On Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:29:44 -0700 (PDT), "Peter S."
wrote:

On 13 Jun., 08:11, wrote:

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_12573813

We can all agree that it's a nice photo of two volunteers helping a
disabled child enjoy a hand-cranked tricycle.

But . . .

The happy child couldn't fall and hit his head unless one of the two
volunteers on either side decided to tip his tricycle over.

Don't underestimate the power of an epileptic attack; they can snap
bones if the seizure patient is restrained, tipping over a tricycle
during a seizure can be done if the attack is severe enough.
Lots of handicaps are associated with brain damage that again is
associated with epilepsy. Epileptics really should avoid even minor
brain concussions, and since seizures or spastic attacks comes without
any warning, it is understandably that the organizers issued a
"everybody must wear a helmet" order.


According to the article, nine-year-old Bryce uses a wheelchair
regularly and is good at fencing, so he's not likely to topple over
while just riding around.

That the kid on the picture may have more problems than merely non-
functional legs seems underscored by the fact that the two helpers are
tracking him so closely, while the kids in the background are cycling
unattended.
Also, notice the AFAIK huge black velcro strap across his belly (his t-
shirt is green) and the chair. He is likely spastic, epileptic or
have some other brain/nerve deficiency that makes that necessary.

If a tricycle is so dangerous that the kid needs a helmet to ride one
with two volunteers walking next to him and holding on, shouldn't the
volunteers be wearing helmets, too?

It doesn't look like a normal bicycle helmet he is wearing, but some
kind of soft helmet like boxers uses for training. Some handicapped
people wears such helmets all the time, perhaps for being autistic
self-harmers or because they have balance problems perhaps combined
with conditions that makes it very important that they don't even get
minor head traumas. The kid in the picture is very likely in a special
risk situation.

Here is another wheelchair user, but with a full face helmet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc1YdL_w1Hg

Dear Peter,

Could be.

But what about the other two helmeted kids in the background on
tricycles? No helpers, but helmets in a parking lot.

And what about these happy children in another recent Denver post
article?
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_12481734

There's no hint in the article that they're suffering from any
problems whatsoever. They're just kids riding bicycles with training
wheels and helmets.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel