A unique partnership

QL Plus partners with college engineering students to design and build assistive technology for disabled veterans and first responders, who we refer to as Challengers. Our Challengers have faithfully served our country and communities, and have suffered extreme injuries because of it. The QL Plus mission is to restore these brave men and women to allow them to maintain as active a lifestyle as possible.

A veteran lost both arms in Afghanistan. But he liked bike riding as a way to stay in shape. While he had prosthetics made to hold the handlebar, he had difficulty changing gears. We took this problem to engineering students who needed a project for their senior capstone class. Over the course of the year, the students worked on and built a creative solution - a voice-activated gear shifter. This disabled veteran now has greater access to the activity he loves.

A veteran who was blinded during their service wanted to ski without being tethered to a guide. Our engineering students devised a vibrating vest to wear under their ski gear that was activated by a nearby guide who toggled to let the skier know when to turn or stop. This provided an extra layer of independence for the blind skier.

On a daily basis, many wheelchair users have problems tracking dirt and leaves into their home with their wheelchair. A student engineering team took on that task and created a wheelchair tire clearer that will spray water, spin brushes, and dry the tire before entering the home. Another problem solved!

QL Plus partners with 21 college engineering programs and this year will have more than 50 projects to work on. We are proud to bring together America's Brightest to serve America's Bravest!