A wheelchair , often shortened to "seat", is a wheelchair, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, or disability. Wheelchairs come in a variety of formats to meet the specific needs of their users. They may include adaptation of special seats, individual controls, and may be specific to certain activities, such as those seen with sports wheelchairs and beach chairs. The most widely known difference is between powered wheelchairs ("electric chairs"), where the propulsion is provided by batteries and electric motors, and manually driven wheelchairs, where a propulsion force is provided either by the wheelchair/occupant user pushing the wheelchair by hand ("self-propelled"), or by officers pushing from behind ("officers pushed").
Video Wheelchair
History
The earliest notes of wheeled furniture are an inscription found in slate in China and the children's bed depicted in decoration on a Greek vase, both dating from the 6th and 5th centuries BC. The first recording of wheelchairs used to transport disabled persons dates to three centuries later in China; The Chinese used an early wheelbarrow to move people and heavy objects. The difference between the two functions was not done for several hundred years, around 525 AD, when a wheelchair image made specifically for carrying people began to take place in Chinese art.
Although Europe eventually developed a similar design, this transportation method did not exist until 1595 when an unknown inventor from Spain built one for King Phillip II. Although it is an elaborate chair having both armrest and foot rests, the design still has its drawbacks because it does not feature an efficient propulsion mechanism and thus, needs help to push it. This makes the design more of a modern high chair or portable throne for the rich than the modern wheelchair for the handicapped.
In 1655, Stephan Farffler, a 22-year-old paraplegic watchmaker, built the world's first self-propelling chair in a three-wheeled chassis using crank and cogwheel systems. However, this device has the appearance of a handbag more than a wheelchair because the design includes a hand crank mounted on the front wheels.
Invalid train or Bath seat brings technology to a more general use of about 1760.
In 1887, a wheelchair ("rolling chair") was introduced to Atlantic City so invalid travelers could hire him to enjoy the Boardwalk. Soon, many healthy travelers also rented decorated "rolled chairs" and servants to encourage them as a show of decadence and care they never had at home.
In 1933, Harry C. Jennings, Sr. and his paralyzed friend Herbert Everest, both mechanical engineers, invented the first lightweight, steel, folding, portable wheelchair. Everest previously broke his back in a mining accident. Everest and Jennings see the business potential of this invention and then become the world's first mass wheelchair manufacturer. Their "X-brace" design is still commonly used, albeit with the latest material and other improvements. The idea of ​​X-brace came to Harry from the "folding chair" bench, turned 90 degrees, which Harry and Herbert used outside and in the mine.
Maps Wheelchair
Type
There are different types of wheelchairs, in contrast to propulsion methods, control mechanisms, and the technology used. Some wheelchairs are designed for general day-to-day use, others for single activities, or to meet special access needs. Innovations in the wheelchair industry are relatively common, but many innovations end up falling by the waysides, either from over-specialization, or from failure to come to the market at accessible price points. IBot is probably the most famous example in recent years.
Manual self-propelled wheelchair
A self-propelled manual wheelchair combines frames, chairs, one or two footplates and four wheels: usually two caster wheels at the front and two large wheels at the rear. Generally there will be a separate seat cushion. Larger rear wheels usually have push rims with slightly smaller diameters leading out of the tires; This allows users to manouevre seats by pushing them without requiring them to understand the tires. The manual wheelchair generally has a brake that holds the rear wheel tire, but this is just a parking brake and in-motion braking is provided by the hands of users who are directly in the push-rims. Because this causes friction and heat buildup, especially in long longlopes, many wheelchair users will choose to wear padded cushioned sheets. The manual wheelchair often has two thrust grips on the top rear of the chassis to allow manual propellers by the second person, but many active wheelchair users will remove this to prevent unwanted impulses from people who believe they are helping.
Manual wheelchairs daily come in two main varieties, folding or stiff. The folding chairs are generally a low-end design, whose main advantage is being able to fold, generally by uniting both sides. However this is mostly an advantage for part time users who may need to store a wheelchair more often than using it. Rigid wheelchairs, which are increasingly favored by full-time and active users, have permanent welding joints and many fewer moving parts. This reduces the energy needed to push the seat by eliminating many points where the seat will flex and absorb energy while moving. Welded instead of folding the joints also reduces the overall weight of the chair. Rigid seats usually have an instantly released rear wheel and a backrest that folds down, allowing users to quickly unload seats for storage in the car. Some wheelchairs try to combine features of both designs by providing a rigid fold mechanism where the joints are mechanically locked when a wheelchair is used.
Many rigid models are now made with ultralight materials such as aluminum and aircraft-grade titanium, and wheelchairs from composite materials such as carbon fibers have started to emerge. The rigid, ultra-light wheelchair is commonly known as the 'active user seat' as it is ideal for independent use. Another innovation in rigid chair design is the installation of shock absorbers, such as the Frog Legs, which dampen the bulge where the seat rolls over. This shock absorber can be added to the front wheels, to the rear wheels, or both. The rigid seats also have the option of rear-wheel them to have camber, or slope, which angles the top of the wheel toward the seat. This allows more mechanically efficient streaming by the user and also makes it easier to hold the straight line while moving across the slope. Sports wheelchairs often have a large camber angle to improve stability.
Rigid framed chairs are generally made to measure, according to the specific size of users and their needs and preferences around areas such as "tippyness" seats - stability around the rear axle. Inexperienced users with sufficient upper body strength generally can balance the seats on the rear wheels, a wheelie, and a "tippyness" seat controlling the ease with which this can begin. Wheelie allows independent wheelchair users to climb up and down curbs and move more easily over small obstacles and irregular soil such as rocky paths.
The rear wheels of self-propelled wheelchairs typically range from 20-24 inches (51-61 cm) in diameter, and usually resemble bicycle wheels. The rubber wheels are tired and may be dense, pneumatic or gel-filled. The folding chair wheel can be fixed permanently, but the rigid seat is usually equipped with a quick release axle which is activated by pressing the button in the center of the wheel.
All types of wheelchairs can be highly customized for the needs of users. These customizations can include seating dimensions, height, seat angles, footrests, footrests, outrigger casters, backrest and adjustable controls. Optional accessories available, such as bars or anti-end wheels, seat belts, adjustable backrest, tilt and/or recumbent features, extra support for limbs or head and neck, holders for crutches, pedestrians or oxygen tanks, holders drinks, and mud and wheel-guards as a protective clothing.
Light weight and associated high cost in manual wheelchair market. On cheap weight chairs, heavy, folding with a sling and little adaptation dominate. Users can be temporarily disabled, or use such seats as lenders, or can not afford to pay better. These chairs are commonly used as "borrowers" in large facilities such as airports, amusement parks, and shopping centers. The slightly higher priced bands see the same folding designs manufactured in aluminum. Prices usually then jump from low to mid-hundreds of pounds/dollars/euros to a four-figure price range, with individually tailored light chairs with more choices. The high end of the market contains ultra-light models, wide seating options and accessories, all-terrain features, and so on. The most expensive manual chairs may match the cost of a small car.
User-driven cart wheelchair
The wheelchair driven by the rider is generally similar to a self-propelled manual wheelchair, but with small diameter wheels in front and rear. The chair is moved and controlled by someone standing behind and pushing the grip that is inserted into the frame. Braking is given directly by the officers who usually also will be given hand brakes operated with the feet or hands.
These chairs are common in institutional settings and as loaner-seats in large public areas. They are usually built of steel because light weight is less of a concern when users are not required to push themselves.
Specially designed transfer seats now required features at airports in many developed countries to allow access down narrow alleys and facilitate the transfer of wheelchair passengers to and from their seats on the plane.
Powerful wheelchair
Electric wheelchairs, commonly called "wheelchairs" are wheelchairs that also incorporate batteries and electric motors into the frame and are controlled by the user or officer, most often via a small joystick mounted on the armrest, or at the top of the frame. For users who can not manage the manual joystick, headswitch, operated chin joystick, sip-and-puff controller or other specialist controls enable independent wheelchair operation. Ranges greater than 10 miles/15 km are usually available from standard batteries.
Electric seats are usually divided by their access capabilities. Indoor seats can only reliably cross totally flat surfaces, limiting them to household use. Indoor-outdoor chairs are less limited, but may have limited reach or ability to cope with uneven slopes or surfaces. Outdoor chairs are more capable, but still have very limited ability to face rough terrain. Very few specialist designs offer true cross-country capabilities.
Powerful seats have access to a wide selection of wheelchairs, including those that are difficult to provide on manual power seats, but have significant additional weight loss. Where an ultra-light manual seat can weigh under 10 kg, the largest outdoor electric chair can weigh 200 kg or more.
Smaller electric seats often have four wheels, with front or rear wheel drive, but large outdoor designs generally have six wheels, with small wheels on the front and rear and a slightly larger wheel in the middle.
Electric-powered seat is the latest development using frame & amp; a typical rigid manual seat seat when replacing a standard rear wheel with a similar-sized wheel that combines battery-powered batteries and motors in a hub. The floating rack design feels the pressure applied by push & amp; activate the motor proportionally to provide power assistance. This results in the convenience, and small size of the manual seat while providing motorized assistance for rough/uneven terrain & amp; steep slopes that will be difficult or impossible to navigate, especially by those with limited upper body functions. Because the wheels must achieve severe punishment, it is often possible to exchange them with a standard wheel to fit the wheelchair's ability to the current activity.
Mobility scooter
Mobility scooters share some features with the powerchair, but are mainly aimed at different market segments, people with limited ability to walk, but who may not consider themselves flawed. The smaller mobility scooter is usually three-wheeled, with a base on which the base seat is mounted on the back, with the tillers of control on the front. Larger scooters are often four-wheeled, with a much more substantial seat.
Opinions are often polarized on whether a mobility scooter should be considered a wheelchair or not, and negative stereotypes from scooter users are worse than manual users or wheelchair users. Some commercial organizations draw the distinction between electric chairs and scooters when making access provisions because of a lack of clarity in the law as to whether the scooter falls under the same equality legislation as a wheelchair.
Single-arm drive chairs
One-arm or single arm drive allows users to push themselves wheelchair manually with just one arm. The large wheels on the same side with the arm to be used are equipped with two concentric handrimes, one from a smaller diameter than the other. In most of the outer, smaller, rim models are connected to the wheel on the opposite side by the inner concentric shaft. When both handrims are held together, the seat can be pushed forward or backward in a straight line. When handrim is moved independently, only one wheel is used and the seat will turn left or right in response to the handrimes used. Some wheelchairs, designed for use by hemiplegics, provide similar functions by connecting the two wheels rigidly together and using one of the footrests to control the steering through the connection to the front caster.
The wheelchair is tilted and italic
The tilted or sloping wheelchair has a tilted seating surface to various angles. The original concept was developed by an orthotist, Hugh Barclay, who worked with handicapped children and observed that postural defects such as scoliosis could be supported or partially corrected by allowing wheelchair users to relax in a tilted position. This feature is also valuable for users who can not sit up for long periods of time due to pain or other reasons.
In the case of the wheelchair leaning , the backrest is sloped backward, and the footrest can be raised, while the base of the seat remains in the same position, somewhat similar to a common seat chair. Some wheelchairs are leaning far enough so that the user can lie fully. Reclining a wheelchair is preferred in some cases for some medical purposes, such as reducing the risk of wound pressure, giving the passive motion of the hip and knee joints, and making it easier to perform some nursing procedures, such as intermittent catheterization to empty the bladder and transfer into bed, and also for personal reasons, such as people who like to use the attached tray. The use of reclining chairs is very common among people with spinal cord injuries like quadriplegia.
In the case of oblique wheelchairs , the seat back, the base of the seat, and the back foot sloped backward as a unit, somewhat similar to how one might pat a quadruped back seat to balance the hind legs. While fully lying spread one's weight across the back side of the body, tilt the wheelchair from just the buttock and thigh (in the sitting position) to a portion at the back and head (in a sloped position). The tilt wheel is preferred for people who use molded or contoured seats, which need to maintain a certain posture, which is affected by sheer force (lying down causing the body to slide a little each time), or who needs to maintain communication devices, controlled wheelchairs, or other devices connected in the same relative position throughout the day. Tilt wheelchairs are commonly used by people with cerebral palsy, people with some muscular disease, and people with limited range of motion in the hip or knee joints. Tilting options are more common than wheelchair-bound options designed for use by children.
Wheelchair standing
The wheelchair stand is one that supports the user in an almost standing position. They can be used both as a wheelchair and a stand frame, allowing the user to sit or stand in the wheelchair they want. Some versions are fully manual, others have powered seats in other manual seats, while others have full power, tilt, lying and variations of stand-powered functionality available. Benefits of the tool include, but is not limited to: assisting self-reliance and productivity, increasing self-esteem and psychological well-being, improving social status, expanding access, reducing pressure, reducing stress, increasing functional reach, increasing respiration, reducing UTI events, increasing flexibility, helps in maintaining bone mineral density, improves passive range movement, reduces abnormal muscle tone and flexibility, and bone deformities. The other wheelchairs provide some of the same benefits by raising the whole seat to lift the user to a standing height.
Wheelchairs
Various sports with disabilities have been developed for athletes with disabilities, including basketball, rugby, tennis, racing and dancing. The wheelchairs used for each sport have evolved to suit the specific needs of the sport and often no longer resemble their daily cousins. They usually do not fold (to increase stiffness), with negative camber being spoken for the wheel (which provides stability and is helpful for making sharp turns), and is often made of composite, lightweight materials. Even the sitting position can be very different, with wheelchair racing generally used in kneeling position. Sports wheelchairs are rarely suitable for everyday use, and often 'second' seats are specific to sports use, although some users prefer exercise options for day-to-day. Some disabled people, for example amputated under the feet, can use wheelchairs for sports, but not for daily activities.
Soccer/powerchair soccer
While most sports wheelchairs use manual chairs, at least one sport has been developed for wheelchair users. Football/soccer football power.
Wheelchair wheelchair
A wheelchair stretcher is a variant of a wheeled or gurney stretcher that can accommodate a sitting patient, or adjusted to lie flat to assist in the transfer of lateral (or supine) patients from bed to chair or back. Once transferred, the stretcher may be adjusted to allow the patient to take a sitting position.
All-terrain wheelchair
All-terrain wheelchairs can allow users to access the terrain if it is not accessible to wheelchair users. Two different formats have been developed. One of the wheelchair hybridises and mountain bike technology, generally takes the form of a frame in which the user sits and with four wheeled mountain bikes around the corner. In general there are no push-rims and driving/braking is by pushing directly on the tire.
The more common variant is a beach chair that allows better mobility on sand beaches, including water, in uneven terrains, and even in snow. A common adaptation between different designs is that they have balloon wheels or extra wide tires, to improve stability and lower soil pressure in uneven or unstable terrain. Different models are available, both manual and battery. In some countries in Europe, where accessible tourism is established, many beaches have wheelchairs of this type available for loans/leases.
Self-balancing wheelchair
Introduction
This term refers to the chairs of wheelchairs, which are part of a wheelchair that can be adapted to a powered transport device, allowing people to stay seated and navigate safely and comfortably. This device offers features that meet specific requirements taking into account the physical limitations mentioned above for those with physical challenges. However, self-balancing wheelchairs can be used by anyone who prefers to sit while driving a powerful transport device.
Also referred to as "hand-held wheelchairs", self-balancing wheelchairs are a new term created to describe essential tools for people living with disabilities. Paralysis, whether caused by spinal cord injury or other, can cause damage to the use of lower extremities, and affects the balance due to lack of core muscle strength. Basically, when referring to a wheelchair that balances itself, we are basically talking about a 'seat kit' attached to a segway type of mobile device, enabling someone who usually rides a wheelchair, driving his own powerful vehicle. Usually, 'segway' stands... but the chair kit is made for people who can not stand.
When a person's core "core" muscle does not work, the person can not adopt a certain posture, balance, or motion such as standing, twisting, or grabbing. Often, they need a wheelchair for mobility. Wheelchairs are available manually or powerfully, but have many limitations in both cases, particularly with regard to what terrain is accessible. Riding in a bumpy, hilly, sandy, or uneven terrain is difficult, tiring, and sometimes impossible to navigate from a standard wheelchair. The new powered transport devices on the market allow mobility over such difficult terrain types, but they are pushed from a standing position and this prevents anyone who can not stand without help.
History
The standalone mobility balancing device was originally designed to be moved by standing on the device and adjusting your center of gravity, forward or backward, to push yourself forward or stop. One of the first companies to adapt this self-balancing mobility device to seated riders is "Segseat". They created one of the original seats designed for Segway self-balancing mobility-powered devices. These first-generation seat kits attached to the post are attached to the Segway, but they do not perfectly cater for the physically disabled as they do not provide the features necessary to maintain the safety of motorists while transferring to and from their wheelchairs. Recently, more and more inventions have been created and patented. This is a collection of inventions that make the category of self-balancing wheelchairs or 'self-balancing mobility kits' come alive and mean more than just the alternative form of a wheelchair.
Seat-kit was created for use with devices other than the Segway. These other devices are Ninebot and Airwheel. However, these seat-kits are not suitable for some people because of the required level of balance and physical core strength required to remain stable in the seat. This seating fixture does not include armrests or armrests. Since the handlebars move independently of the platform, the average user needs to shift their weight with the core and aim with both hands. This is a critical issue for some users because they may not have enough core power to control the handlebar by just sitting, they need one hand on the armrest to shift their weight and the other hand to control the handlebars..
The previous version of the 'self-balance wheelchair' is meant for a four-wheeled device transformed into a two-wheeled device, so the 'balancing' aspect, and built is different from the models commonly found today. But the same basic mechanisms and considerations are examined for current models as in previous iterations. For example, performance considerations such as stability, driver dynamic pressure, maneuverability, and technical requirements are given priority when testing the device. Basic tests include testing the device while in balancing mode or when stationary, testing the balance of self-balance when impacted, testing the initiation movement and stopping when balancing, testing the response to the impact of a disruption in motion; and tested stability on low traction surfaces.
Description
The term Self Balancing Wheelchair describes a category of adaptive aids technology, and is a generic term for devices and modifications that help improve mobility for those who need to sit to be mobile. Assistive technologies describe technology, technological improvements, or methods of technology use, allowing physically disabled people to use technology or use it more easily, than they were previously unusable, or simply used with great difficulty. Such people usually use wheelchairs or scooters to sit. The blumil can be ridden with self-balanced wheelchair chairs Balancing, when used as adapted adapters for mobility-powered transport devices, such as the Segway, Ninebot, or Airwheel, into mobility aids, and generally understood as a two-wheeled electric vehicle, self-balancing, and battery-powered.
Seating equipment is manufactured for use with self-balancing platforms such as Segway, Ninebot and Airwheel, the leading products in the mobility mobility market. Many of these kits are already included in this device. Most seat kits are available by regional distributors who can install and customize as needed.
Self-Balancing Wheel chairs typically have mechanics broken down into a combination of the following common features: Landing gear for safe and convenient installation, down down, and moved to another chair, handlebars for steering and balancing devices, stability rails on the side of the seat to hold the rider in place, and control in the arm of the rider's seated range does not need to lean, or adjust the body to direct and brake. These different factors consider the different ways that a user can get injured while riding in this type of wheelchair, and are therefore implemented as a safety feature. Charts depicting feature comparisons explain how each platform works, what seat cushions are used on each platform, and how to fit a fully self-balancing wheelchair.
Self-balancing wheelchair type
iBOT
iBOT is a radical power chair developed by Dean Kamen that incorporates gyroscopic and active control technology, enabling the seat to balance and run on just two of four wheels on multiple surfaces, thereby increasing the user to a standing height. He is also able to climb the stairs by utilizing the stand features. The popular Segway Personal Transporter is a mobility device that is a direct development of iBOT wheelchair development. The Segway, which is essentially an iBOT with two wheels removed, was developed explicitly to increase the number of units produced and take advantage of economies of scale to try to make the iBOT affordable for wheelchair users. While popular in concept, the $ 25,000 iBOT, developed as a joint venture between Johnson and Johnson's Independence Technology and Kamen's DEKA Research, was priced too high to maintain the required production and was discontinued in January 2009. On May 21, 2016, Toyota announced a partnership with DEKA to generate a new version of iBOT. No release date is specified at the time of the announcement.
Smart wheelchair
The intelligent wheelchair is any electric chair using a control system to add or replace user controls. The goal is to reduce or eliminate the task of users driving a powerchair. Typically, intelligent wheelchairs are controlled through a computer, have a set of sensors and apply the technique in a moving robot, but this is not necessary. The interface can consist of a conventional wheelchair joystick, a sip-and-puff device or a touch-sensitive screen. This differs from conventional electric seats, where users use manual control over speed and direction without any intervention by the wheelchair control system.
Smart wheelchairs are designed for different types of users. Some are designed for users with cognitive impairments, such as dementia, this typically implements collision-avoidance techniques to ensure that users do not accidentally select a drive command that results in a collision. Others focus on users living with severe motor defects, such as cerebral palsy, or with quadriplegia, and the role of intelligent wheelchairs is to interpret small muscle activations as high-level commands and execute them. Such wheelchairs typically use techniques of artificial intelligence, such as road planning.
Technological developments
Recent technological advancements are slowly improving wheelchair and wheelchair technology.
Manually driven wheelchair variations are Leveraged Freedom Chair (LFC), designed by MIT Mobility Lab. The wheelchair is designed for low cost, built with local materials, for users in developing countries. Engineering modifications have added hand-controlled lever to LFC, to allow users to move chairs on uneven ground and small obstacles, such as bumpy dirt roads, which are common in developing countries. It's under development, and has been tested in Kenya and India so far.
The addition of mechanical wheelchairs to manual wheelchairs is a new development that incorporates hypocycloidal reduction teeth into wheel design. The 2-wheel wheels can be added to the manual wheelchair. Gear wheels provide users with additional help by providing leverage through gearing (such as a bicycle, not a motor). The two-gear wheels offer two speed ratios - 1: 1 (without assistance, without additional torque) and 2: 1, providing 100% more climbing power. The low gear incorporates an automatic "hillside" function that holds the wheelchair in place up the hill between the thrusts, but will allow the user to override the hill bar to roll the wheel backwards if necessary. The low gear also provides the descending control when it goes down.
The latest development related to wheelchair is handcycle. They come in various forms, ranging from road racing models and trajectories to off-road types that are modeled after mountain bikes. While special handcycle designs are made, clip-on versions are available rather than being able to turn a manual wheelchair into a handcycle in seconds. The general concept is a clip-on front-fork with a hand pedal, usually attached to mounting on footplate. A somewhat related concept is Freewheel, a large dolley wheel attached to the front of the manual wheelchair, again commonly for mounting footplate, which improves wheelchair performance over rough terrain. Unlike handbikes, wheelchairs with Freewheel continue to be pushed through the rear wheels.
There have been significant efforts over the last 20 years to develop a stationary station wheel trainer platform that can allow wheelchair users to exercise as it does on treadmills or bike trainers. Several devices have been created that can be used in conjunction with virtual trips and interactive games similar to omnidirectional treadmills.
In 2011, British inventor Andrew Slorance developed the first Carbon Black wheelchair made entirely of carbon fiber
Recently, the EPFL CNBI project has succeeded in making wheelchairs that can be controlled by brain impulses.
Experiments have also been made with unusual variant wheels, such as omniwheel or mecanum wheels. This allows a wider spectrum of movement, but does not penetrate mass market.
The electric wheelchair shown on the right is equipped with Mecanum wheels (sometimes known as Ilon wheels) that give you complete freedom of movement. It can be pushed forward, backward, sideways, and diagonally, and also turns in place or turns while moving, all operated from a simple joystick.
Other variants
Manual wheelchair wheel movers by occupants are possible for users who have limited hand gestures or do not want to use their hands for thrust. Foot propulsion also allows patients to train their feet to improve blood flow and limit further defects. Users who do this usually can choose to have a lower seat height and no footplate that is more suited to the wheelchair for their needs.
Supported wheelchair chairs or manual wheelchairs with specially shaped seating systems linked to them for users with more complicated postures. The shaped seating system includes taking the best seating position one can reach and then carving out its shape from a memory foam or forming a plastic net around it. This chair is then covered, framed, and affixed to the wheel axis.
The bariatric wheelchair is one designed to support greater weight; the most standard seats are designed to support no more than £ 250 (113 kg) on ​​average.
The pediatric wheelchair is another part of the wheelchair available. This can overcome needs such as being able to play on the floor with other children, or serve children in large hip-spica casts due to problems such as hip dysplasia.
Hemi wheelchair has a lower seat designed for easy leg propulsion. Decreased seat height also allows them to be used by children and shorter individuals.
Knee scooter is a device associated with some wheelchair features and some walking aids. Unlike wheelchairs, they are only suitable for knee injuries down on one leg. The user puts the injured foot on the scooter, holds the handlebars, and pushes with uninjured feet.
Mobility and access
Building
Adapting the built environment to make it more accessible to wheelchair users is one of the main campaigns of the rights movement for PwDs and local equality legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The Social Disability Model defines 'disability' as the discrimination experienced by people with disabilities as a result of the community's failure to provide the adaptation necessary for them to participate in society as equals. This includes physical adaptation of the built environment and the adaptation of organizational and social structures and attitudes. The main principle of access is universal design - that everyone without disability is entitled to equal access to all parts of society such as public transport and buildings. The wheelchair user is less disabled in an environment without a ladder.
Access begins outside the building, provided that a reduction in high road cuts where wheelchair users may need to cross the road, and the provision of adequate wheelchair parking space, which should provide additional space to allow wheelchair users to transfer directly from chair to chair. There is a tension between the access provisions for pedestrian-induced pedestrians and wheelchair users as well as pedestrians who interfere with other mobility as textured paving, important for people with visual impairments to recognize the edge of features such as light, uncomfortable, and lightly controlled crossings dangerous at worst, for those with impaired mobility.
For access to public buildings, it is often necessary to adapt old buildings with features such as ramps or elevators to allow access by wheelchair users and others with mobility impairments. Other important adaptations may include powered doors, lower fittings such as washbasins and fountains, and accessible toilets with sufficient space and bar handles to enable disabled persons to move from wheelchairs to equipment. Access requirements for other persons with disabilities, such as visual impairment, may also be needed, such as by providing high visibility at the edge of the rung and braille labeling. An increasingly new construction for public use is required by local equation laws to have these features incorporated at the design stage.
The same access principle that applies to public buildings also applies to private homes and may be required as part of local building regulations. Important adaptations include external access, providing ample space for wheelchair users to move around the house, wide enough doors for convenient use, access to the upper floors, where they exist, which can be provided either by special wheelchair lifts, or in some cases by using a stairlift to switch between wheelchairs on different floors, and by providing accessible bathrooms with showers and/or bathtubs designed for accessibility. Accessible bathrooms may allow the use of a movable shower chair or move a bench to facilitate bathing for the disabled. The wet room is the bathroom where the bathroom floor and the bathroom floor are one continuous waterproof surface. Such floor design allows the wheelchair user to use a special shower chair, or transfer to a shower chair, to enter the bathroom without the need to overcome obstacles or lips.
The construction of trams and low-floor buses is increasingly required by law, whereas the use of inaccessible features such as paternoster in public buildings without alternative methods of wheelchair access is increasingly being deprecated. Modern architecture is increasingly required by law and recognized good practice to include better accessibility at the design stage.
In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, inaccessible building owners who have not provided permanent access measures are still required by local equality laws to provide 'reasonable adjustments' to ensure that disabled people can access their services and are not excluded. This can range from keeping the portable way in hand to allow wheelchair users to cross the inaccessible threshold, to provide personalized services to access items they can not reach.
Vehicles
Public transport vehicles are increasingly needed to be accessed by people who use wheelchairs.
In the UK, all single deck buses are accessible to wheelchair users by 2017, all dual deck trainers by 2020. Similar requirements exist for trains, with most trains already incorporating a number of wheelchair spaces.
The EU has required airline and airport operators to support the use of airports and aircraft by wheelchair users and other 'People with Reduced Mobility' since the introduction of the EU Directive EC1107/2006.
In Los Angeles there are programs to move a few seats on some trains to make more room for bicycles and wheelchairs.
The entire bus system in New York City is wheelchair accessible, and a multimillion-dollar remodeling program is underway to provide elevator access to many of the city's 485 subway stations.
In Adelaide, Australia, all public transport has provisions for at least two wheelchairs per bus, tram or train. In addition all trains have space available for bicycles.
Metro Washington System, D.C. has complete access on all subways and buses.
In Paris, France, the entire bus network, which is 60 lines, has been accessible to wheelchair users since 2010.
In the United States, wheelchairs that have been designed and tested for use as seats in motor vehicles are often referred to as "WC19 Wheelchairs" or "wheelchair transit". ANSI-RESNA WC19 (officially, PART 19 ANSI/RESNA WC/VOL. 1 Wheelchairs for use in Motor Vehicles) is a voluntary standard for wheelchairs designed for future use when traveling in a motor vehicle. ISO 7176/19 is an international transit wheelchair standard that designs and performance requirements similar to ANSI/RESNA WC19.
Distribution organization
Some organizations exist that help give and receive wheelchair equipment. Organizations that receive wheelchair equipment donations typically try to identify the recipients and match them with the donated equipment they have received. Organizations that receive donations in the form of money for wheelchairs usually have wheelchairs that are produced and distributed in large numbers, often in developing countries. The wheelchair-focused organization includes Live Help, Free Wheelchair Mission, Hope Haven, Private Energy Transportation, Wheelchairs Foundation and WheelPower.
Seating system
The wheelchair system is well designed to support the user in a sitting position and to distribute pressure from the body area at risk of ulcer pressure. For a person in a sitting position, the body parts most at risk for tissue damage include the ischial tuberosity, the coccyx, the larger sacrum and the trochanter. The wheelchair cushions are the main method to provide this protection and are almost universally used. The wheelchair cushions are also used to provide stability, comfort, posture assistance and absorbing surprises. The wheelchair cushions range from simple blocks of foam for a few pounds or dollars, to a specially designed multilayer design with running costs to hundreds of pounds/dollar/euro.
Before 1970, little was known about the effectiveness of wheelchair cushions and there was no clinical method for evaluating wheelchair cushions. Recently, pressure imaging (or pressure mapping) is used to help determine the individual pressure distributions to precisely define and adjust the seating system.
While almost all wheelchair users will use a wheelchair cushion, some users require broader postural support. This can be provided by wheelchair rear adaptation, which can provide increased stiffness, head/neck and lateral support and in some cases by adaptation to chairs such as pommels and knee blocks. Harnessing may also be necessary.
See also
- Mobility scooter
- Motorized seats
- Wheelchair path
- DanceSport Wheelchair
- Wheelmap.org, a web mapping project (gathering information worldwide about wheelchair access in various places)
- Lift up the chair
Renowned wheelchair manufacturer
- Everest and Jennings
- KÃÆ'¼schall
- Otto Bock
- Invacare
- TiLite
- Mogo Wheel Wheelchair
- Sunrise Health
References
External links
- Definition of wheelchair dictionary in Wiktionary
- Media related to Wheelchairs in Wikimedia Commons
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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