Employees of Union Pacific, one of the nation’s leading transportation companies, teamed with therapists from UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute and students from the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering and other area universities to provide a different type of transportation for young children who face mobility challenges due to intellectual and developmental disabilities.
On Oct. 30, the group converted ride-on toy cars into affordable assistive mobility vehicles for 11 children. The project is part of GoBabyGo!, a national program that provides modified ride-on cars for kids with developmental disabilities. These cars were provided at no cost to the families to promote early and independent mobility.
Mobility for children at that age is critical for development of social, cognitive and motor skills, but power wheelchairs are typically expensive, and children frequently outgrow them.
The event was held at Union Pacific headquarters in downtown Omaha.
"Union Pacific’s employees have been very interested and willing to contribute to the GoBabyGo! effort," said Sandy Willett, PhD, director of the MMI Department of Physical Therapy. "Union Pacific certainly is a company that understands the importance of mobility and the sense of freedom it provides, and their employees have been enthusiastic about this new collaboration. We greatly appreciate this new partnership."
MMI’s first GoBabyGo! build was in 2016, funded by the Munroe-Meyer Guild. Since then, the institute has led events supported by the guild and the University of Nebraska Foundation that provided more than 90 cars for children ages 9 months to 6 years.
"This is a wonderful program, and we are honored to be partnering with the Munroe-Meyer Institute to provide children more opportunities to move, socialize and explore the world. EASE, our employee resource group focused on disability awareness and inclusion, and our employees are looking forward to meeting and working with these children and their families," said Ashok Fichadia, assistant vice president-IT development for Union Pacific Railroad.
"Union Pacific has been providing transportation solutions for critical assets for nearly 160 years — since the days of President Lincoln. Today we are working with UNMC’s MMI to provide transportation solutions for very precious cargo — children with disabilities who need affordable mobility solutions."
Anissa Padgett, mother of Aydan Lopez, said it was "incredibly awesome" to see her daughter using the modified car.
"Through actively moving, we learn so much more about our world than by passively looking at it," said UNMC physical therapist and organizer Joanie Bergeron. "We are pleased that UP is partnering with us to allow this to happen. It makes your day when you see a child able to move on their own for the first time. The smiles on everyone’s faces are priceless."
The event is made possible by a grant to the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute funded by a donation to the University of Nebraska Foundation. Occupational and physical therapy and engineering students from the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln engineering programs, Nebraska Methodist College and Creighton University also took part in the event.
What awesome teamwork for a wonderful project❣️
Very cool story!