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Dynamic Controls August 25 announced its innovative iPortal is now available worldwide. The iPortal solution connects powered wheelchairs to the Internet using an iPhone or iPod in a special mount and also includes a 'chair doctor' diagnostics feature that interprets any problems with the wheelchair and an on-chair charger so devices never run flat.
"We predict iPortal will change the quality of life of thousands of people by connecting their powered wheelchair to the Internet via iPhone or iPod touch," said Charlotte Walshe, CEO of Dynamic Controls. "iPortal is a revolutionary approach to wheelchair displays and provides key information such as battery capacity and seat adjustments. We are really proud of the product and the opportunity it provides for powered wheelchair users to participate in mainstream, technological developments."
The iPortal solution was unveiled last year at REHACARE in Germany, the world's top trade fair for those with special needs requiring care. According to Walshe, iPortal generated unprecedented market interest. "We had people queuing to view the iPortal and we have already registered lots of sales interest from customers in Europe, UK and Australia," she says.
The iPortal and upgrades for existing Dynamic Controls users are available for purchase from key mobility equipment providers worldwide.
The iPortal supports iPhone 3G, 3GS, iPod touch V2.0 and 3.0. It can easily be fitted to any new or existing Dynamic Controls DX2, DX or Shark wheelchair control systems without reprogramming the wheelchair.
Dynamic Controls is the world's leading manufacturer of electronic controls for powered wheelchairs and the company prides itself on creating products for the whole person. Dynamic employs 360 staff with 180 based in Christchurch, New Zealand. In 2009 it had revenues of approximately NZ$100 million.
Beth Haller, Ph.D., is Co-Director of the Global Alliance for Disability in Media and Entertainment (www.gadim.org). A former print journalist, she is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Center on Disability and Journalism (https://ncdj.org/). Haller is Professor Emerita in the Department of Mass Communication at Towson University in Maryland, USA. Haller is co-editor of the 2020 "Routledge Companion to Disability and Media" (with Gerard Goggin of University of Sydney & Katie Ellis of Curtin University, Australia). She is author of "Representing Disability in an Ableist World: Essays on Mass Media" (Advocado Press, 2010) and the author/editor of Byline of Hope: Collected Newspaper and Magazine Writing of Helen Keller (Advocado Press, 2015). She has been researching disability representation in mass media for 30+ years. She is adjunct faculty in the Disability Studies programs at the City University of New York (CUNY) and the University of Texas-Arlington.
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