Specially designed shopping cart for disabled children coming to US stores

(PR NEWSWIRE / JOHN_MARC_GREEN)

'Caroline's Cart,' a new shopping cart specially designed to cater to the needs of children with disabilities could be available in stores across the US by the fourth quarter of the year according to a July 18 release from the manufacturers.

The specially designed shopping cart was invented by American mom Drew Anne Long who wanted a means of enabling her daughter Caroline, who has special needs, to come grocery shopping with her.

The resulting product - Caroline's Cart - is, according to the manufacturer, the first of its kind to be designed with the needs of disabled children in mind.

The cart has several features designed to help parents with special needs or disabled children do the shopping including handles that swing back to provide access to the forward-facing seat, a five-point harness to keep the child secure and space for groceries.

Caroline's Cart will be available for retailers to purchase and provide at their stores from the fourth quarter of 2011. According to the mission statement on the website Drew Anne Long hopes that the cart will eventually also be adopted by retailers outside the USA.

The cart is endorsed by non-profit organization for disabled people Easter Seals, which is working with Drew Anne Long and her husband to raise the profile of the cart across the US.

A full list of retailers providing the cart will be made available on the website of Caroline's Cart and the manufacturers can also be followed on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Recently Luis de Matos grabbed headlines for his wi-Go project which also addressed the issue of shopping for those with disabilities albeit from a different angle: using a laptop and a hacked Kinect - Mircosoft's motion detection gaming device - Matos created a shopping cart that would follow the user around, freeing the hands of wheelchair bound shoppers.

Caroline's Cart website - http://www.carolinescart.com
Twitter - @carolines_cart
Facebook -  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carolines-Cart/143506559053994
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/CarolinesCart
Easter Seals - http://www.easterseals.com
Wi-Go project- https://www.facebook.com/pages/wi-GO-Project/137209916354769
Luis de Matos on Vimeo - http://vimeo.com/dematos