How designing spoke guards for her sister's wheelchair became a business for Ailbhe Keane

Ailbhe Keane began creating stylish spoke guards for her wheelchair-using sister Isabel. They now have a proper business, writes Ruth O’Connor

“Growing up, I was always decorating my sister Isabel’s wheelchair for holidays and special occasions, and I tried to use my design skills to make her feel better about her wheelchair, so my college project was a perfect opportunity to see how far I could take the idea.”

When Galway native Ailbhe Keane was in her final year studying visual communications at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, she was set a project brief to come up with something that would empower the lives of someone living with a long-term health condition.