Erik Mueller recently unveiled a near finished kayak design that he has been working on for the past eight years. Freedom Kayak allows someone with limited or no use of their legs to enter from the water without assistance.

I get a lot of press releases sent to me everyday and to be honest the vast majority of them are either not related to what I cover or are such gimmicks, I don't want to give them any press.

One caught my attention this morning and I was about to write it off when I read a little longer only to discover, that they were talking about a really interesting dock/launch system designed specifically for kayaks and canoes.

The EZ Launch for Kayaks and Canoe is a floating dock system/ramp that allows paddlers to easily get in and out of their without falling in the water. The ramp system has large oversize rollers built in which allows you to easily roll yourself out of the water before getting out.

Paddle Company, ProPel recently unveiled a line of kayak paddles designed to be paddled by somebody with one mobile arm.

Here is the description from the website:
The paddle system is comprised of a grip and adjustable cuff. The cuff and grip are also adjustable along the paddle shaft to adapt to various arm lengths. The paddle can be used with either the right or left hand by easily repositioning the cuff or grip to the appropriate side of the shaft.

Cindy Dillenschneider, Professor of Outdoor Education at Northland College in Ashland, WI was recently awarded a patent for a paddle she designed to allow somebody to paddle a canoe with only one hand. Through the years, I have seen or read about several different types of adaptations for people with disabilities and I have got to say that this is the closest that I have ever seen to performaing like a paddle being used with two hands.