By Jessica Hayes - CCDI Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator

If necessity is the mother of invention, then disability may well be the father of invention - at least in Arik Bannister's case anyway.

A resident of Aurora, IL, Bannister (36) became a new father just over a year ago when his son Cole was born.

"I was running a business and doing millions of things at one time and I just wished there was a way to feed the baby while using the computer or talking on the telephone," said Bannister who happens to be an experienced inventor. It wasn't long before Bannister created the first prototype of what was to become the Baba Belt.

"The first one I made looked dangerous," said Bannister. "It was held together with safety pins and Velcro - not kid friendly at all."

But the Baba Belt worked and with the encouragement of wife Colleen, Bannister began marketing the product through his company Gubbinsway Falls Inc. Gubbinsway sells a variety of products Bannister has developed including furniture and modern, contemporary home décor pieces.

Mother Colleen says she uses the Baba Belt every time she feeds the baby. The Baba Belt has proven to be a hit with parents everywhere, and Bannister attributes both its inspiration and success to his disability.

As an adult, Bannister was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, or A.D.D. for short. Adult A.D.D. is most frequently associated with characteristic features such as distractibility, impulsivity and restlessness. Studies suggest that millions of children may have A.D.D., but there aren't any hard numbers on how many adults may be living with the disorder.

Bannister describes A.D.D. as "trying to watch TV and you keep changing the channel. Everything you see is really interesting to you, but you keep forgetting what you were just watching and moving on to a new channel."

A.D.D. isn't the type of disability most people assume would inspire an invention like the Baba Belt, but Bannister makes it clear that his invention is a direct result of it. In fact, Bannister attributes almost all of his creativity and diverse talent to the disability.

"98% of people with A.D.D. are extremely creative," said Bannister. He also says that medication was the key to his success as an adult with A.D.D.

"It was like a miracle," said Bannister. "When I started taking the medication it was like someone flipped a switch in my brain and I could look at myself for the first time."

It was Bannister's father Edward, who first recognized the use of the Baba Belt as a piece of assistive technology for other people with disabilities. A former Board President of CCDI, Edward immediately saw the potential for parents with physical disabilities that limited the use of their hands or arms, not to mention parents who use wheelchairs - the Baba Belt leaves one hand free for pushing a chair's wheels or steering a scooter.

The Baba Belt consists of a fully adjustable strap that fits around the parent's neck. An elastic sleeve holds the baby bottle and can be tilted to just the right angle for feeding. Baba Belts sell for $10.00 each and come in all of the standard baby colors - pink, yellow and blue. The Baba Belt is machine washable and the elastic sleeve fits all sizes of baby bottles.

Bannister manufactures the Baba Belts in his home, and while it is hard to estimate exactly how many he has sold in the last year, it is clear their popularity is taking off.

Bannister and the Baba Belt have been featured in the suburban Chicago newspapers The Beacon News and The Naperville Sun, and the device has also received favorable reviews from the online parent resource, thedabblingmum.com.

To learn more about Attention Deficit Disorder, visit http:// www.chadd.org