Bus driver recommends student for sports wheelchair

OGDEN, Utah — A wheelchair-bound basketball player who attends high school here was given a top-of-the-line basketball wheelchair after his school bus driver brought him to the attention of the Weber School Foundation, which raises money to benefit special-needs students.

The driver reported to the foundation that Jordan Avis' regular wheelchair was falling apart, the Standard-Examiner reports. Avis, who was born with spina bifida, had been using his regular chair to play basketball. He received the new chair as a surprise at his school's Homecoming Royalty assembly on Thursday.

The wheelchair is from Invacare Corp., a sports chair manufacturer. The company gave the Weber School Foundation a 50-percent discount on the chair after it was contacted by Phil Swanson, who is a member of the foundation.

Avis will use his new chair to play basketball so that he can keep his regular chair in better condition, according to the Standard-Examiner.