Card Playing with Spinal Injury
The Difficulty
Rob Smith, Director of the Active Hands Company and the designer of Active Hands gripping aids had a climbing accident in 1996 and suffered a high-level spinal cord injury which left him with partial paralysis in all four limbs. His injury was an incomplete injury (the spinal cord was not completely severed) so he is able to stand and to walk very short distances using crutches, but he uses a wheelchair for many day-to-day activities. Although it was hard for him to come to terms with the restricted movement in his lower body he began to realise that it was actually the frustration of having very poor hand strength and function that restricted his life much more.
“I enjoy the occasional game of poker, both at home with friends and at a casino. The problem I’ve had since my injury is that I struggle to hold my cards firmly in my hands and find it even more difficult to fan them out. This can often result in me dropping them, giving opponents a chance to see my hand and call my bluff.”
The Solution
Rob tried our Easi-Grip® Card Holder which uses a hidden spring to grip the cards and by rotating the discs in opposite directions automatically fans them out.
The Results
“With this nifty card holder I can slot my cards between the two wheels and then twist them so that they fan out perfectly, allowing me to hold up to 14 cards in one hand and eliminating the risk of scattering them all over the table. It can be used for numerous card games and is an ideal accessory for any aspiring card sharks!”
You can see Rob demonstrating the card holder here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9gCzlikzdg
To buy a card holder: Click here
To see the range of “Active Hands” Rob has developed visit: www.activehands.com
