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"We Carry Kevan" was the name of the campaign that Kevan Chandler and his friends used to raise funds and awareness about their trip to Europe in 2016. Because of the overwhelming positive response and connections made through the campaign, We Carry Kevan (WCK) was established as a 501c3 nonprofit organization, with the mission to mobilize individuals with disabilities by redefining accessibility as a cooperative effort through investment, interaction, and innovation.

The board, staff, and volunteers of WCK seek to foster a culture of creative accessibility by collaborating with families with disabilities around the world - sharing Kevan's story as encouragement and inspiration, traveling to visit them in their homes and communities, distributing specially designed carrier backpacks, and having ongoing conversations about new or alternative ideas for customized access.

Kevan Chandler grew up in the foothills of North Carolina. He was the second of his siblings to be diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, type 2, a rare neuromuscular disease. In 2016, he and his friends took a trip across Europe, leaving his wheelchair at home, and his friends carried him for three weeks in a backpack. An avid storyteller, he is a writer and speaker worldwide about his unique life with a disability, being a featured speaker for Tedx and Google, as well as various conferences, pharmaceutical companies, and universities. Kevan has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Counseling from John Wesley College, and is also founder of the nonprofit We Carry Kevan. He and his wife Katie live in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where they enjoy growing vegetables, making homemade bread, and reading to each other.

The WCK Backpack was initially designed as a personal adaptation of the Deuter Kid Comfort 3, for Kevan Chandler and his friends to use on a trip to Europe in 2016. With Kevan in the backpack, they explored France, England and Ireland, including a hike to the top of Skellig Michael. Since then, We Carry Kevan has partnered with the Deuter company to develop a production line of the WCK Backpack, with additional adjustable pads and straps for customized comfort, so other people with disabilities can be carried. In December 2022, the 2.0 edition was released, with new improvements to its unique support and adjustment features: https://shop.wecarrykevan.org/products/wck-backpack-2-0. We Carry Kevan has a tutorial video on their website for how the backpack works, and a volunteer technical consultant is available to talk with families about customized adjustments for individual situations. This backpack is specially designed to carry individuals with physical disabilities so they can go where wheelchairs cannot, with the help of friends and family.

The new model of the backpack is available for purchase on the WCK website for $449 plus shipping. Over 800 backpacks have been sold over the past 3 years. In addition, WCK has a new Causes Program that gives families all over the world the opportunity to share their story and receive a backpack free of charge. The program is dependent on financial gifts from donors through a crowd-funding platform on the website. WCK wants to see local communities highlight the backpacks that their families receive, to celebrate creative accessibility, and to invite others to get involved by giving donations to individuals who request sponsorship: https://wecarrykevan.org/causes

The WCK Backpack was initially designed as a personal adaptation of the Deuter Kid Comfort 3, for Kevan Chandler and his friends to use on a trip to Europe in 2016. With Kevan in the backpack, they explored France, England and Ireland, including a hike to the top of Skellig Michael. Since then, We Carry Kevan has partnered with the Deuter company to develop a production line of the WCK Backpack, with additional adjustable pads and straps for customized comfort, so other people with disabilities can be carried. In December 2022, the 2.0 edition was released, with new improvements to its unique support and adjustment features: https://shop.wecarrykevan.org/products/wck-backpack-2-0. We Carry Kevan has a tutorial video on their website for how the backpack works, and a volunteer technical consultant is available to talk with families about customized adjustments for individual situations. This backpack is specially designed to carry individuals with physical disabilities so they can go where wheelchairs cannot, with the help of friends and family. The new model of the backpack is available for purchase on the WCK website for $449 plus shipping. Over 800 backpacks have been sold over the past 3 years. In addition, WCK has a new Causes Program that gives families all over the world the opportunity to share their story and receive a backpack free of charge. The program is dependent on financial gifts from donors through a crowd-funding platform on the website. WCK wants to see local communities highlight the backpacks that their families receive, to celebrate creative accessibility, and to invite others to get involved by giving donations to individuals who request sponsorship: https://wecarrykevan.org/causes

Images, video, and copy for use in media publications.

We Carry Kevan

About Kevan Chandler

About the WCK Backpack