Blind Parents Found a Solution to a Common Daily Travel Struggle

Shanin and Kevin Lowe of Tucson, AZ are parents to four amazing kids ages 12, 8, 5 and 4. Theirs is a busy household full of the joys and challenges many parents face with one unique caveat: Shanin and Kevin are totally blind.

As a mother of a 16-year-old son who is legally blind, I know all too well the unique challenges of the blind and visually impaired community, challenges that many of us can’t fathom. We jump in the car to run a quick errand with the kids without thinking but the Lowes must rely upon others to drive them and their family so this means public transportation or Ubers with four kids in tow. Just imagine the sheer logistics of that. Three of their four kids need car seats and boosters so that means a lot of schlepping bulky items in and out of vehicles just for a simple family outing or shopping trip.

“My husband and I take 2-3 Uber rides a day,” shares Shanin, “We would shop with a separate cart full of just car seats and boosters for our kids. Countless times we would go to the park or someplace by bus but couldn’t Uber home after a child became overheated or twisted an ankle because carrying three full size seats just in case is unreasonable. If you don’t believe that, grab three full size seats, four children too small to carry them, and board city transit, lol.”

The family were forced to make one of two choices: their kids would ride without car seats in an Uber or walk for two hours if the last bus at 6 pm didn’t show up, “We simply couldn’t walk the ten miles home.”

This issue isn’t unique to the Lowes, it’s a fact of life for many especially city dwellers with kids in car seats and boosters but without a car. The Lowes were determined to find a solution, so turned to a parenting group of blind parents for input.

Shanin says, “Since my husband and I are both blind, we advocate for disabled parents and work with other parents to find resources and answers to common problems we encounter. Many people in our group, including myself, had been looking for an answer to our car seat and booster problems for years.” Before long, word got out about a new type of booster seat that folds up into the size of a small clutch purse perfect for stashing into a pocketbook or backpack.

A suburban dad who was doing the carpool shuffle always seemed to have an extra kid or two who needed a booster so necessity being the mother of invention, he invented the mifold booster seat to meet safety standards and the portability requirements parents needed to transport kids quickly and safely. Shanin says, “When we learned of the mifold booster in the group, several of us excitedly ordered one to begin testing it out for ourselves and others. Though hopeful, the safety of our children came first so I immediately brought our new seat to my father who is a firefighter and paramedic. With his excited approval, we tested it for ease and quickly purchased more.”

Now the Lowe’s youngest three kids always have their portable booster seat neatly folded in their backpacks ready to go at a moment’s notice and Shanin always keeps three in her messenger bag which has given the family tremendous freedom to travel at a moment’s notice without all the bulk and extra seats to carry or cart around.

Shanin says, “Even my firefighter/paramedic dad uses them when picking the kids up for hockey or helping us get them home from school. After decades of seeing children without seats in car accidents, he is thrilled by the seat’s potential to help those who don’t use seats for whatever reason and he finds them to be extremely safe.” The Bradley County Sheriff's Office in Tennessee is now using the booster in some of their patrol cars to transport kids in emergency situations due to their safety and portability.

Not only did the Lowes see the need for a solution their dealings with ride service drivers crystalized the bigger issue in car seat safety. Shanin says, “Driver after driver would tell us about denying rides to parents desperately trying to get their children home because they had no seat for them. Even more drivers admitted to regularly driving children in their cars without booster seats for a variety of reasons. Our seats had opened up a dialogue about car seat safety problems they were facing daily.”

No amount of planning in the world can accommodate for the urgent needs or change of plans that come with children whether the parents are blind or not. Shanin says, “Everyone needs a seat that could change plans with them just like we did. Carrying large bulky old seats everywhere just in case was ridiculous if not impossible for most. Having carried two seats on my back, while using a cane and herding multiple children down a sidewalk, I know how hard it can be.”

Now that the Lowes have the freedom to travel with all four kids at a moment’s notice, life has been easier. Shanin remembers the long walks home in the desert heat and, “missing out on sudden excursions with friends or family because we didn’t have a booster seat.” Now her kids never leave home without them in their backpacks. Shanin says, “My two daughters (ages 8 and 5) regularly leave without their lunch or their favorite doll but never leave their seat.”

“As a blind protective mother, I always do a quick feel to make sure everyone installed it properly, but they have it down pat. I wish I could see the look on the driver’s faces because their reactions are always priceless, followed by a dozen questions,” shares Shanin.

The mifold booster can be purchased via Amazon.