After two and a half years of having a broken wheelchair, Wheelchair Service have agreed to reassess me! If you’ve read my Back to the factory post, you’ll have an idea of the problems that I’ve bee experiencing. These have been ongoing and almost every part of my wheelchair has been replaced to try to fix it (apart from the frame), with no success. I’ve been told that the waiting list for an appointment is ‘up to 18 weeks’, which isn’t great. But, I intend to make the most of this time by researching the different options available, now that I have experience of using an active user wheelchair.
Since writing my powered mobility options and Power assist wheels posts, I’ve been wanting to do a series considering the different options available on an active user wheelchair. Now seemed like the perfect time to make this happen. So here we go!
You might be reading this and wondering what an active user wheelchair is. Well, in a nut shell, an active user wheelchair is an extremely customisable, lightweight wheelchair. Their caster wheels are smaller than a standard self propelled wheelchair to make them easier to manoeuvre, they have a large number of seating options to give optimum support and their frames are available in folding and rigid. Unfortunately, these customisable, lightweight wheelchairs also come with a hefty price tag. You’re looking at £2,000+ for a basic set up. And, that’s before you start looking at customising.
So, who might benefit from an active user wheelchair? Well, it’s largely in the name. Active user wheelchairs are great for people who live and active lifestyle. They’re significantly lighter and more manoeuvrable than a standard self propelled wheelchair. This means that users will experience less wear and tear of their upper body than if they were using a standard wheelchair and, as a result, users will be able to remain active for longer.
A rigid frame (something that isn’t available with standard wheelchairs) allows many disabled drivers to lift the chair into their car, putting it on the front passenger seat, from the drivers seat. The rigid frame is also a great option for people with chronic pain conditions, as the chair doesn’t shift when going along uneven surfaces, like a folding wheelchair does.
One of the only photos of me using my off-the-shelf standard manual wheelchair
And, this might be a vain point, but active user wheelchairs are often more subtle than standard wheelchairs. People respond to me differently in an active user wheelchair than in a standard manual chair. Plus, I feel more confident in a properly fitting active user chair. If you’ve been following my Instagram account for a while, you may have noticed that I rarely posted photos of myself in my self propelled wheelchair. But in my active user wheelchair, I feel confident and happy. It’s an extension of myself and has had a positive impact on me identifying as a disabled woman.
I can highly recommend taking a look at the Review My Wheelchair website when deciding which wheelchair to purchase. You can find out how they can help in your decision process in their Buying A New Wheelchair – Reviews Can Help page.
Have you tired an active user wheelchair? What are the most important features for you?
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