DRIVE is specifically designed for head control. The aim is not to make every user control their wheelchair in the same way. It is to find a way of interacting with the wheelchair that works for that person.

What does independent mobility make possible?

Levi’s stories are ultimately not really about sensors, pads or wheelchair electronics. They are about possibilities:

• Going shopping.
• Exploring a city.
• Choosing where to stop.
• Playing Fortnite with his dad.

As Levi’s experiences show, the most useful question may therefore not be “How can we control the wheelchair?” but:

“What would this person like to be able to do?”

That answer can be the starting point for finding the right way to move.

Explore alternative wheelchair control

Interested in exploring what greater independent mobility could make possible for you or your client?

Discover CoMoveIT’s control solutions or request a test with our clinical mobility team.