Let's talk wheelchairs and mobility scooters

ahimsa said:
There's also a new app that I read about that rates accessibility:

https://www.thelily.com/a-yelp-for-...-to-change-the-conversation-about-disability/
Code: 
https://www.facebook.com/AccessNowApp/
https://www.facebook.com/AccessNowApp/

I have no personal experience with the app, just passing on some information.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting! The article reminded me of a wider population base:

“The app also helps people who are temporarily disabled with an injury or people who are pushing strollers and can’t go up stairs easily.”

And also I feel that people who walk their dog, where the dog can not manage stairs, can benefit too.
 
I doubt it would be allowed on pavements for several reasons - danger to pedestrians, danger of breaking up the surface and taking up too much space (width). It's really made for offroading and big open spaces, not small urban environments, much as I'd fancy having one - much cooler for an old woman like me than a granny buggy. But even that's just a fantasy for me, as I'm not well enough to use a buggy.
 
Apologies, this was not a serious suggestion. However we did have a much older friend with mobility problems whose vision was also going and I think people cleared out of his way pretty quickly when he headed down the road to the local supermarket!
I also like the look of @AndyPandy's beach buggy. Would it be good over pebbles as well?
Has anyone tried the National Trust off-roaders that are available for use at some sites? Prior booking required.
 
There are a couple electric wheelchairs for sale locally on craigslist, a KD Smart Chair (collapsible) and a Jazzy Select. I haven't been well enough to go see them, and my fear is I won't be able to get them in/out of my car by myself. I can't drive right now anyway due to symptoms, but the main point of the chair would be to regain some independence and range of experience outside my four walls.

I did look into rampy things you can have attached to the back of your car that only cost a couple hundred.

But all this seems like too much work, too many "ifs", plus I"m going to have to change my car soon.

It seems like every decision I make is fraught with too many complications for goopbrain!

ETA: Just writing this post gave me the oomph to write to the KD Smart chair ad--it's a month old so we'll see if they still have it, fingers crossed.
 
Last edited:
MEMarge said:
Apologies, this was not a serious suggestion. However we did have a much older friend with mobility problems whose vision was also going and I think people cleared out of his way pretty quickly when he headed down the road to the local supermarket!
I also like the look of @AndyPandy's beach buggy. Would it be good over pebbles as well?
Has anyone tried the National Trust off-roaders that are available for use at some sites? Prior booking required.
Click to expand...

No need to apologise! :hug: I'd love to tank wheelchair round our lottie site - might make the committee a bit more respectful! ;) :rofl: They'd ban it immediately though. :arghh: :laugh:

I've been wondering about AndyPandy's beach buggy too. If it managed pebbles it would be worth me going mad and getting one, as could use it to get onto Porth Neigl (Hell's Mouth) :emoji_surfer: which would be wonderful. While I could use it on more local sandy beaches, it's Hell's Mouth that I long to visit again. Must be about 20 years since I made it onto the beach there.
 
The beach wheelchair in the photo had to be dragged or pushed and I don't think the tyres would be suitable for pebbles. But Im not sure.

We helped to fund a new one at the local surf club which I also think is probably not suited to pebbles. It is OK on smooth hard surfaces in the surf club and car park and on beach sand and in the water. We don't have pebbly beaches.

When we researched beach wheelchairs we came across other types of wheelchairs suitable for bush tracks. I think some of these are available to the public in some parks in Australia eg Canberra.

I haven't tried those yet. You could probably find out more on the internet.

None of the wheelchairs I've mentioned are motorised.

Best wishes Andy
 
It took a while to coordinate, but I got the used KD Smart chair! So excited at the prospect of expanding my horizons :emoji_dromedary_camel::emoji_feet:
I got it at a third the cost of new (yay!) from really nice people, and they even had all the manuals and instruction CD, etc.

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to this thread and thus to this little miracle!

I'll come back to update once I've given it some proper testing in the field :emoji_stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::emoji_wheelchair:
 
Last edited:
Posts copied from a thread with a Japanese film that included reclining wheelchairs.

Does anyone know where to get a wheelchair like that (in the film) - the reclined ones? Where do they make them? I’m not always well enough to drive my wheelchair and this looks really useful for when I need to go out but can’t drive my wheelchair, and can’t sit upright in a manual chair.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I forgot this thread was here! Last summer I finally indulged in a beach/off-road wheelchair. When we had to rush back from the caravan in March as Wales closed down I had to leave it at the caravan, as it seemed more important to bring back my ghastly upright one that has solid wheels (ouch ouch ouch!!!) in case it got called in for service. I'm going to leave it at home when (if?) we go back to caravan, hopefully mid July, but we'll have to wait and see.

Sorry, as usual am prattling on about irrelevant stuff. :oops:

I've put photos elsewhere on the Forum, but since this is wheelchair specific I'll repeat here. This shows the wheelchair when it first arrived.



Hippocampe by field garden

OH bought the arms for it for my Birthday, which make it much more comfortable to use, but somewhat more awkward to climb in and out! Always swings and roundabouts!



Hippocampe with the arm rests fitted.

And here's me after an outing! Knackered but happy.



Me knackered but happy!

It's quite a comfortable ride - certainly much better than the upright chair with solid wheels. :) So far have only managed 3 outings, all last summer. Two were just trundling round the field, the other was a tad more adventurous, as OH managed to get me to the start of the footpath down to the beach we always used. Too narrow and steep for even this wheelchair though.
 
That looks fab!

I haven't got a pusher, so mine's a big electric jobbie with 6" wide lawnmower tyres, but it's not as cool as that.

(I do tank around my sister's allotment on it, though! I park up under the apple trees, tilt back, and sit in the shade to watch people work. :laugh:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom