Ian Ruder

Portland

Editor at New Mobility

Editor in Chief of New Mobility magazine. Giants fan. Food lover.

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Articles

The Spex Constructa Cushion Offers Fully Customizable Postural Support

3 weeks ago | newmobility.com | Ian Ruder

The Constructa Cushion line from Spex Seating is a new family of foam cushions with a modular design that can be customized to meet complex postural needs for people of all ages. The Constructa Shape and Constructa Flex each consist of multiple levels of adjustable foam supports that can be easily moved around to relieve pressure points and improve comfort, function and posture. The Flex adds a multi-piece pelvic adjustment kit for trickier seating solutions.
An Autonomous Drone-Controlled Wheelchair? No Thanks.

1 month ago | newmobility.com | Ian Ruder

This is the best our brightest minds can come up with? The question came to my mind while reading an article about a Swiss project to build an autonomous wheelchair assisted by drones with integrated artificial intelligence. While each of those tech buzzwords conveys some degree of coolness on its own, together they make no sense. Wheelchairs are already conspicuous enough — now you want to add a drone constantly buzzing and hovering overhead?
Meet the Wheelchair User Solving Accessible Parking Abuse

2 months ago | newmobility.com | Ian Ruder

After 15 years of collecting data and working to improve the accessible parking system, Mack Marsh is confident he has the solution to end accessible parking abuse. Not only that, he can sum it up in one word: education. Before you laugh, consider that Marsh isn’t just out here spitballing. He’s one of the few people with tangible success tackling one of the most vexing and rampant accessibility issues in America.
Product Review: TruCath Duo Dual-Balloon Urinary Catheter

2 months ago | newmobility.com | Ian Ruder

As a longtime suprapubic catheter user, I’ve always been baffled by the lack of innovation around indwelling catheters. While urological companies roll out new styles of single-use catheters like Nike introduces new Air Jordans, indwelling catheter options have stayed mostly unchanged for decades. I’m all for the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and I definitely don’t need my catheters to come in new colors or fancy packaging.
SmartDriveMX2+ Faces Second Safety Recall

2 months ago | newmobility.com | Ian Ruder

For the second time in less than two years, the companies behind the SmartDrive MX2+ have recalled a critical component of the popular power-assist device due to safety concerns. On Jan. 14, Permobil and Max Mobility announced a nationwide recall of the SpeedControl Dial used with the SmartDrive MX2+ after identifying a problem with the printed circuit board that controls the unit.
Extreme Motus: A Human-Powered Wheelchair to Explore Beyond Accessible Trails

Jan 21, 2025 | newmobility.com | Ian Ruder

The Extreme Motus All-Terrain Wheelchair is a lightweight aluminum, outdoor mobility device designed to allow wheelchair users to explore beyond accessible trails and terrain. Built with three large, low-pressure tires and a rugged but relatively lightweight frame, the Extreme Motus’s design makes it easy for one adult to push a rider across rocky trails, sandy beaches and snowy paths. Thanks to the tires, the chair even floats, making it ideal for beach use.
A Disability-Centered Take on Jack and the Beanstalk

Jan 6, 2025 | newmobility.com | Ian Ruder

If you’re tired of the never-ending search for streaming content that feels fresh and relevant, award-winning actor and New Mobility contributor Regan Linton hopes you will tune in to her modern update of Jack and the Beanstalk, now streaming on Max. The 19-minute film, directed and co-written by Linton, is one of six shorts that make up Reframed: Next Gen Narratives, a new series from Warner Bros. Discovery Access that tackles modern issues through remakes of classic films.
2024 Holiday Gift Guide for Wheelchair Users

Dec 17, 2024 | newmobility.com | Ian Ruder

This year’s holiday gift guide features the products that New Mobility staff and contributors can’t live without. We have gifts at a variety of price ranges — from $25 and under, to $100 and under, to bigger purchases that are $100 or more. I keep a small pack in my bag wherever I go in case of emergency. Tie up a loose cord, make a zipper quad-friendly, hold together a broken chair part — you name it, they can handle it.
Pioneering Inclusive Restaurant Contento to Stop Service

Dec 16, 2024 | newmobility.com | Ian Ruder

Three and a half years after opening its doors to award-winning reviews and widespread acclaim for its revolutionary approach to accessibility, Contento restaurant in New York City will close its doors Saturday, Dec. 21. Owner and founder Yannick Benjamin, a New Mobility Person of the Year, thanked the restaurant’s loyal customers, and pointed to rising costs and external pressures along with the aftermath of the pandemic as reasons for the closure.
Day in the Life: Muhammad Hussain Shah

Dec 1, 2024 | newmobility.com | Ian Ruder

Muhammad Hussain Shah grew up in rural northern Pakistan as one of 10 siblings, with five brothers and four sisters. His father was a laborer and Shah and his siblings used to help on his job sites. In 2016, two years after getting married and one year after having his first child, Shah got caught under a collapsing roof and sustained a spinal cord injury.