RAM® Mounts provides stable, highly adjustable mounting solutions for essential assistive devices that help wheelchair users gain greater confidence, independence, and freedom to explore the world around them.
The Challenge
For many wheelchair users, mounted devices are essential tools for communication, mobility, safety, and everyday independence. Speech-generating devices, chin-drive controls, sip-and-puff systems, phones, cameras, and navigation devices must remain positioned at the exact height, distance, and angle required by each user. Even slight movement can make these devices difficult or impossible to operate.
Ian Mackay, Executive Director of Ian’s Ride, experienced these challenges firsthand after becoming permanently paralyzed from the neck down. His chair display and phone are critical tools that allow him to explore outdoors and live more independently, but his original mounting solution lacked the stability needed to keep these devices securely positioned.
Without visibility of his wheelchair display, Ian loses insight into whether his controls are adjusting his seating position, operating lights, or set in drive mode. Keeping his phone securely positioned is equally critical, allowing him to unlock, view, and use his device independently, minimizing risk when exploring on his own. Ian needed a stable, adjustable mounting solution to keep essential devices accessible throughout daily life and outdoor adventures.
Image provided by Sea to Sound
The Solution
After discovering RAM® Mounts, Ian immediately noticed the difference. His wheelchair display and phone remained securely positioned without unwanted movement, providing the stability and precision he relied on every day. Since then, Ian has worked closely with the RAM® team to develop adaptive mounting solutions for a variety of wheelchair models and assistive technologies.
Today, RAM® Mounts support a wide range of devices, including chin-drive systems, Tobii Dynavox communication devices, phones, tablets, navigation devices, and action cameras. The extensive adjustability of the RAM® ball and socket system allows each device to be positioned exactly where the user needs it, while the rugged construction ensures it stays there through daily travel and outdoor adventures.
Sea to Sound has become a powerful example of this impact. During the annual three-day ride across Washington's Olympic Discovery Trail, several participants rely on RAM® Mounts to securely position the devices they depend on while also mounting cameras to document, livestream, and share their experiences. With confidence in their equipment, riders can focus on enjoying the journey instead of worrying about devices shifting or failing.
“When your communication device has to be in exactly the same place every single time, stability isn't a convenience—it's a necessity.”
Images provided by Sea to Sound
The Results
For Ian, the greatest impact of RAM® Mounts can be summed up in three words: confidence, dignity, and independence. Stable mounting solutions give wheelchair users the freedom to communicate, navigate, capture memories, and explore with greater confidence, while reducing dependence on caregivers for everyday tasks.
As Sea to Sound has grown from approximately 40 participants to nearly 150 riders, RAM® Mounts have helped demonstrate what is possible when reliable equipment removes barriers instead of creating them. Participants know their essential devices will remain exactly where they need them, allowing them to focus on the adventure, build community, and inspire others throughout the adaptive mobility community.
During extraordinary events like Sea to Sound and in everyday life, RAM® Mounts help make greater independence possible through:
Increased confidence by securely positioning critical assistive devices
Enabled greater independence through reliable, hands-free device accessibility
Improved accessibility with highly adjustable, stable mounting solutions
Empowered users to participate in outdoor adventures with greater confidence and freedom