Beyond the Box

by Margaret Wahl

"When I was 6 years old, I needed a means of transportation to get around school," says Mike Neufeldt, 24, a communications specialist for the Harley-Davidson Motor Co. in Milwaukee and a member of MDA's National Task Force on Public Awareness.

"I didn't need a wheelchair just yet," says Neufeldt, who has Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy. His family consulted equipment specialist Jeff Auter.

"Jeff found the perfect machine for me, an orange scooter," Neufeldt recalls. Prophetically, he put a Harley-Davidson sticker on it. "The kids thought I had a Harley."

Auter, who's now a certified assistive technology supplier working for National Seating & Mobility in Milwaukee, has been providing Neufeldt with equipment innovations ever since, most recently adapting his power chair to accommodate a ventilator and creating a cover that nicely camouflages the device.

"Jeff has been able to meet my needs as they changed," Neufeldt says. "You need to find someone who understands muscular dystrophy and the problems you face.

"Jeff is a family man with several children, one of whom has special needs. He's a person who has a lot of knowledge about the challenges that people with disabilities face, and he's able to use this knowledge to help his clients overcome their obstacles."

But how do you find such a person?

A good way to start is with a certifying organization, says Chris Galietta, an equipment specialist in the Chicago area who attends MDA clinics, where he works with physicians and therapists, as well as with clients and their families to find equipment solutions. The major certifying organizations are RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America; and NRRTS, the National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers.

Equipment specialist Jeff Auter helped Mike Neufeldt find a scooter when Mike was a child and modified his wheelchair when Mike became an adult.

Like Auter, Galietta is a certified assistive technology supplier, a credential given by RESNA. He's also certified by NRRTS, which allows him to use its "certified rehabilitation technology supplier" designation. Both organizations require applicants to pass exams and meet other requirements to become certified.

Unfortunately, says Galietta, durable medical equipment suppliers are under increasing pressure from insurers to deliver the goods "faster and cheaper," which often means trying to get an ensemble of equipment from one supplier and avoiding modifications.

But "usually you can't get it all out of the box and make it work," he says. And making it work is where his expertise comes in.

Galietta's father, who has multiple sclerosis, owned a medical equipment business in Peoria, Ill., for 25 years before moving to Florida to sell adapted minivans.Young Galietta started working in the family business when he was still a child, later becoming a technician. For seven years, he's worked for Metro Rehab Services in Alsip, Ill

Galietta has had a lot of practice in justifying going the extra mile for patients and making things just right — from creating improved computer work stations with wireless keyboards and mice, to showing someone how to let air in and out of a seat cushion to redistribute pressure.

Like other good specialists, Galietta says he's constantly learning — especially from his clients, who, he says, "know their bodies very well, what works and what doesn't work." Sometimes an idea taken from one client can work well for another, so it's always a good idea to "listen to what patients have to say."

Checking on Certification

Both NRRTS and RESNA have online directories of certified assistive technology suppliers, searchable by name or location.