Sisters’ idea is wheely smart!

One sister needed to come up with a project for her final year at the National College of Art and Design; the other sister was fed up of that fact that her wheelchair didn’t reflect the real her – and between them they came up with a vision which has already seen the awards come flowing in.

The concept is called Izzy Wheels, the start-up founded by Ailbhe and Isabel Keane from Taylor’s Hill, with one motivation – to break down the negative stigma associated with wheelchair use.

It began when Ailbhe Keane – in her final year at the NCAD – had a project due for submission. The brief of the project was to ‘empower the lives of people living with a long term lifestyle related health condition’.  Right away she thought of her younger sister, Isabel.

Isabel was born with Spina Bifida, and is a wheelchair user. And, like her older sister, Isabel has always had an interest in art and fashion.  But growing up, the lack of options available to her when it came to personalising her wheelchair was a frequent annoyance.

“Throughout my childhood and early teens I found it frustrating that my chair didn’t express who I am and what I like,” Isabel said.

“My wheelchair is the first thing that people notice about me but this shouldn’t be a bad thing,” she added.

Through her art project, Ailbhe wanted to address her sister’s frustration – she had the idea to design a range of spoke-guards which wheelchair users could customise and use to match their outfits. She named the project after her sister.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.