Wow, what a year it’s already been for enthusiastic Omeo user and Adapt Ability ‘Ambassador’ Ava.
From Sheffield to Sweden and now Paris for the Paralympics, 2024’s had ‘a few highlights’, she says.
Alongside studying for her Accounting and Finance degree, Ava’s been helping to run our popular Omeo ‘try me’ days in the north. She’s also provided handover training for new Omeo owners and won her first all-action Off-road Landrover Trial.
But that’s not all… because this summer Ava secured a place on 2024’s prestigious McLaren 60 Scholarship programme.
The course encourages and supports the next generation of women leaders who are studying STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering and Maths) subjects, with just 60 places on offer each year.
It’s certainly been ‘all go’!
Flying high in her Omeo
Ava agrees. She’s been using our self-balancing tech since January 2023 and says: ‘I don’t think I’d have felt as confident going to uni – let alone all the other things I’ve done – if it wasn’t for the Omeo. It’s been absolutely life-changing.’
All the ‘other things’ she’s done include getting on a plane again.
‘Flying for the first time with my Omeo has definitely been a highlight,’ she says.
‘It was one of my New Year 2024 resolutions and the chance came up to go to Stockholm with Adapt Ability almost straight away. Even better, it happened to fall around my twentieth birthday!’
Going to NAIDEX with our director Matt and the team in March was also ‘massive’.
‘There’s nothing else out there like the Omeo,’ she says.
‘Meeting people at NAIDEX was fun, but it was also good to be at such a major event as part of a company like Adapt Ability that’s created by disabled people for disabled people.’
Sharing her Omeo experience with others
Ava’s become a truly valued member of our team since she first spotted Matt at a Motability Show and arranged to meet in Harrogate for an Omeo trial.
Now she’s putting her own experience of trying, buying and then gaining confidence in her Omeo to good use at our ‘try me’ days in the north.
‘Every day I work with Adapt Ability I’m learning something different about the Omeo, about disability and about people,’ she reveals.
‘I have my support worker Ellen and we meet such a wide variety of people who want to have a go. It’s been good up north!’
Supporting new Omeo users to learn the tech
Ava’s personal experience as an Omeo user is also proving invaluable at customer handovers.
‘I really enjoy being able to do someone’s trial and then meeting them again when their new Omeo arrives to teach them the ins and outs,’ she says.
‘Everyone’s different. Some people learn quickly and love the way you move your body in the Omeo. For others, it can feel more challenging, especially if they’ve been using a manual or automatic wheelchair for some time.
‘Matt will say I picked it up in five minutes but it took me my full trial to get used to it.
‘It’s like learning to drive a car. You’re not going to wake up one morning and suddenly get it. It takes time for it to become second nature.’
Enjoying the Paralympics vibe with our team
So what’s next for Ava?
After the ‘amazing opportunity’ of the McLaren 60 programme, she can’t wait to start her second year at Sheffield Hallam University this autumn.
But first she’s reflecting on her recent vist to a more ‘glamorous’ location – as she was in Paris with our team for the Paralympics!
Ava joined Matt, Kieran and Ian in France, where they were supporting TV presenter Ade Adepitan to fulfil his role as a ‘roving’ Channel 4 presenter in one of our Omeo wheelchairs.
The team were also joined by influencers Kate Stanforth and Gem Hubbard in their Omeos for a couple of days.
Making the most of Paris in her Omeo
So what did Ava (a keen sports-player and travel fan) make of the games?
First up, the journey. ‘It was my first time on the Eurostar,’ Ava explains. ‘The whole process went very smoothly and the staff were extremely helpful.’
And what about Paris itself?
‘Paris as a whole was incredible!’ she says. ‘It was my first time watching a Paralympic event in person and the atmosphere at the table tennis was very loud and enthusiastic.’
Having already visited the city in her Omeo wheelchair last year, Ava describes returning to the Eiffel Tower as a ‘highlight’ – especially as it was sporting the Olympic Rings.
‘I got to whizz around the city in my Omeo, speaking to the locals and doing photoshoots at different landmarks. It was an amazing trip and I had a lot of fun!’
Want to take an Omeo wheelchair for a spin? Choose one of three easy ways to try our tech here
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