Extending wheelchairs
by Lili1, 13 April 09
It would be great if at the push of a button the wheelchair rises up so that the user can be face to face with the person talking to them. When I was a wheelchair user I didn't like people looking down at me. It also forces them to speak with the wheelchair user and not the person accompanying them.
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I saw a wheelchair that stood up in the bar at the Lyric Theatre. It looked a bit wobbly - it was in constant motion like a unicycle - but looked so much better for conversation.
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I'm not sure if this is allowed, but I'll post anyway and if it's not I'm sure Denise will remove it. We make a chair that raises up so that you can talk face to face, you can also move the chair about safely whilst the seat is in the raised position. Please contact me if you would like more information. Kind regards Sara Wells
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There have been many wheelchairs of various sorts available for many years that will do the job required. Some are electric, some manual some stand the user up, others will raise the chair portion of the wheelchair; one wheelchair, very expensive, very complex gyro and computer-controlled raises itself up on its wheels probably the one seen by Zoe
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Seat risers are great! they let the person in the wheelchair be so much more independent - imagine going to the post office, ordering a drink at a bar, reaching things from top cupboards, talking to people standing up on the right level.... Seat risers can be fitted to many of the higher spec power chairs - the Spectra Plus is one example. They do cost about £800 pounds though and the nhs won't fund unless there is a clinical need. But if you are eligible for an indoor-outdoor chair anyhow your wheelchair service may let you part-fund the seat riser so you aren't looking at people's bums all day! I have seen examples of this in NHS and they work really well for some people
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Hey Im an Assistive technology designer and ive recently designed a chair which not only raises you but can be produced for under 3000 pounds. I have a full working prototype made which has got alot of attention here in Ireland. I just need the funding to put it into production :(