Designer, Developer and Founder

Tom Ruedy graduated from Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon in the summer of 1974. He started snow skiing when he was 13 and eventually joined the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol. Alas, a passionate relationship was born with the outdoors and all the majesty that our beautiful state has to offer.

However, life changed dramatically for Tom in the summer of 1984 when he dove into the Columbia River while on a sailing and camping trip.  He was paralyzed from the neck down. He has since developed Multiple Sclerosis and is a quadraplegic, who uses a power wheelchair. Later, his friends rolled him down to a lake in his manual wheelchair, thinking he would enjoy the ride. He didn't.

"I was not comfortable at all," he said. "It was terribly uneven, rocky and bumpy, and did not feel stable". That started him thinking about a chair design for people with disabilities who wanted to enjoy the outdoors.

After the accident, Tom returned to Portland State Univeristy and earned a Master's Degree in Business Administration. He formed a home business, Kinetic International, to develop equipment for people with disabilities.

He has talked with numerous high school classes over the last 15 years about prevention of spinal cord injury and how to be safe.  He speaks about  how to enjoy recreational experiences with helmets and appropriate safety gear. "I felt if I could help one kid, it would be worth it".

His new adventure has taken the form of developing a non-profit organization to build a small, versatile fleet of chairs in order to make them available to groups and individuals who otherwise could not afford them.

This all terrain tansportation is designed for hikers, skiers and beach goer's with challenged mobility because of an accident, health condition or birth defect.  The ez hiker chair provides comfort, stability and the ability to get outdoors with family and friends.

    

For the adventure seeker of any age or  mobility, everywhere is now accessible.  With the ez Hiker and a couple of willing “mushers,” the severely disabled hiker can negotiate formidable barriers to remote destinations.

If you or your organization are interested in using the ez hiker for an outing just contact Tom Ruedy at:

503-654-5615