Building a Walker for Ice Skating

This will be my longest post EVER! and hopefully I will get this done in decent amount of time.
 The final result will be share on Monday.

First of all, every Sunday for the past month I have been volunteering at Gliding Stars in Toledo, (http://glidingstars.org/index.html)  which is an adaptive ice skating program. I love it! I have been paired up with a variety of fun children and adolescents to help teach ice skating techniques and moves for the ice performance. There is this one adolescent that my friends and I have taken note of. He has out grown his walker considerably to the point where he can not move his legs effectively and the seat, for a boy, is not very comfortable at all! It is a bike seat changed with straps in the front and back but the bike seat was meant for a child, not a 5'7'' growing man.

I will insert Pic here soon. of original walker...

My friends and Home Depot have taken on the challenge to build this young man a new ice skating device so he could actually use his legs and push him self. I am still unsure the amount of disclosure I am allowed. He has considerable amount of spasticy  in his UE. Measurements we took included his amount of pronation (unable to reach neutral position) shoulder flexion, wrist flexion and extension, current position of ulnar or radial deviation in wrist, abduction of shoulder, as well as height, weight, and length of all body segments. While visiting the skater, we discussed needs such as where he has most control, where he lacks good muscle coordination, ability to hold self, the necessity of a seat and personal goals of the young man.

after searching for a walker through multiple organizations and companies, we came across a design online with PVC pipes

Specifications

Weight	41 lbs.
Weight capacity	250 lbs.
Top frame inside width	19.25"
Top frame outside width	29.5"
Bottom frame inside width	22"
Bottom frame outside width	26"
Armrest width	5"
Armrest height range	39.25" - 59.25"
Overall length	4

So this seemed like a great option for our skater! After discussing the idea and design with multiple people who have experience with compensation equipment (adaptation is a change to one's developmental structure such as learning or increasing endurance. Compensation is the use of an atypical object to achieve a desired outcome. You can experience adaptation with compensation by learning how to use it, but the object itself is compensation not adaptation..so technically you do not acquire home adaptations but home compensations), we made modifications and design measurements that we believe will fit the skater and purpose of why we are building it. We narrowed the top of the walker to account for his lack of Abduction and well as utilizing his spasticy to assist with holding himself up straight. 

The following pics shows the progression of building the walker. THANK YOU HOME DEPOT!! 

The back!

 Utilizing his old walker armrests. He out grew his walker but the armrest were still usable!

Before the narrower top.

<-- font="font" size="3" style="font-weight: normal;">Narrowing the top required Home Depot skill!

 How he will enter in through the back.

About how/where he will sit

Problem with bowing

 Problem fixed!

 TA-DA! The finished product

Keeping swinging bars closed

Angle of arm rests allows for amount of pronation. Due to the possibility of growth and needing to re angle arm rests. instead of gluing, we screwed in the poles that will need to be adjusted.

 Spray painting it his favorite color dark blue. :)

The home depot team!

Total Time: 4.5 hours

Supplies used: Five 10-foot 3/4 inch PVC pipes, multiple 45 degree angles, 19 three-ways, 6 four-ways.

Price online: $850

Estimated price including $10/hr for labor: 

$255

 we will say $350 including tools and if they want a raise