Donate Fitbits for Amputees

[SuzanneL.]

One of my high school students, and a neighbor, lost his leg above the knee in a hunting accident. This was just 2 months ago. He is amazing in the way he is handling his new life challenge.

I recently asked Fitbit if they had a program to donate appropriate devices to such individuals to help them with recovery and motivation. Fitbit asked me to post my question here so I can get the Community involved and to hopefully bring support to this idea. If you have thoughts on this and would like to share them with Fitbit please do so.  

Moderator edit: Labels & title

[ratkutti]

Thank you for caring, in this day and age :smileyhappy 

[Cinderella4000]

I don't understand how the fitbit would help. 

The way the fitbit measures steps wouldn't work if he's on crutches or in a chair. 

How do you see it working? 

[Vb1321]

Not all amputees are bound to a chair or crutches. He may have a prosthetic.
I'm here to ask them to make them compatible to those of us that need to wear arm braces regularly..

[StevenDon]

I think this is a wonderful idea 🙂

[NaomiE]

I love this! One thing to be aware of, though, is that the current Fitbit devices (I know for sure about the One and have heard of similar issues with other models, though I would guess it's less of an issue with devices worn on the wrist) will not record steps or flights of stairs if the user has an uneven gait. When I had a broken calcaneus earlier this year and was limping the Fitbit was dropping steps all over the place and wouldn't count flights of stairs at all. So while an amputee may be entirely capable of walking and being perfectly mobile, if their gait is uneven due to a prosthesis they may find Fitbit inaccurate and frustrating.

[SunsetRunner]

Really great idea 🙂 .

[Viki_W]

I walk with a limp and have an uneven gait due to disability and post-surgical recovery, and have found that both my old Flex and new Charge 2 register my steps pretty well. The only times it doesn't record is if I don't have a pronounced heel strike (if I use stairs and have to lean on a bannister, use crutches, or if I am dragging my feet/shuffling as tends to happen towards the end of the day).

So far I'm finding my fitbit a really good motivator 🙂

[LizFitbit]

Hi @SuzanneL. 

Thanks for taking the time to share this suggestion. We appreciate your candid feedback on this topic. We believe everyone should be able to access and enjoy our products and we’re working on ways to improve support for our customers experiencing disabilities.

To learn more about accessibility features and support on Fitbit devices, see our help article help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/2469.htm