When Adapt Ability’s Matt + Cristian Appeared On Dragons Den

The Omeo Wheelchair came to Britain, thanks to Adapt Ability‘s Founders Matt Walker + Cristian Brownlee. Cristian was the first person in the UK to use an Omeo.

Launched in 2020, Adapt Ability assembles and distributes the revolutionary Omeo chair, which allows users to travel over uneven terrain, scale inclines, and navigate troughs and bumps in the ground – without needing to use their hands to control the chair.

Matt Walker (a lover of the outdoors who suffered a T10 spinal cord injury, and is paralyzed from the waist down), previously worked as a green-keeper and tree surgeon. “When I realised I was paralysed and would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, it was devastating. Mentally, I struggled with the idea of being trapped in my chair. I struggled with the idea that I wouldn’t be able to access the places I loved. I struggled to ‘be seen’ in my chair,“ said Matt.

But from the moment he first used the Omeo chair, his life and mental health took a positive turn for the best. The invention helped him both mentally and physically in the face of paralysis.

Cristian Brownlee sustained a spinal cord injury at T4 level back in 2011 – rendering him completely paralyzed from the chest down.

“I did not understand just how debilitating depression could be until I came to the realisation that I will never walk again. When my Omeo arrived, I transferred onto it, attached a lead on my dog, and I left the house to visit the local woodlands. I was so intoxicated with my new sense of independence that I don’t remember much else that day other than the tears of happiness rolling down my face,” said Cristian.

After Cristian and Matt experienced the huge difference that the Omeo Wheelchair had made to their lives, the two came together to build a business that would make the chair available across the UK, Ireland, and Europe.

Recently (as you may recall), Matt and Cristian appeared on Dragons’ Den – to present the Omeo chair to secure investment.

To find out more about Adapt Ability and the Omeo Wheelchair, visit: https://www.myadaptability.co.uk