Wheelchair Comes In Handy

Making the world go round.

- C. K. Subramaniam

A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, or disability. Wheelchairs come in a wide variety of formats to meet the specific needs of their users. They may include specialised seating adaptions, individualised controls, and may be specific to particular activities, as seen with sports wheelchairs and beach wheelchairs. The most widely recognised distinction is between powered wheelchairs, where propulsion is provided by batteries and electric motors, and manually propelled wheelchairs, where the propulsive force is provided either by the wheelchair user or by an attendant pushing from the rear.

There are a wide variety of types of wheelchairs, differing by propulsion method, mechanisms of control, and technology used. Some wheelchairs are designed for general everyday use, others for single activities, or to address specific access needs. Innovation within the wheelchair industry is relatively common, but many innovations ultimately fall by the wayside, either from overspecialisation, or from failing to come to market at an accessible price-point. The wheelchair is one of the most commonly used assisting devices for enhancing personal mobility, yet, thousands of Indians remain bed-ridden, rely on family members to carry them around or turn to unsafe and uncomfortable home-made alternatives.