Abilitease

10/09/2025

Back in 2013 when I created my company Abilitease I came up with a design for a portable lift. I thought that not only would it be nice to get up from the floor, but it would be nice to get down on the floor. At the time my son Brandon was 1 and a half and I wanted to be able to get on the floor and play with him. We came up with a prototype that worked, but it was too expensive to continue the project.

Today companies like VOCIC Medical are leading the charge in innovation of electric chair lifts. I was fortunate to get an upgraded version of their heavy duty chair lift to try at my home.

My son Brandon was able to put the lift together in minutes without any tools. The chair had a nice padded seat and backrest with sturdy movable armrests and a strap for your waste.

We charged the controller for a few hours and then I was able to test it out. It was easy to transfer into the chair lift and take it all the way down to the floor and back up using the handheld remote.

The chair lift folded up nicely and with the wheels on the bottom Brandon was able to transport the lift to the corner of the house with little effort. Every individual that has a concern about possibly falling and needing assistance should have this chair lift available in their home.

Information about the heavy duty chair lift is available in the link in my bio. Please check out our adaptive product line at www.abiliteaseadaptive.com and support a disabled owned business.

[Video Description: In this video Mark shows how he designed a portable lift over 10 years ago to get on and off of the floor. And then he shows how today he is using a new portable chair lift from VOCIC Medical that is affordable and has a lot of nice attributes.]

10/07/2025

I recently went to Hof’s Hut in Long Beach to have breakfast. I ordered some coffee and was excited to see that the mug handle was round and I was able to comfortably support the weight of the mug on my thumb.

Most regular coffee mugs and some of the adaptive ones don’t work for me with my limited hand function. The opening is either too small or way too big. I am not able to open my fingers to slide them into a handle. Also, the handles are sometimes flat which puts pressure on my thumb as I try to support the weight of the mug when picking it up.

Not all designs are universal and won’t work for every individual. I just wanted to share that I really liked the way it felt holding this mug from Hof’s Hut. And the coffee was pretty good too!

Please check out our adaptive product line by clicking on the view shop button or visiting us at www.abiliteaseadaptive.com and support a disabled owned business. You can also access the link above in our bio.

[Video Description: In this video Mark shows how he holds a coffee mug comfortably with limited hand function at Hof’s Hut restaurant in Long Beach.]

10/02/2025

As a quadriplegic that manages a colostomy, I find it difficult at times to cut the wafer that goes on my skin over my stoma. My stoma isn’t exactly round so when I put on a new wafer I need to cut the shape so that it will fit. I typically use medical scissors which can take a while and it’s uncomfortable leaning over to complete the job.

Recently I was out at a concert and had to change my ostomy wafer. I had forgotten to bring my scissors so I bit the wafer to remove some of the sticky skin barrier to create a larger opening to fit over my stoma. After doing that it gave me an idea for an adaptive tool.

I instantly thought of a cookie cutter and how you press down on the dough to get the desired shape. So I went into my CAD software and designed an adaptive cutter that was the exact shape of what I wanted to cut out of the wafer.

With the tool I press down on the middle area of the barrier against a hard surface like a glass table. After doing this for a minute or so I remove the plastic backing on the wafer and put the tool on it to continue cutting the shape. While holding the tool with the wafer stick to it I can gently push down on the cut portion and peel it off. The result is a nice even shape cut out of the wafer.

This may not work with every ostomy wafer or for the individual with the colostomy, but it saves me a bunch of time and discomfort.

Please check out our adaptive product line by clicking on the view shop button or visiting us at www.abiliteaseadaptive.com and support a disabled owned business. You can also access the link above in our bio.

[Video Description: In this video Mark shows how he designed a cutter that is the shape of his stoma. With the tool he presses down on the wafer which cuts out the section he normally cuts with the scissors, thus saving lots of time.]

08/21/2025

Today is the 30th anniversary of my spinal cord injury (SCI). Wow that sounds really weird to say. Where did all of that time go?

This year I struggled with my mental health. I never thought that would be me because living with a spinal cord injury teaches you how to deal with so many unpredictable and uncomfortable situations. You build a tougher skin to handle adversity. But this was something that I could not manage on my own and so I got help.

Once I accepted that my feelings were real and that it wasn’t anything to be ashamed of I was able to build myself back up again.

Living with a spinal cord injury isn’t easy and I’m one of the lucky ones. The SCI life will test you at every turn and knock you down just when you thought you were making progress. However, it’s this life that made me the person that I am today and achieved the life that I always wanted.

I’m at a place now where I can use the past 30 years of my journey to help improve the quality of life for others. I’m truly blessed to have my beautiful family and proud to be part of the disabled community. Life is good!

[Photo Description: In this photo Mark is shown with his wife Patricia and sons Brandon and Andrew at the beach.]

08/21/2024

Today marks 29 years since I had my spinal cord injury. I typically treat today like any other day, but managing and thriving at life with a spinal cord injury (SCI) is something to celebrate.

I’ve learned a lot along this journey and I wanted to share some of these things with you.

1. Having the right attitude is key. With a devastating spinal cord injury it’s easy to lose hope. But if you can set goals and achieve those goals the endless possibilities become more clear.

2. Take time to grieve your old self. I regret getting back on the horse too quickly. Now I try to take time when possible to feel sad and address feelings of anger and despair.

3. Life isn’t fair. Everyone struggles in life. The sooner you stop comparing your situation to someone else’s and blaming the world you can move forward.

4. Resilience is an attractive quality. For those individuals with a physical disability that are dating, if you can navigate the world with your mobility device with a smile on your face people will be drawn to you.

5. I’m not waiting on a cure for SCI. Go to rehab, but live your life! Curing some of the secondary SCI conditions would be awesome, but I’ve learned to live sitting down and I’m happy with that.

6. Take care of your body. Eat nutritious food, exercise, move around, stretch, rest when possible, go to your doctor’s appointments, etc.

7. Help others. Whether it’s sharing my life experiences, listening to someone in need or designing assistive devices, it’s now an important part of my life journey.

8. Family is everything. I don’t know what I would do without my family. They support me in what I do and I enjoy experiencing life’s ups and downs with them.

9. Love yourself. You may not like your body or your situation right now, but you are still here for a reason. You have the ability to have the life you always dreamed about. You are badass!

[Photo Description: In this photo Mark is shown with his wife Patricia and sons Brandon and Andrew in a hotel lobby.]

07/23/2024

For Disability Pride Month we are excited to have a few of our 3D printed adaptive tools being showcased at The Tech Interactive Museum in San Jose, California.

This is a great opportunity for kids to experience adaptive technology firsthand in an interactive environment. A special thank you to Megan Henry from The Tech Interactive for making this happen and supporting the work we do.

[Photo Description: In this photo there is an adaptive phone holder and a can drink holder from Abilitease on display at The Tech Interactive Museum.]

02/09/2024

On a rare occasion my wife will get a picture of the boys standing together smiling. When I see these two together competing in their sports, school or whatever life throws at them it brings me so much pride and joy.

Being a parent is a lot of work and it’s even harder with a disability. But having children has been such a blessing in my life. I will miss the days driving to Norco for State Cup or a tournament. Family is everything.

11/01/2023

I’m excited to share an article that I worked on with New Mobility Magazine regarding assistive technology solutions that work with Hollister ostomy products. We created three different prototypes to address a number of different ostomy concerns.

Over four years ago I made the decision to get a colostomy to improve my quality of life. After trying numerous different products, I found that the Hollister two piece system worked best for my needs.

Over time I began to understand some of the struggles that an Ostomate might have with an ostomy along with utilizing different ostomy products with limited hand dexterity.

As part of the design, the Hollister ostomy wafers have a round floating fl**ge. This gave me a design approach to create adaptive product solutions that could be incorporated with the Hollister wafers.

We developed tools for individuals with hand dexterity challenges that protect the stoma, dampen sounds coming from the stoma, make it easier to apply/burp/remove the pouch, and a collection tray during changing.

Do you struggle with your ostomy supplies? Would you like to be able to manage your ostomy independently? Please let us know in the comments below.

[Image Description: In these images Mark is showing three different assistive technology solutions he developed to work with the Hollister ostomy products.]

05/01/2023

Check out this Podcast I recently did with John McAleavey at The Quadcast.

https://www.quadcast.org/podcast-2/episode/8ffb0629/s4-e4-making-his-mark

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected so many people around the world, but some people are using enforced time at home for a good purpose. 

04/19/2023

Our new pole attachment to help secure exercise bands and adjust the height.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrOHf1dukp1/

301 likes, 19 comments - Abilitease, Inc. () on Instagram on April 19, 2023: "When using exercise bands I find it difficult to secure one end to something around the house and..."

03/17/2023

One of the highlights for me at the LA Abilities Expo was getting to meet Mark and Dana Harris from Equip Products in person. They travelled from Illinois to be at the Expo and the Abilitease booth was right across from them.

Mark and Dana founded Equip Products to make fitness more inclusive regardless of an individual’s impairment. I can tell you that these are two incredible people and I was lucky to have the opportunity to interact with them over the few days at the Abilities Expo.

One of my favorite pieces of adaptive equipment from Equip is their LapMat. I use it every week to safely rest my dumbbells on my lap in between sets.

Please check out their website for all of their exciting products. I’m hopefully going to purchase a Ski Erg by Summer. I put the Equip Products link in the bio.

[Video Description: In these picture Mark and his wife Patricia are shown with Mark and Dana Harris in front of their Equip Products booth at the Abilities Expo.]

03/13/2023

There’s nothing better than being on this journey with my family. Today was special!