Kitchen Remodeling For Wheelchairs

Counter height, the width of the kitchen, and sink accessibility all matter when remodeling a kitchen for someone who uses a wheelchair.

In her great essay about designing a wheelchair accessible kitchen, Dr. Rosemary Rossetti calls the kitchen “the most important room of the house”. I agree. Can you imagine not being able to use your own kitchen? Fortunately, there are some great remodeling contractors, architects, and designers out there who are trained in Universal Design. If you are just getting started with the process of remodeling a kitchen to make it wheelchair accessible, this list could help you to get an overview of the components of a wheelchair accessible kitchen. Continue Reading »

All-terrain wheelchairs allow access to the outdoors

MADISON — A rare genetic disease may have taken away Kurt Johnston’s ability to hike through the rugged fields and forests of northern Wisconsin. But thanks to some new technology, it hasn’t kept him from turkey hunting.

Johnston is one of a growing number of people using all-terrain wheelchairs to expand their ability to live a normal life far from sidewalks and wheelchair ramps.

“That’s mainly why I bought it,” Johnston said of turkey hunting with his all-terrain wheelchair. “It’s cool. We tell everyone it looks like a tank.” Continue Reading »

Trader imports wheelchairs, for crippled dogs

PETALING JAYA – Businessman Danny Goh Teck Chuan’s heart broke when he came across a few paralysed dogs after he started rescuing animals about a year ago.

Getting help for these dogs was hard, he said.

For instance, wheelchairs and walkers for the paralysed dogs had to be ordered from abroad.

The contraptions were also expensive, easily costing RM1,000 (S$400) each. Continue Reading »

Pharmaceutical leader kicks off week of working on wheels

Eight keen employees swapped their legs for wheelchairs at Merck Sharp and Dohme’s Auckland office this Monday for Wheels at Work Week.

Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) is an international pharmaceutical company providing medicines and vaccines. It is the first Auckland business to take part in this campaign in support of the New Zealand Spinal Trust. Continue Reading »

WheelchairFX

WheelchairFX is pleased to provide you with only the finest in custom wheelchair lighting kits, wheelchair gifts and cool wheelchair accessories for kids of all ages. They are the only kits engineered specifically for wheelchairs; feature state-of-the-art LED technology, remote controls, in-line fuse protection, and offer options such as ‘million color’, flash, fade, strobe, and color sequencing capabilities, and are simple to install! Continue Reading »

Piercing a Tongue, in the Name of Mobility

CHICAGO — Martin Mireles says his mother was not happy with his tongue piercing: It didn’t fit his image as a former church youth leader.

But as Mr. Mireles told her, it was for research. Paralyzed from a spinal cord injury since he was shot in the neck almost two decades ago, he was recently fitted with a magnetic stud that allows him to steer his wheelchair with his tongue. Continue Reading »

My mission to cure paralysis

“Charitable” isn’t the first word which usually springs to mind when you think of a Goldman Sachs banker.

But Carolina Gonzalez-Bunster, who left the investment bank at the height of the financial crisis, is now a rising star in the not-for-profit world. Her charity, the Walkabout Foundation, has won the backing of both former and fantasy Presidents (Bill Clinton and Martin Sheen) and she has walked hundreds of miles to fund its work – all while living off her savings.

Walkabout, which she founded with her elder brother Luis in August 2009, has two goals: to distribute wheelchairs in the developing world and to help find a cure for paralysis. Continue Reading »

System enables hands-free control of electric wheelchairs

Researchers at Essex University have developed a system that allows people suffering from severe physical disabilities, such as spinal cord injury or quadriplegia, to control a wheelchair or mobility scooter.

Lai Wei and Huosheng Hu from the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering at Essex University developed the system for the hands-free control of electric-powered wheelchairs using an inexpensive webcam and a sensing headband. Continue Reading »

How wheelchair skills can give you independence

Life in a wheelchair isn’t as limiting as you’d expect, once you’ve learned the moves

The first time I got into a wheelchair I felt euphoric. After a month spent in bed, reflecting on all the things I would never do again – no more climbing or playing football – it was a joy just to be able to move again. Four weeks earlier my physically active lifestyle had come to a sudden stop when I fell from a tree, resulting in a spinal-cord injury which left me facing life with paraplegia. Continue Reading »

Go Wheelchairs

Find the perfect wheelchair that fits your lifestyle! Want to regain your mobility and independence? If you need to use a wheelchair, then there are plenty of options available, and you can find the perfect model that lets you live your life on your terms!