Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Seating and Positioning

 
I was very discouraged with my first wheelchairs. It took me a couple of years to figure out that your chair is part of your attire. A chair should fit you like a well-tailored suit and its design blend with your personality. When all this works together you hardly know it's under you! ~ Frank (T12 SCI) from Spinal Cord Injuries: Management and Rehabilitation by Sisto, Druin, Sliwinski
 
A properly fitted wheelchair will facilitate maneuvrability, control, and your general mobility to move about and do what you need to do. A poorly fitted chair will do quite the opposite - it can make a ramp seem like an impossible impasse, prevent your maneuvrability, and can negatively affect your overall safety and posture.  
 
So then, how does someone decide what your wheelchair seating and positioning needs are? To answer that question, you should have a look at New South Whales Spinal Cord Injury Service website, specifically their Seating Education modules.
 
The website offers 10 educational modules, each with additional resources such as print-outs, videos, and quizzes. Here is the list of the ten modules:
 
 
Also, check out the other links on the site, there is so much, its worth spending a few afternoons to go through.

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