To the South Pole by wheelchair ? surely not it sounds impossible until you introduce a determined Swedish man and a converted wheelchair that moves about on skis.

Aron Anderson, a 28 year old paralympian from Sweden contracted cancer in his lower back as a child and was left semi paralised and in a wheelchair but this hasn’t stopped him from achieving some fairly remarkable feats including this first by setting a record of reaching the South pole by wheelchair after battling for 21 days in temperatures as low as minus 35 degrees and averaging minus 30 degrees.

Adapted wheelchair

Aron used a wheelchair that had been adapted to move on skis however much of the land he had to cross was not the plateau you would expect but in fact quite undulating.. So as with a self propelled wheelchair, he had to power himself along which at times was virtually impossible. At one point in the 21 day journey he faced uphill gradient in his wheelchair for 6 days in a row. At these temperatures the amount of energy burned is enormous as was his appetite.

Towards the end of his journey, Aron said "the glide on the snow here is really hard" and that he now wanted "some real food, I'm kind of tired of this freeze-dried food."

Fund raising for the Children with Cancer Foundation, Aron has so far raised five million Krona (£442,670) to fight cancer among children in Sweden. He has more wheelchair challenges up his sleeve for 2017 !

Still on the theme of wheelchair safety, we look at the most common cause of accident to wheelchair users which occurs during transfers all too often as a result of the wheelchair sliding away as the user stands and pushes down on the arm pads. This type of accident generally occurs with elderly users and more often than not it is due to them failing to apply the wheelchair brakes before attempting to stand. When a wheelchair user has help from a carer then it is less likely to happen as someone is on hand to ensure that the wheelchair brake is applied and also to assist with the whole standing process.

In order to overcome this type of wheelchair associated accident, a US company has come up with an idea that makes total sense and if deployed will prevent the injuries that can occur as a result.

Dr Grady Dugas from LA has come up with a solution that automatically engages wheelchair brakes as soon as the wheelchair occupant starts to get up. It doesn’t use the normal lever operated brakes but some more effective wheelchair brakes that operate within the wheel hub.

The patented invention works by recognising when the wheelchair users weight is lifted from the seat. At this point, sprung levers rise and cause a series of gear blocks to contact with teeth in the rear wheel hubs. The teeth on the blocks then mesh with the hubs to prevent the rear wheels from turning and the wheelchair from going anywhere.

This clever design doesn’t affect the folding of the wheelchair nor any other aspect of its operation. In addition, handle-mounted overrides can be used to disengage the locks in order to allow attendants to roll the empty chair.

Much thought has gone in to this wheelchair safety accessory and some fairly high tech materials have been used to ensure that the finished production item is both safe and functional and will provide benefit to a wheelchair user in a reliable fashion. Dr Dugas comments "The technical support proved very helpful in the development process. All in all, Zytel allowed us to engineer a lock that provides outstanding durability, good looks, and low maintenance, while adding little weight to the wheelchair."

If you are interested in reading more about this wheelchair wheel lock then please click here

At Naidex 2016 we caught sight of a fantastic wheelchair accessible vehicle which has rear-entry wheelchair accessibility  and is favourably priced at under £15000.

Made by KIA, the Soul is a wheelchair accessible car that seems to offer a great deal while retaining an affordable price tag. Kia have won am improved reputation over the past few years and overcome any reputations that they may have had for poor reliability and bad build quality. Now, the Kia Soul really is the ideal car to have undergone a subtle conversion process to make to wheelchair friendly.

Described as a sleek and compact car, it manages to house 3 people including the wheelchair user and provides simple rear access via a very long and very wide wheelchair access ramp.

The company involved in the conversion process have perfected their processes and acted swiftly on the feedback from wheelchair users and now produce the perfect solution. The built in wheelchair ramp is a whopping 32" wide, making it big enough to take even the widest of bariatric wheelchairs with ease. The ramp is also spring assisted making it easier to deploy and retract via the rear door. The wheelchair ramp has also been improved by applying a new coating that both prolongs its working life but also provides additional grip.

The perfect car for your wheelchair

When it comes to docking the wheelchair, there is a choice of 3 methods including the Standard 4-Point Q’Straint Wheelchair Securement System or Q’Straint Retractable Straps or Premium EZ Lock Docking System.

Providing rear access to the vehicle means there are more options for parking as extra side room is no longer needed for ramp deployment. The clever flat floor design and minimal ramp angle make for an effortless entry and exit. The door opening height is a massive 55" meaning that even the tallest of wheelchair users should have plenty of room. If not, then the makers will offer a headliner conversion which will provide some extra head height.

From a safety point of view, the wheelchair user has almost as much protection as an F1 driver thanks to the reverse roll cage steel design and a continuous weld technique, which adds an additional layer of safety in the event of crash.

Whether you are a carer, part of a small family or live alone the Kia Soul Wheelchair adapted vehicle really is worth considering. It has excellent economy and delivers brilliant fuel consumption, giving it the best MPG accessible vehicle conversion on the UK market.

All in all this is a fantastic vehicle and represents great value. So if you are looking for a very wheelchair friendly vehicle don’t miss this one ! For more wheelchair friendly car information please see here.

There is lots in the press about the two wheelchair users who were denied bus access on the same bus. The two boys were out on a trip with their respective carers and had made a trip together on the same bus from  Gosport to do some shopping in Portsmouth.

The two brothers Travis and Braydon McDowell live with epilepsy and cerebral palsy and are used to spending time together including travelling together but were advised by as many as 7 bus drivers that for reasons of health and safety they were not permitted to travel on the same bus at the same time. Father, Robert McDowell, says his sons have used First bus services near their home in Gosport frequently and could not understand why the policy seemed to be different across the water. Mr Mcdowel also added that sons need to have two carers present when they go out in order to meet their complex needs, so it wasn't suitable for them to split up.

It transpires that the first outward journey should not have been allowed as it is a matter of the law to guard safety of the wheelchair users that advises only one wheelchair per vehicle at any one point in time and that this is due to the fact the bus can only safely accommodate one wheelchair, as quoted by DERVLA MCKAY, FIRST GENERAL MANAGER:

"So the reason there is one space is because there is a backrest. That backrest actually prevents the user from having any spinal injuries, any whiplash or indeed the chair tipping over in the event of an emergency incident happening on the vehicle".

The bus company have also issued a new brief to its drivers to advise them on how best to deal with situations like this so that any disruption to wheelchair users and the other bus users is minimised and all is understood. They also spoke with the McDowell family to explain the initial confusion and the reasoning behind the wheelchair ruling.

Scope the disability charity have said that bus companies ought to make efforts to communicate better with disabled users including wheelchair users and stated that there was some inconsistency in how things were dealt with. Scope campaign manager Rosemary Frazer says:

"I think we need to have larger spaces available on buses that can accommodate two wheelchairs, or a wheelchair and a buggy. We really need to look into the design of future buses and think about how we can do it better."

Having looked in to this a bit closer we have found that the bus companies are permitted to make changes so that they can safely transport more than one wheelchair simultaneously if they so wish and can choose to provide further space for additional wheelchairs.

In a statement the Department for Transport said it is vital that all people have access to all public transport.

Single-decker buses must have at least one wheelchair space on board, and proper boarding facilities. Operators may choose to provide further space for additional wheelchairs.

For many disabled people, positive engagement with bus drivers can be as important as the physical accessibility. Bus operators should equip their staff to provide a consistent and accessible service to disabled passengers, including ensuring that facilities for passengers in wheelchairs are used safely.

We are currently looking at measures to ensure bus drivers know what their obligations are with our Accessibility Action Plan. It which will identify steps to make transport work for everyone.

– DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT

Kids need to have fun and why should a wheelchair prevent any spooky fun at Halloween ? Although originally an American invention, Halloween has been adopted pretty convincingly here in the UK. Wheelchairs for children tend not to be quite as much fun, until now that is, dad Ryan Scott Miller has spent more than a few hours in the garden shed to enhance his sons wheelchair for Halloween by modeling it around the Ghostbusters film car Ecto-1

I’m guessing that there must be another children’s wheelchair in the house as he must have spent hours converting the pediatric wheelchair in to this awesome invention that quite clearly has delighted his son Jeremy judging by the smile on his face.

The wheelchair adapted 'car' is designed to resemble the Ecto-1 response vehicle in the classic movie that was re-released in July following the original which was in 1984. Building the car around a wheelchair has not stopped him and it includes many features like working headlights, siren lights, tail lights and speakers for Ghostbusters siren and theme music! The roof rack includes yellow canisters, green canister, blue tubes, ladder, red probe, siren light, two speakers (one for the Ghostbusters siren and one for theme music), satellite dish and whatever the white & red canister is from the Ecto-1."

Can childrens wheelchairs be made a bit more fun ?

Although it no longer resembles a pediatric wheelchair the converted model does look brilliant and must make both the dad happy and the child ecstatic as he parades the neighborhood looking for seasonal ghouls in the Ecto-1 Wheelchair. Many wheelchairs for children show very little flair and remain fairly utility biased. It would be good to see if some of the wheelchair manufacturers produce wheelchairs for children with a bit more sparkle in the way of brighter paint colours and some decals to make a normal pediatric wheelchair look a bit more appealing.

I read with interest this week that NHS wheelchairs that have been retired are about to get a new ease of life thanks to Her Majesty’s Prison service in Maghaberry in Northern Ireland which now has a wheelchair workshop.

The NHS retires many wheelchairs each month deeming them obsolete for various reasons, many of which are fairly minor like stained or ripped upholstery. Most of the wheelchairs are fit for upcycling and are taken to Maghaberry where they receive whatever is needed to get them ready for a new lease of life in another country.

Charities including Mediaid4kids, Bike Aid for Africa, Tell Romania and Faith in Action Missions all need wheelchairs for countries that are in conflict and do nothave enough mobility equipment to go around.

Wheelchair workshop at Maghaberry

The NHS tend to buy wheelchair models that are renowned for reliable low maintenance operation, however every wheelchair has its limits and too often they are treated roughly and not cared for by staff and patients who use them for short periods only. Both self propelled and transit wheelchairs are then retired and sent to the wheelchair workshop where prisoners are trained to carry out the maintenance. They work from a checklist to ensure they meet health and safety guidelines.

A wheelchair is typically steam washed then stripped them back, rebuilt and fully restored with some even getting a new paint job ! Once signed off as fit for service the wheelchairs are packed and put in shipping containers ready to be transported to one of the foreign countries in need.

In the wheelchair workshop up to a dozen prisoners use basic tools to carry out the maintenance.
Governor Davis added: “There’s a lot of good work done by the prisoners in the wheelchair workshop. The work is both educational and therapeutic for prisoners and helps build on rehabilitation and preventing re-offending, which will ultimately help in the future to make our communities safer.

“We’ve had quite a number of letters back from individuals and hospitals on the other side of the world and for staff and prisoners it makes them realise how much their work really is appreciated.”

The work by prisoners in the wheelchair workshop is tremendous and has given hope to people in areas of the world where they believed there was none.

During a recent trip to Libya I witnessed first-hand the real need for wheelchairs and walking aids.

The people who receive them are very, very grateful and always ask me to pass on their gratitude to the Governor, prison staff and the men who have provided the wheelchairs for them.

– Robert Jones, Chairman of Medaid4Kids