Changing Lives - The Omeo Story
Kevin Halsall is an engineer and inventor who likes to solve problems. Over a four-year period, he designed and built the Omeo: a ground-breaking mobility device that gives people much greater freedom than a traditional wheelchair.
About this resource
Series: School Journal Level 3 May 2020
Reading year level: 6
Topics: adaptation, challenge, change, design, development, disability, engineering, idea, independence, innovation, Kevin Halsall, Marcus Thompson, mobility, Omeo, problem, prototype, Segway, social media, solution, technology, wheelchair
Changing Lives - The Omeo Story
Words by Lucy Corry
In this article, Kevin discusses his motivation and design process, and his friend Marcus shares the impact the Omeo has had on his life.
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More from this series
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School Journal Level 3 May 2020
Inside this School journal are three stories (Kia Māia; Ghost Walk; and Want Relief), one play (A Mugging in Maths), one poem (Bad Advice), and two articles (The Longest Walk and Changing Lives - The Omeo Story).
1 of 7Kia Māia
Jayson has just arrived in New Zealand to stay with his nan. He is staying at her marae preparing for an unveiling but is feeling out of his depth.
2 of 7The Longest Walk
The Rapsey family, including nine-year-old Elizabeth and her six-year-old brother, Johnny, spent just over four months walking the entire length of New Zealand.
3 of 7Bad Advice
Tim Upperton plays with poetic form, especially the pleasures of a tight rhyme scheme, to give readers some unusual “advice”.
4 of 7A Mugging in Maths
This classroom mystery is solved by Ruby, a student who loves detective novels and who has honed her skills through reading. The author delights in mysteries and plays – and works both forms to their advantage.
5 of 7Ghost Walk
Grumpa wants to take a walk, but the narrator has other ideas.
6 of 7Want Relief
The Auckland Islands, a New Zealand territory in the Southern Ocean, were the site of nine shipwrecks in the nineteenth century.
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