The Trabasack: Making life with epilepsy easier

Duncan Edwards, Director of Equip-able, Ltd, his wife Clare, have a child with Dravet’s Syndrome. In addition, Clare is in a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury. When their son was young, they worried he would injure himself in his stroller on the heavy plastic tray. So Clare, in looking for a functional lap tray that would also stay put on her wheelchair, ended up creating the first Trabasack on her sewing machine. Since then, the bag has won design awards and been included in the Christopher Reeves gift guide.

What is the Trabasack?

Trabasack is a neat little bag that is purposely designed to be used as a tray on your lap. It has a firm surface on one side and a small specially designed beanbag on the underside so it levels comfortably on your lap.

The bag offers a convenience for just about anyone, but for wheelchair users it becomes an essential tool. It provides better accessibility at restaurants, cafes, at other people’s houses as well as at work and conferences. The bag also provides an alternative to expensive clamps and frames for people who need communication devices. Best of all, Trabasack can provide a mount for toys and educational devices for disabled children.

Check out this video by Blossomforchildren.co.uk:

What was the inspiration for this product?

“My wife created the first Trabasack on a sewing machine. An early years teacher spotted it and her relative wanted some for a special school she worked at. It snowballed from there really,” explains Duncan. Clare designed the bag to be a stylish product. The couple feels it is important that assistive products do not stigmatize. They know from experience that these products should be something you want to buy rather than something you feel you have to buy.

How has this product made your lives easier?

When asked how the Trabasack makes their lives easier, Duncan replies, “My wife uses her Trabasack (the Mini) every day and takes it everywhere. It is a place to eat, work and more often than not, carries a cup of tea! My son also uses his Trabasack every day. He has the model that you can use velcro hook tape to attach things, the Curve Connect. He uses it for eating and drinking, toys, switches and his ipad. He takes it to school and can wear it safely while on the school bus so it keeps him entertained.”

Duncan and Clare continue to be inspired by the many stories of how the Trabasack helps other families. For more information on the Trabasack, visit http://www.trabasack.com

Learn more on Dravet’s Syndrome

Jessica K. Smith Founder and CEO; Executive Director

Jessica Keenan Smith is a patient advocate and epilepsy community leader with more than 15 years of experience. As Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy and Executive Director of ASENT she bridges the gap between the scientific and patient communities, with a particular focus on the needs of the epilepsies. Jessica Keenan Smith is Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy, an award winning online resource for people affected by epilepsy to share stories and access in-depth information on the disease. Since 2009, Living Well With Epilepsy (https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com) has been featured in Forbes, Wired, NBC, NPR and the cover story of Epilepsy Advocate Magazine and has partnered with companies such as UCB, Lundbeck, Sunovion, Eisai, and more. Ms. Smith is also the Executive Director of the American Society for Experimental Neurotherapeutics (ASENT) (https://asent.org), an organization that brings together leaders from industry, academia, government and advocacy who are engaged in bringing drugs and devices to market across all neurologic disease states. In this role she is responsible for leading a successful scientific journal and annual scientific conference with speakers from all over the world.

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