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Everyday life proved to be a mixture of frustration, creativity, anger,
patience, and problem solving after polio. People still needed to change
diapers, prepare and eat meals, drive cars, buy groceries, finish homework,
and produce an income. Almost anything could be adapted to assist in
a task.
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Left: Tuskegee linotype trainee, Tuskegee, Alabama,
1946 Courtesy of March of Dimes
Right: A little boy watches a movie projected on the ceiling over his crib
Courtesy of Post-Polio Health International
People using assistive devices. Left: to drive a car.
Right: to dial a telephone Courtesy of Post-Polio Health International
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“At some [rehabilitation facilities] they emphasize
ridding you of the fear of falling by making you fall repeatedly. The
therapists go around kicking crutches out from under people unexpectedly,
to see if they’ve learned well their falling lessons. You’re
supposed to fall forward, throwing your crutches clear so that you won’t
land on them and break something.”
—Edward LeComte, 1957 |
This selection of crutches shows a diversity of designs
and materials. Whether homemade or manufactured, the goals are to make them
stronger and lighter, and to reduce stress on wrists, shoulders, and armpits.
Crutch second from right is a 2005 lightweight model. Courtesy of Tom
Fetterman
