When Sue received her wheelchair, she noticed that people on the street could hardly look at her yet she felt emancipated. This social phobia or distress of the chair inspired her to and start doing fun things with it that involved art and otherwise.
Later inspiration struck again and she decided to combine scuba-diving with her wheelchair to take it to a whole new level. So back to the lab she went it and took it to the pool first for R&D work and "modded" it as needed so she could become a scuba diver. When completed she called the chair her "Portal." I think you know why?
There is more underwater footage of the dive as well and it is very relaxing to watch.
A very inspiring woman.
Here is the description of the video from YouTube:
Published on Jan 8, 2013: When Sue Austin got a power chair 16 years ago, she felt a tremendous sense of freedom -- yet others looked at her as though she had lost something. In her art, she aims to convey the spirit of wonder she feels wheeling through the world. Includes thrilling footage of an underwater wheelchair that lets her explore ocean beds, drifting through schools of fish, floating free in 360 degrees. (Filmed at TEDxWomen.)
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