The Story Behind Footwear Assist (FWA):
Fall 2012, Allen Seals suffered a shoulder injury which required rehabilitation in order to return to work. Already in a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury in the summer of 1979, Allen needed to relearn how to dress and to be self-sufficient. The basic everyday chores were relearned after several weeks of rehab. However, getting his socks and shoes on b
ecame a daunting task. using the assisted devices available, it became clear that it was far too time consuming. While in therapy working on the pulley machine, trying to strengthen his shoulder, he happened to grab his pant leg and pulled his foot up to his knee. He looked up at the pulley machine and then back to his foot. The idea of putting his shoe on while his foot was on his knee came to mind. Patent Pending.