Customize Your Chair on a Budget
By Lewis, Allison; Closing the Gap, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 18-19Publication Date: June/July 2008
Article discusses ways to outfit a wheelchair with adapted or inexpensive off-the-shelf accessories. Included is the description of an iPod adapted for a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy by her stepfather. The iPod was connected to an on-off switch mounted on the armrest and integrated with $10 off-the-shelf speakers attached to the headrest with a Velcro-like product. The user is able to operate all features of the system except for changing the batteries, which are mounted on the back of the chair. Her stepfather also outfitted her chair with a $9 cell-phone holder with a gooseneck, purchased from the website http://www.cheapgps.com. Also mentioned are websites for buying inexpensive wheelchair accessories, including http://www.wheelchairgear.com which offers Hang Ons clips for carrying things, fastened to armrests, and cupholders and backpacks with Velcro straps; http://www.edmond-wheelchair.com/wheelchairModifications for accessories such as break extensions and wheelchair umbrellas; http://www.wisdomking.com/morewheelchairaccessories which sells recreational products such as wheelchair fishing pole holders; and http://www.grovegear.com/wheelchairs-andwheelchair-accessories.grovegear.com which offers the Bench Warmer, a battery-operated heated wheelchair seat cushion, and the Aqua Aire Comfort System, a water and air filled insert for wheelchair seat cushions.
Published by: Closing the Gap, Inc. (Website:http://www.closingthegap.com)
