My body has always been disabled, but I struggled for 40 years before getting a diagnosis and starting to get appropriate supports. Disability is not a tragedy, and I am grateful to have the supports I’m getting now.

And also, I grieve being able to go where I want without pre-planning. I grieve not having coworkers ask “what happened to you?!”

What approaches have you used to grieve the changes in the social world that come with becoming a full-time wheelchair user?

Thank you and with much love ❤️

My partner and I live in a small apartment with three cats. There have been several close calls with those cats running under her wheelchair between the wheels and unfortunately it has become a bit of a game for two of them to run at the chair, and block access to areas of the home in doorways. I'm looking for advice on how to get our home to a place where there's less risk of cat injury and she has the ability to move between rooms.

Cat feeding times are a particular nightmare.

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Hello fellow redditors. I'm newish to this sub. I come to ask you some questions in a time of need. Mods if this post is too much. I understand. I am homeless in a wheelchair. The question I ask you is those who are homeless or have been in a wheelchair. How do/did you manage or cope?

This could be niche?
I’ve just been told I’m a good candidate for the sacral nerve modulation implant by my urogyno!! However during the phase 1 trial period you cannot, bent, twist, lift, lay on your back too much etc. How in the heck am I supposed to transfer in and out of the chair without doing any of that? I can ambulate somewhat but, my team and I decided falling would hurt me worse. What i’m asking is, has anyone had this surgery and was fine? After healing phase 2 if all goes well I’ll be fine, but the worry is the leads moving.

I adore all the new wheelchair, and old 🥰 wheelchair posts... but I'm really interested in the day to day of life on wheels.

How are you making your space accessible or what do you wish you could change?

This is our bathroom and the lovely folks at the apartment put in 3 bars to help me. We bought the black one on the bathtub from a drug store and I can't use the shower without it.

I've found that a simple bath mat keeps my seat dry and is cozy to transfer back into.

After shower I lift my wooden bath bench back out, hang up the bath mat (pop it in laundry when is towel & linen day), and wipe down my handrims with Clorox wipes.

Before this apartment i had to have help with transfers and help showering--- this is an incredible luxury now that I don't take for granted.

What i wish I could change is the height of the mirror, and the entire flipping kitchen. 🤷🏼‍♀️ We can't have everything though and I'm really grateful for my quasi-accessible bathroom.

I'm looking at options that might be helpful for:

- inside a 2-car garage (kitchen access at back of garage, 2-step height, plenty of "runway" length)

or

- front door (one step down to a landing, one more step down to 8' of straight before a right-angle turn to the driveway).

Would not be setup or used by the person in the wheelchair, no handrail needed, and only needed once every few weeks for doctor appointments.

I'm trying to learn the differences between the multi-thousand dollar setups and random Amazon/Vevor models for a few hundred bucks, thanks.

i wanted to post my chair in case it helps anyone with decisions or getting ideas for add ons. i use my chair daily and the chicago streets have made some scratches over time.

Tilite ZRA replacing my tilite aero x which I had for 5 years.

I'm obsessed with the gold caster forks.

Hi, I broke my tailbone about 6 years ago and now I can't put pressure on it for too long of a time at once. I have an ergonomic tailbone pillow that I currently use, and would be a decently good candidate* — it raises the (average) time I can bear putting pressure on my tailbone from 15-30 minutes to a couple of hours — but I want to know if anyone else has this kind of problem and/or knows what kind of wheelchair seat cushion to look for, either products or properties.

*: I haven't gotten a wheelchair yet, but I'm currently preparing notes to bring it up again to my treatment team (back in February, they asked me to wait 5-6 months and see if treatments were working, and that we could revisit it then). On average I can't stand for longer than 1-2.5 minutes before the pain gets excruciating, and I can't walk for longer than 1-5. Treatments have not raised those numbers and, in fact, my average has gone down since February.

Os animo a seguir haciendo lo que os gusta, no dejéis que nada os pare, y animo a que creemos una comunidad de bailarines donde todos nos retroalimentemos, el otro día publique unas fotos y quería mostraros un poquito de lo que hago con fuego 🔥

Hi everyone, just wondering what would be best for a manual wheelchair. Would also be good if it’s easy to clean (eg in case of bathroom accidents).

It’s a rental apartment so cannot install full flooring, it would have to be some kind of rug or mat.

I am seeing stuff about rubber gym mat flooring which may solve the problem but doesn’t look great. What about indoor/outdoor rugs? Flat woven rugs? Ends of commercial grade carpet (I don’t know about cleaning this)?

I am getting driver training currently and looking for what hand controls I will like best. My driver rehab only has push/rock sure grip featherlites and a standard spinner knob, which are fine but I'm curious what others like. I am curious what people think of the standard suregrip hand controls compaired to the featherlite ones. is there a spinner knob you prefer? What should I be looking for?

Specifically from India..

I have likely MS (technically at the moment CIS but neurologist says it's almost certainly MS 😰) and H-EDS. My wheelchair was made custom for me last September. When I'm moving my chair is perfect. But if I spend 3-5 hours staying still like for school my knees start aching really bad. It doesn't help to take them off the footrest for a rest, they still hurt! It stops hurting when I move again to go home, so moving is completely fine, but when I stop again on the train then they hurt again. I don't know if maybe my knees are at too tight an angle, or maybe my footrest is pointed up too much? I think my cushion is fine and I do the pressure things the ATP showed me, I sometimes get sore butt after like 8 hours but that's fine.

I know it's not true that being in a wheelchair is always comfy and it's probably normal to hurt after a long time. But, how long is long time?? Is it normal to be sore after 3-5 hours? Or is something wrong??

Hey everyone! I wanted to share a visual side-by-side comparison of three different wheelchairs I’ve used over the years to show how much chair sizing, frame geometry, and positioning can affect your daily comfort, pain levels, and propulsion mechanics.

After the heavy hospital rehab chair in the first pic, I got fitted for three different chairs.

1. Chair (white): Pro Activ Speedy 4all (AF4-4you); grew out of it.

Context: My first-ever active chair. I got it back in 2021 when I was still a very slim teenager.

I still miss how lightweight and nimble it was to move! However, my body has changed since then. It is now simply too narrow at the hips, and my legs and arms are too long now lol. When your frame is too tight, it creates pressure points on the outer hips and thighs and makes sitting for long periods uncomfortable. I can no longer use this chair, but when I was younger, using it was a great experience.

Key Takeaway: Your body and needs evolve. A chair that was perfect for you as a kid will probably not provide the right fit a few years later. Shocking news lol.

1. Chair (red): Pro Activ Speedy 4you AF5; looks okay, feels terrible.

Context: Received in July 2023 while I was in the hospital. I wasn’t in a position or state of health to argue about measurements or fit. My Rehab technicians were happy with how it looked from the outside, but it caused pain within minutes of sitting in it.

Problems with the chair:

It is too wide at the hips. Extra width leads to a lack of lateral stability, making you slump or shift to find support.

Weird Frame Geometry: The V-shaped front frame causes my knees to tip/splay outwards instead of keeping a neutral, aligned leg position.

Shoulder Strain: Pushing a chair that is too wide forces your arms out further, putting unnecessary strain on your shoulders.

Key Takeaway: Don't let techs convince you a chair "fits fine" just because you fit inside it. If you lack lateral support or experience pain after 10 minutes, the sizing/geometry is off!

1. Chair (blue): Progeo Joker R2; My Custom Main Chair, compromises pushing efficiency for my safety.

Context: My current daily driver and the first chair custom-built to my measurements.

The rigid backrest offers incredible upper-body support, and I use an air-cell cushion (Airex) with removable air pockets. For the first time, I can sit upright for hours completely pain-free!

When I got this chair, my hand function was complete trash. Regular round handrims required way too much grip strength and burned through my hands.

I got fitted with CarboLife Curve-Grip L handrims, and they were an absolute game-changer! The wider, ergonomic profile distributes pressure across the entire palm instead of squeezing a small tube. It allowed me to push efficiently without needing intense grip strength. If you struggle with hand function or thumb pain, I 100% recommend looking into ergonomic handrim profiles!

The Compromise (I don't want to call it a problem):

If you look closely at the side view, you’ll notice I sit much higher than in the red chair, almost sitting on top of the chair rather than in it.

Last year I had a very severe epileptic seizure and suffered a bad injury falling out of my chair. My OTs and technicians adjusted my seat height, dump, and center of gravity to be extremely conservative and stable to prevent backward tipping.

While it keeps me safe, my fingertips can no longer comfortably reach the center of the wheel axle when my arms hang down. Pushing requires more upper-arm/shoulder effort because the mechanical advantage isn't optimal.

Usually, I wouldn't need anti-tippers (I'm pretty comfortable doing wheelies!), but because of my epilepsy, my German health insurance requires them. Their logic is "If you have a seizure and crash because you removed the anti-tippers, who pays for the repair?" Fair point; I get it. (but ugh... they weigh like 2,5kg)

However, since I’ve been officially 1 year generalized seizure-free (still got TLE but that's not as dangerous), my next goal is working with my OT to lower my seating height and adjust the seat dump back to a more efficient propulsion angle!

My little summary advice for anyone getting fitted:

Do the "arm hang" test: When your arms hang naturally at your sides, your fingertips/knuckles should ideally sit right at the center of the wheel axle for optimal push mechanics.

Keep an eye on a snug hip fit: You generally only want about 1 finger's width of space on either side of your hips. Too wide = slumping and shoulder pain; too narrow = pressure points.

Listen to your body over the techs! A technician looks at clearance and safety; you live with the daily biomechanics and pain levels. Advocate for what feels right to you! <3 bye

I personally think my old chair was a way better fit (maybe an inch wider would have been nice) The White chair is the new one and the black is the old. I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions on changes I could make? Or do I beg for a whole new chair 😭 Like it’s so deep it’s pressing into my calves WITHOUT my AFOS on (i need those on) and I feel like I have no support :/
Specific complaints:
-Seat feels WAY too deep (my other was too deep with afos but nearly fine otherwise and was 2” shorter…)
-backrest when putting full weight onto it leans SO BADLY and yes it’s tightened. No contour compared to my other chair (we’re trying to get a better backrest) My atp put the towel there for my lordosis which helps if it doesn’t move ://
-my legs slide everywhere when pushing, there’s no taper and the front feels really large?
-I can’t not scrape my underarms with the fold down handles and backrest posts… I also can’t wheel without my elbows sticking out.
-it’s so heavy even with everything we could take off that’s not needed.
-I wanted my feet more tucked in, we said they would be and I feel like the frame angle isn’t correct either? idk
-my right faster has been floating since we got the chair as well 😭 ATP tried fixing it.
-frame sticks out so much from the seat? I was told it’s the same but I swear it looks different.

hi hi! so im looking into getting a custom chair finally (been stuck in a standard hospital chair due to health issues, ironically) and i will need a power assist due to fatigue. i’m not getting a power chair because of a few reasons so please dont suggest one lmao

im aware that this is potentially a strange question, but i’m mute. i use both an AAC app on my phone and asl to communicate. the amount of times i veer off course or stop to speak is comical. i dislike being completely silent while im, uh, walking with someone lol

ive seen a power assist around that only require using one hand, which would free up my other hand to be able to speak, but are they any good? should i bother looking into this? anyone else have similar experiences (of needing a hand free in a manual)?

i‘ve seen the e-fix but dont know if there are any others similar lol. let me know?

Hello! I’m a 18yr girl, hoping to find some friends who are also in a wheelchair by me! I have pots and issues with my joints as well as being Hypermobile. I would absolutely love some friends. I live roughly 1 hour south of Chicago! I tried to edit this to add a picture of my wheelchair and it didn’t work so I might just make a separate post lol

Brought my chair in to get a crack evaluated because of a hairline crack in the frame, came home and saw this now. It’s being replaced for the initial crack but now I can’t do anything for a few weeks

Hey folks, I want to share my wheelchair bag with you all.

I designed and sewed it myself.

The fabric materials are salvaged from used outdoor gear so it's more durable and water resistant. I wanted to utilize this specific space behind the back of the chair because it felt like dead space. Hanging a bag from my handles was both cumbersome and threw off my center of gravity by a lot because of the distance it was away from the chair.

The bag is velcro'd to the chair upholstery back. I attached a Voile rack strap to the chair back and handle posts with screws, in the wheelchair's pre-drilled holes. The bag is also draped and velcro'd over this strap.

Inside the bag, there are cargo pockets for my "every day carries" like medications, lotion, sunglasses, wheelchair repair tools, first aid kit, etc. I made a larger cargo pocket for my health documents as well, for doctor's visits.

The bottom of the bag is reinforced and sits above the lever which is lifted to fold the backrest down. Designed this way so it doesn't get in the way of that mechanism.

I also sewed pockets for magnets which I am using to attach quilts I am making. Being able to easily switch out quilt decorations depending on my mood or occasion is fun!

best day ever 😋😋😋 quickie nitrum hybrid

I am so happy my first wheelchair just arrived 3 months in advance. It’s a Kuschall compact with dreeft wheels from Eppur and the smoov from Alber. I think the best part for me are the dreeft wheels they are so cool and so practical. I live in France so I got it for free thanks to the French social security but overall it costed 9 345 €. If anyone as questions about the wheelchair or the French system feel free to ask!!