Universal Attachment for the Wheeling Striker

Seeking to improve the quality of life for a disabled child, Stephen Horne of Birmingham, AL, designed and built a device to allow a person in a wheelchair to bowl. Although wheelchair bowling is not a new concept, Stephen’s Wheeling Striker was anything but common. Unlike similar devices, the Wheeling Striker provides the bowler a more independent bowling experience. The simple u-shaped device allows more control over the ball, yielding a more fulfilling and independent method of participating in the sports arena. The Wheeling Striker, however, was originally designed for one style wheelchair. This presented a need to make the device applicable for all wheelchairs. Because wheelchairs vary in size and configuration, designing a device that is capable of attaching to most wheelchairs is complex. The design of the universal attachment could not compromise the capability of the Wheeling Striker, the function of the wheelchair, or the safe operation of the wheelchair. The result was a universal attachment engineered to adapt to any wheelchair configuration and allow the Wheeling Striker to be a safe and effective bowling aid for the disabled.