UCF, Orlando Health Team up to Help Children Vroom Vroom

Jennifer Tucker, D.P.T., and Cole Galloway, Ph.D., (back row, third and fourth from left) with Patrick Pabian, D.P.T., (front row, far right) and other Go Baby Go! team members at the convention — UCF has held multiple on-campus Go Baby Go workshops in the past two years to help children in the community.

The 女仆AV and Orlando Health are teaming up today to give some children with limited mobility a little bit of independence.

Orlando Health is sponsoring a UCF Go Baby Go! event at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children

in downtown Orlando. UCF聽Go Baby Go! was established in 2015 as a chapter of the national Go Baby Go! program, which develops innovative, accessible ways to improve the lives of children and adults with limited mobility. The program creates modified ride-on toy cars for young children and portable-assistive harness systems for children and adults.

Jennifer Tucker, who runs the program at UCF and is a lecturer in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, will provide a workshop for parents and physical therapists from Orlando Health. Tucker will address how important mobility is for a child鈥檚 development and she will talk about the local and national efforts of Go Baby Go!

鈥淭his is about independent mobility,鈥� Tucker said. 鈥淲e know that getting children mobile isn鈥檛 just a necessary part of their physical therapy. It is also a critical part in a child鈥檚 socialization, growth and future potential. This is about so much more than a car. This is about giving a child an opportunity at a future that includes not being left on the sidelines as their peers move ahead.鈥�

Afterwards, the attendees will join UCF volunteers who will help them build the modified ride-on toy cars at the hospital. Ten children will be able to take the vehicles home. One car will stay at the hospital to give pediatric patients an opportunity for a fun driving experience during hospital stays.