New Grocery Cart for Special Needs Children
Information provided by Caroline's Cart - Published: 2011-07-18
Caroline's Cart(TM) set to change the way parents with disabled children shop.
Parents and caregivers of special needs children who want or need to include their child in the shopping experience will soon have access to a grocery cart specifically designed for the unique challenges they face when shopping.
Caroline's Cart(TM) was invented by Drew Ann Long, a stay-at-home Mom from Alabaster, Alabama, when she could no longer fit her special needs daughter Caroline into the traditional grocery cart provided by stores where she shopped.
The first shopping cart ever designed specifically for special needs children, Caroline's Cart(TM) will be available for purchase by grocers, home improvement and general merchandise retailers in the U.S. by 4th Q 2011.
Drew Ann and David Long's journey began in 2000 when daughter Caroline was born with multiple disabilities.
Drew Ann discovered that as Caroline got older, it became harder to place her into a traditional grocery cart and nearly impossible to maneuver a cart and her wheelchair.
"I was frustrated," said Drew Ann. "Parents have access to amusement carts designed to look like miniature cars, and people with limited mobility can drive through the store in a motorized cart with wheels. However, as a mom who has to shop several times a week to provide food for my family, I had no way to shop with my disabled child - it was ludicrous."
 CAROLINE'S CART SHOPPERS Drew Ann Long grocery shops with her daughter, Caroline, who sits comfortably in "Caroline's Cart." |
The Longs were encouraged when Easter Seals in Chicago saw the cart.
"Caroline's Cart will be welcomed by thousands of families who have children with disabilities," said Sara Brewster Vice President, Marketing Communications for national Easter Seals, Inc. "This shopping cart will make it possible for kids with disabilities to be part of a family shopping outing. More than this, when families use Caroline's Cart in neighborhood stores, it sends an important message to everyone who sees them that kids with disabilities are kids first and need to be included."
"Our goal is to enable special needs children to more easily be included in their family's every-day life by making Caroline's Cart(TM) available at retailers across the country," said Drew Ann. "David and I made a commitment that this cart was going to happen - parents and caregivers of disabled children should have access to this. It is the right thing to do."
Read their story: www.carolinescart.com and see the video of Caroline in her Cart: Shopping Cart for Special Needs Children - Caroline's Cart
- This web page is from the Disabled World Assistive Technology section which provides: Information on a large range of assistive devices and disability products for persons with a disability and seniors.
- Accessible Shopping
- Jumbo Shopping Cart
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