Frank Masyada of Gainesville, Florida, had never given much thought to how a person with a disability managed to shower in a hotel or motel. His company, Capital A. Engineering, focuses on designing large-scale, sophisticated machinery for a wide range of uses. So in 1992, when a paraplegic neighbor asked Masyada to design a portable bath chair, his first thought was that surely there was a product already on the market that would do the job. As a favor to his friend, however, Masyada did a little research. "The bath chairs I found didn’t disassemble," he recalls. "They were bulky and awkward, and would ave been embarrassing to lug across a hotel lobby. At the same time, it’s dangerous for someone who has no feeling in their lower body to take a shower without the right kind of support equipment."Frank Masyada and one of his engineers, Ted Williams, put their heads together and designed a bath chair made of a sophisticated, plastic like material that could be used over a commode or in a shower. The reedom Chair weighs 16 pounds, supports up to 450 pounds, and easily collapses small enough to be packed discreetly in a suitcase. And since the Freedom Chair is made of a glass reinforced resin, unlike he chrome or wood used to make similar products, it can be manufactured in a wide range of colors, which adds a decorative touch. The chair got such a positive reception, Masyada realized he was on to something.
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