#mobility support

[littleinsanemumblings]

My new wheelchair has been shipped! Finally getting all the adaptations I need after months of waiting is making me feel so much more happy. I've been a wheelchair user since I was very young but its taken a long time to get to the point of being able to have one suitable for my needs.

[reasonsforhope]

"For [Tanner] Green, the chief engineer at Not a Wheelchair, this is one of the thousand complications standing between his team and a rather lofty goal: upending the manual wheelchair marketplace.

If you’ve heard of Not a Wheelchair, it’s likely because of its owners, Zack Nelson, the star of the 8.8-million-subscriber YouTube channel JerryRigEverything, and his wife Cambry, a para and manual wheelchair user. The Nelsons got into the mobility equipment business a few years ago when they released The Rig, an electric, adaptive off-road device with a simple yet robust and functional design priced significantly lower than anything else on the market. Now, they’re bringing that same ethos to manual wheelchairs.

Not a Wheelchair aims to offer a base-model, custom manual wheelchair at a similar or better quality than most of the insurance-approved wheelchairs in the U.S. for $999.

Yes, that’s just under $1,000 for everything — wheels, handrims, tires, side guards and rigid, angle-adjustable backrest included. And the company plans to have a turnaround time of weeks, rather than the monthslong slog that it typically takes from order to delivery.

When I first heard about this, it sounded awesome and a bit far-fetched. It’s hard to find a pair of quality wheelchair wheels for less than $500. Same with a rigid backrest. How were they going to offer both, plus a custom wheelchair frame without compromising on quality? I drove to their headquarters in Utah to find out...

So how does Not a Wheelchair’s base model chair stack up to other options on the market? I hate to sound like a preacher, but … it’s totally reasonable! It hits the mark of being at least as good, if not better, than the majority of insurance-approved wheelchairs in the U.S.

Touring the factory, I saw other prototypes scattered all around the facility. There’s a beefier, four-wheel drive version of The Rig that the company just launched. There’s a track wheelchair that’s still in development. It’s clear that Not a Wheelchair doesn’t intend to stop at a simple, manual wheelchair. Inexpensive components, more advanced electric off-road devices, power assist, it’s all on the table. “We’re just really excited to see where this leads,” says Green."

-Article and video via New Mobility, October 1, 2024

[rawr-systemotes]

just a reminder

any aids of any sort from speech aids to mobility aids to whatever aids you need are allowed

no matter how “bad” your situation is or isn’t if it will help you in some capacity you’re allowed to use it

even if you use it rarely

even if you look completely abled aside from your aids

even if you’re plus size

even if your disability is “your fault”

No matter WHAT it’s allowed, ok, and encouraged

have a wonderful day friends, take care of yourselves!!

/gen

[chipinsolace]

something I wish people realized about mobility aid users is that not all of them use their mobility aid 24/7. My brother uses a cane and there are some times he can walk and navigate without a cane, although poorly. Not everyone with wheelchairs is necessarily paralyzed, and it’s not up to a stranger to decide whether or not someone needs their mobility aid because “they don’t always need it.”

[mxmorbidmidnight]

To fellow physically disabled people I highly recommend saying PARKCORE whenever you try to stand up. Makes the struggle very epic poggers.

[matchakuracat]

disabled people aren't "strong" for not using mobility aids when they need them. lots of people are/would be a lot stronger with the help of mobility aids, that is the reason they exist. using mobility aids doesn't make you weak, it's quite literally the opposite

[forests-creatures]

It would be amazing if there were mobility aids specifically made to appear animalistic, but still function as mobility aids. For example knee and ankle braces that double as digitigrade legs. It likely would not be possible, but I would buy them so quickly if they existed.

[tumble-tv]

Guys I'm finally getting smart crutches after scrounging enough money up. I'll finally gave crutches that won't fuck up my wrists.

[disability-and-cats]

[littleinsanemumblings]

Finally getting a ramp for my front door after half a year having to do really high wheelies to get in and out of my house.

[greentrickster]

People of tumblr, please show me how you have tricked out or customized your mobility aids to better spark joy! Full spectrum of customization applicable, from choosing on with a colour/pattern you liked to full-on cosplay levels.

I'll go first.

[Image ID: basic black $10 usd adjustable generic pharmacy cane. has a loop on the end of the hand to go over your wrist, and the grip of the cane is wrapped in a green bandana, secured there with a neon rainbow shoelace whose colours have grown a little faded from time and use. Whole thing is lying on a white body pillow on top of an otherwise rather messy bed.]

I'm typically able bodied in terms of mobility (all my extra spicy stuff is inside my head), but in 2018 I finally got a bad enough foot injury that I needed a cane to get around for awhile. Never got rid of it because I've got a weird history of getting such injuries, and I've had to use it a few times since.

My cane's a basic black cheap drugstore model (because that's what I could afford at the time, and that's all I've ever needed, given that the things I've needed it for aren't chronic, just more frequent than one might expect in my life). I ended up wrapping a bandana around the grip not just for customization, but because the foam of the handle was so grippy that it was starting to cause little injuries in my hand, I think because the skin couldn't shift against it quite right.

Anyway, the whole incident gave me a deeper appreciation for mobility aids as forms of self-expression as well as necessary tools, thus adding them to the list of things I will go up to random strangers and say, "Hey, your [blank] looks so nice! <3" So if you're cool with sharing yours and what you've done with it, I'd really love to see! (Descriptions are also cool if photographs aren't your thing for whatever reason.)

[blizzard-of-ozzy]

are there any wheelchair users out there who have advice on how to navigate small everyday things with a wheelchair? my disability is getting worse and it is a very real possibility that i might end up needing a wheelchair soon. any tips?

[springstick]

IM GETTING ADS FOR THE WHEELCHAIR THAT MY HOSPITAL WON'T SHIP TO ME ,,,,, HELP

I'm lowkey mad tho because this is the exact model wheelchair I'm supposed to have and the company that's shipping it to me completely ghosted me and it's been 5 months banished to the drive bluestreak. i fucking hate the drive bluestreak. please save me

[matchakuracat]

walking up or down a flight of stairs that has railings on both sides and how much it helps being able to support my legs with both arms is convincing me that i need crutches

[forests-creatures]

Sometimes I really wish i could put paw pads onto my wrist braces. Not only it'll make me feel euphoric, but honestly it will be very fun to stylise my mobility aids