We learned about the Alinker back in May when a friend saw it on the Instagram feed of actress Selma Blair, who has multiple sclerosis. I immediately went to the company’s website and then shared it with Mr. Andi and Sarah Kate. We decided she had to try it.
My friend suggested I contact Alinker to inquire about having Sarah Kate serve as a brand ambassador. She’s young and active, our family has a platform, and she has interview experience through Disney (twice!) and our local Fox affiliate, after all. I decided What the Heck and emailed the company. Barbara Alink – the founder and inventor – personally called me and our partnership with Alinker USA began! She started following other users online and discovered that many of them named their Alinkers; she chose “Kevin” (after the Minion in the movies her brother loves). It arrived in mid-June and Sarah Kate began using it right away.
Why We Wanted the Alinker
We found ourselves nodding along with videos on the Alinker website because we’ve experienced much of what they described. Sarah Kate falls to the fringes on the occasions when she must use a wheelchair, and often opts out of typical teenager activities because the amount of walking (or just keeping up with her friends) just didn’t seem worth the effort to her.
In two years, Sarah Kate will graduate high school and go to college. I’ve spent many hours worrying about how she will navigate a college campus. She is fiercely independent and doesn’t like to use crutches or the wheelchair unless absolutely necessary, but the amount of walking required would simply be too much. In addition, regular use of the wheelchair would cause her to lose strength in her legs. The Alinker looked like the solution to the college problem.
BONUS: The Alinker passed the teenager test when she saw it and described it as “cool” – not a word she uses to describe her braces, crutches, or wheelchair!
Using the Alinker Around Town
Her first “outing” was a trip to the outlet mall with a friend, something she rarely (okay, never) does. She walked in and out of stores, strolled across the parking lot, and fielded a lot of curious looks (one brave soul asked questions). In small stores, she left it parked just inside and walked around (parking it near the door was easier because the Alinker turns a little too wide for tight spaces).
On the right: putting her feet up to cruise downhill (using the hand brake, of course!)
“It was really nice when I got tired that I didn’t have to hunt for a place to sit down. When I went inside stores it was easy to tuck it into a corner while I walked around. It was easy to navigate the parking lot and I felt like I was seen more because of the bright yellow color.”
– Sarah Kate
The second outing with the Alinker was to a local amusement park with a friend. Once again, it worked great! She was visible and didn’t have to worry about needing to sit down. Her only complaint was that it was a really hot day and she wished it had a cupholder. 😉 Mr. Andi bought one at the local bike shop the next day. The Alinker accepts a variety of bike parts and accessories, so it was easy to find one that worked.
“Long lines for attractions were easy to wait in because I was able to sit on the Alinker. I could walk easily through the park and weave through crowds because people noticed me more so than they usually do when I’m in the wheelchair.”
– Sarah Kate
Traveling With the Alinker
Last week we put the Alinker to a big test – traveling by plane to Minneapolis, Minnesota, for Sarah Kate to swim at the Adaptive Sports USA Junior Nationals. We flew out of a small airport, but connected through Atlanta – the world’s busiest airport. I provided Delta Airlines with the details ahead of time because I doubted they had seen anything like it.
Sarah Kate used the Alinker going up and down the jetways. She used it on the moving sidewalks. She used it on the airport trains. (Pro Tip: Be sure to set the parking brake and/or grab the poles before the train starts moving, LOL!) Everywhere we went – in all three airports – both airport and airline employees watched her go by. The agents we encountered all had questions. Strangers approached her, wanting to learn more. I can’t begin to guess how many times we heard “That’s so cool!”
“It was easy to get through TSA and also easy to fold for transport when we boarded the planes. Navigating the crowds at ATL was so much easier because people saw me and let me through. I didn’t have to worry about finding a seat in the busy airport when I was tired. I even used it one time to block a rude lady who was trying to jump in front of me in line!”
– Sarah Kate
In Minneapolis, our hotel was right down the street from the Mall of America and IKEA. The afternoon before her first day of competition, we spent a few hours at the Mall of America. I didn’t want her to tire herself out before her big day, so we took the Alinker but I “pulled” her alongside me. The Alinker rolls easily so I could walk beside her with my hand on the handlebar while she put her feet up and let me propel her forward with minimal effort. We did the same thing the next day at IKEA before her second day of competition.
“It fit in the rental car easily by just popping off one of the wheels. It was really nice to be noticed, like I was my own person instead of someone who is dependent on their mom. Navigating the Mall of America and IKEA was easy, even using the elevator with a lot of other people.”
– Sarah Kate
The Alinker not only keeps her active, but even when I was assisting her, I was able to walk and stand next to her at a conversational height. We could chat easily – even in noisy and crowded places – without me having to lean over to hear her as I often have to do with the wheelchair.
Do you know what else was great? Curious people asked HER about the Alinker, not me. Directing questions to the companion of a wheelchair user instead of the user themselves is a common (and really, really annoying!) occurrence. I gotta say – I beamed with pride (and whispered a little thank you to Barbara and to Jesus!) when I listened to her talk about the Alinker and how it worked for her.
What’s Next for “Kevin” the Alinker
Despite cerebral palsy, Sarah Kate is an athlete. Long before she became a swimmer, Sarah Kate did fun runs, and she especially loved the Kids’ Races at Walt Disney World. Now that she’s older, one-mile races are no longer an option, and it’s been a dream of hers to one day attempt the 5K. In 2020, she’s going to do it…with the Alinker.
I feel like I’m gushing like a giddy school girl and a little voice in my head is telling me to tone it down a bit, but the truth is WE LOVE THIS THING.
Things to Keep in Mind About the Alinker:
- The Alinker is only available in one color – yellow, and before Sarah Kate used it we weren’t a fan of the yellow. But now? We love it! It’s highly visible and therefore feels safer, especially in a parking lot (and to be honest, the yellow is a lot cooler and a lot less institutional).
- The Alinker only comes in adult sizes, but while Sarah Kate is 16, she is really short – barely 4’-11”. While it may not be an option (yet) for younger kids, it could work for some older kids.
- Our insurance would not cover the Alinker, so we contacted our medical flexible spending account (FSA) administrator to see if we could use our FSA funds to pay for it. They told us that if Sarah Kate’s doctor wrote a letter designating it a necessary mobility aid we could. The same may be true for a health savings account (HSA) so if you have either an FSA or HSA, check with your administrator.
- Although the Alinker is less expensive than a custom wheelchair, it still isn’t cheap, but the company has creative options for funding, including Rent-to-Own and Crowdfunding (Alinker supports and even actively promotes individual crowdfunding campaigns).
- And one more thing… Alinker USA is a young startup, and ever since Selma Blair shared about her Alinker on her Instagram, demand for Alinkers has skyrocketed. They now have a waitlist for orders but are scaling up as fast as they can.
I’ve tried to cover the highlights but I’m sure you have questions. Leave them in the comments and I’ll be sure to answer, and if there’s interest I may try to do a little video, as well.
Learn More About the Alinker via the company’s website and social media:
The Alinker.com
The Alinker USA & Canada on Facebook
The Alinker World on Instagram
Full Disclosure: As I noted in the opening paragraphs, Sarah Kate is now a brand ambassador for Alinker USA. We contacted the company ourselves because we believed the Alinker would be a great option for her, and because we wanted to get the word out to others. Without the Alinker partnership, we would have paid full price, just at a later date. The opinions expressed here are 100% our own.
I am so glad this is working so well for Sarah Kate. Have you noticed any increased leg strength or physical benefits since using Kevin?
It’s really too early to tell, but I think there’s a lot of potential.
Sarah Kate and Andi:
I had forgotten that Blair has multiple sclerosis.
A lot of work has been done to make places and spaces more accessible in the past 40 years.
I wondered if the Alinker was more like a scooter or more like that Segway that helps posture and makes you stand up straight [or as straight as you can]?
The Alinker definitely has the advantage when it comes to moving around.
I wonder how it copes on uneven surfaces like sand or gravel like a parking lot often is? Or on hills or mountains?
Katy Fetters promotes an exoskeleton with the social group CP Strong which has been around for the past two years.
I know that the unpredictability of brakes and the sheer motor and sensory control required to use them independently has been a barrier for me, especially when I was a few years older than Sarah Kate.
And people listen to Jordan about the Glitter Arm and the related entrepreneurship – there is a new book about the Born Just Right movement.
And wow about the Atlanta airport. I was thinking a lot about the 1996 Paralympics in that city – I tend to think a lot about the team sports like aquatics and athletics.
I know the antibellum world is not always the most accessible physically though the hospitality does make up for it a lot.
I’m with you Sarah Kate – the Alinker is very cool.
Didn’t reach 150 centimetres until I was about 22. And it does seem like a very light machine and one which is easily maintained and taken apart when needed.
I wondered if the Alinker could be fixed in sports shops like Decathlon, the multisport store which has a bicycle station and scooter tester?
The yellow also has significance because on the trains and trams there are these dotted paths. So the “less institutional” goes both ways. This is where private enterprise and ability come together.
I wonder too if people have used it regularly in an employment situation?
And blocking rude ladies is always a bonus.
Airports do seem to bring out the best and the worst in people – in Australia very recently five capital cities have adopted their own Hidden Disability criteria; especially Melbourne Airport. They did this by working with people and organisations. This is following the Gatwick [out of London] path.
TripAdvisor has lots of ideas on the forums.
Very best wishes with the 5K and everything you do.
It’s more like a scooter – or, specifically, like being on a cruiser-type bike but just walking it along instead of using the pedals. As far as where you can take it…basically anywhere you could take a bike. 😉 It wouldn’t be great on a soft sand beach, for instance, and plush carpeting is more work than a slick tile floor (all issues with wheelchairs, too, of course).
It weighs 26 lbs fully assembled, but the wheels are very easy to pop on and off so that reduces some of the weight (and size) if needed for transport. It does fold in the middle, too – if you look at the top photo, the black knob on the center bar twists and there’s joint under there where it will fold. The back wheel comes all the way into the black bracket on the front, which also doubles as a stand. I should have included pics or video of that!
I don’t know if it could be fixed at a bike shop, but my gut tells me yes. It seems a lot of thought was put into the design to make it usable for the long term.
Thank you Sarah Kate for your answers to my questions.
Good to know the Alinker could be fixed at any bike shop.
And, yes, long-term thought and Universal Design tick many boxes.
Good to know about the wheels and the middle folds:
“if you look at the top photo, the black knob on the center bar twists and there’s joint under there where it will fold.”
And a photo of the bracket and stand would work. This is one of these things you didn’t know you needed until you needed it.
“As far as where you can take it…basically anywhere you could take a bike. It wouldn’t be great on a soft sand beach, for instance, and plush carpeting is more work than a slick tile floor (all issues with wheelchairs, too, of course).”
Thank you again for the pointers, Sarah Kate and Andi.
Ahh! That is SOOOOO cool. Never seen the likes! Sure wish I would have known you were in my backyard (MOA/Ikea)…would have loved to meet you in person 🙂 It’s not too often I meet others who are raising more than 1 child with special needs. I have two biological sons w/ DS, and 3 typical developing kids in between 🙂 Looks like you had a great time. I always look forward to your posts!
That would have been great! It’s always fun to run into my readers. Unfortunately, I have to be very careful these days about broadcasting upcoming plans – not just because there are some crazies out there, but because of one specific crazy who has threatened our family.