Wheelchair offers mobility and more

LOXLEY, Alabama (WALA) - Chance Blaker, a Foley man, has designed a beach friendly wheelchair to extend freedom to those who need them. The oil spill has halted his business though, because tourist are cancelling vacations.

The phrase freedom isn't free rings loud and clear for Blaker.

"I worked on cobras and hueys the avionics systems, so that's where I got all my understanding of electronics and what not," explained Blaker.

Blaker served six-years as a Marine, and was stationed all over the world, and after finishing his service, he now spends his time building wheelchairs that work on the beach. He was inspired to extend the freedoms non-handicapped people enjoy to those who still want to experience the beach.

"The ultimate goal is to get people that can't go out there and enjoy the beach get them back out there again you know. A lot of my friends I was in the military with lost legs and what not and you know a lot of them were athletic of course and loved to go to the beach and you can't do that with a regular wheelchair," Blaker said.

Blaker designed a chair with electronic motors, and sand friendly wheels. It even has an umbrella and an adjustable joystick for left and right handed users. He knows other beach accessible wheelchairs exist, but said his is one of kind. It can run for hours on battery and hurdle over large curbs.

"It does give them the freedom to go where they want to go and they don't have to have anyone push them. If they go look at a seashell, they can turn around and go back to the condo all by themselves," said Blaker.

Typically Blaker rents out three to four beach wheelchairs a month, but since the oil spill, his business has come to a stand still.

"Even with advertising and my website and business cards being handed out everywhere I'm lucky to get one rental a month," Blaker said.

Despite a gloomy outlook, Blaker said he'll continue to build more chairs in hopes the beaches will get cleaned. He said its all in the name of freedom.

"Freedom is something I would give my life for," added Blakner.