So imagine having a squeaking shoe that you cannot take off ! this is what it’s like at times with my wheelchair only there are squeaks galore particularly when the weather is damp. A wheelchair is no different to any other simple mechanical device like a bicycle and does therefore need a basic level of maintenance to keep the wheels turning smoothly.

A well maintained wheelchair should provide many years of reliable service and part of that servicing includes applying some lubricating oil or even better bike grease to the parts that move. Electric wheelchairs or powerchairs are no different although they do tend to have more components that require a bit of oil.

So let’s look at the parts that may be squeaking on your wheelchair. These are typically:

• wheelchair castors
• wheelchair rear wheels
• wheelchair brakes

Wheelchair lubrication

The first thing to do is to clean the offending parts thoroughly with a soft brush to remove any dust or debris that may be causing the wheelchair to squeak. It is sometime necessary to partially disassemble the offending part to do this properly, depending on which part it is. Once cleaned, check it for lubrication and if there is none evident then apply some oil or grease. It’s best not to go overboard at this point as an excess will attract more dust and cause the process to repeat.

Once you have completed these two stages it’s time to reassemble the wheelchair and roll it round to see if the squeaking has ceased. It could be at this stage that you have cured one squeak and need to attend to others if the wheelchair continues to squeak. Take care when reassembling the wheelchair not to over tighten nuts or bolts as this can be the cause. In some cases, loosening of just half a turn will be enough to stop the noise.

Having done some research online we have also found stories of folk who have located the sound and found it to be coming from the wheelchair tyres, although this is described more as a groan than a squeak. Often this has been cured by adding some pressure to the wheelchair tyre or in some cases replacing it when it was worn.

Check the bearings on your wheelchair

Bearings are also a common cause of a squeaking wheelchair and need to be checked for wear and tear and also for adequate lubrication, although this is more common on electric wheelchairs. Bearings are considered non-durable parts and therefore will require replacement after a certain amount of use.

Finally, one persistent problem found by some users of self propelled wheelchairs is actually down to the spokes believe it or not. Although this type of noise on a wheelchair is often described as a groan rather than a squeak. If you feel that this could be the issue with your wheelchair then a trip to the local bike store is probably the best bet as they are experienced in trimming spoked wheels, which are much the same on a bike as a wheelchair. If this doesnt fix it we sell new spoked wheels for your self propelled wheelchair here

This week saw the release of a film by wheelchair user Will Pike who has also gathered over 47000 signatures on his petition to make our high streets more wheelchair friendly as here in the UK its deemed that the high streets are not as friendly as we would like to think they are.

One of the key aspects which is raised is about peoples reaction to wheelchair users and their perception of life as a disabled citizen.

'Yes i can' was recently coined as the slogan of the Paralympics where many disabled athletes including wheelchair users displayed super human efforts to overcome their disabilities and perform in some very competitive sports at a world class level. Will Pike decided to make the film to show how a trip to the shops can be tricky and that 'yes i can' is all very well but maybe not so simple and compare to a paralympic event itself !

Visiting many places in his local high Street, Will encounters many difficulties as he tries to go about what should be simple everyday tasks. Starting with a visit to a coffee shop he encounters access problems as there are no wheelchair ramps, doorways are narrow and not wheelchair friendly and the all too often lack of disabled toilet facilities.

The short film was reviewed on day time television with paralympian Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson, where they discussed the various obstacles faced every day by wheelchair users. Will has been a wheelchair user for 8 years and the baroness far longer and they discuss how things have improved over recent years and life is easier but how they both hoped that after the London games things would become even better both in terms of physical improvements to infrastructure but also mind shift improvements of the public’s reaction in general.

Wills summary is that the mental shift towards the disabled has not improved quite as much as he had hoped and he talks about the reaction he gets from shop staff in general when he enquires about the wheelchair friendly facilities he would like to see. Will lost the use of his legs when he suffered a spinal injury during a terrorist attack in Mumbai 8 years ago. He discusses the acceptance of disability from society and compares life before his injury and after and the limits he faces on a daily basis.

Disability rights legislation in the US is discussed and compared to the UK and its said that in general here in the UK we don't cater for wheelchair users quite as well. Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson focuses on the attitude of the public as being as important as the physical barriers faced by those using wheelchairs and suggests that once folks attitudes change and improve then the physical access improvements will follow.

Following the release of the film many of the establishments that were featured have made statements and stated that they intend to improve facilities for wheelchair users as soon as is possible. Disabled toilets seem to be the most talked about subject and how wheelchair access to toilets needs to be improved drastically in most establishments and that overall attitudes need to improve firstly. We wish Will well with his film and let’s hope that the raising of awareness and the mind shift occurs very soon to make life easier for users of wheelchairs.

Sometimes we have customers who want to buy a transit wheelchair but enquire
about transport wheelchairs and end up buying one as they are far more
suitable for their needs. So what is the difference and which should i buy ?

A transport wheelchair is intended to be used for short trips only whereas a
transit model is intended to be used for longer periods and therefore provides
more comfort and has more features including adjustment to ensure that a
decent level of comfort can be achieved.

A transport wheelchair is likely to suit those who need the chair rarely for
trips to the medical centre or hospital. They are sometimes referred to as
porterage chairs or even ambulance chairs. Typically they will have four small
wheels and rely on a carer or attendant to propel the wheelchair.

Because it is likely that the chair will need to be transported, they are
generally made to be lightweight and to fold away easily in to a relatively
small space, making them easy to stow and store when not in use. Some
porterage or transport wheelchairs will actually fold flat so as to occupy the
smallest space possible when not in use.

Due to them having small wheels, many transport wheelchair are supplied with a
lap belt that ensures the occupant is kept on the chair should the wheels get
stuck by an obstacle. There are different levels of refinement but generally
these wheelchairs are kept very basic. Often they will not have arm rests like
a normal wheelchair. This is often the case to make transfers to and from the
chair easier for both the user and the attendant.

Most transport wheelchairs will have removable leg rests that hook on and off with ease. Again this is to assist in the transfer of the user on and off the wheelchair, making standing easier when the leg rests are removed. Some models have brakes but not all, particularly those classed as porterage or ambulance wheelchairs.

Other considerations when buying such a wheelchair are the seat size and chair weight. Essentially there are 3 sizes being:

Narrow – a 17” wide seat – for users under 9 stone in weight
Medium – a 19” wide seat – for users between 9 stone and 20 stone
Wide – a 22” wide seat or wider , often classed as bariatric for users over 20 stones in weight

Ensure that the transport wheelchair that you buy is suitable for the weight of the user. What tends to happen is that the models for larger user heavier because more materials are made in the manufacture and heavier materials, for example steel frame tubing rather than aluminum. The downside of a heavier wheelchair is lifting requires more effort as well as pushing the wheelchair when laden.

If we had to select the best models that we sell it would reflect the numbers sold, so here are our best selling transport wheelchairs:

The Enigma travelchair - which also comes with a useful bag

The Roma Medical transport / porterage wheelchair

The Karma Bluebird - the Rolls Royce of transport wheelchairs

Please note that if the wheelchair you select does not come with a carry bag we sell a good selection of wheelchair bags here. If you expect to use the chair for more than an hour os so it might be worth buying a cushion, you never know how long you may be waiting and we have a good selection of wheelchair cushions here.

Finally if you have any questions or want some advice on selecting the most suitable transport wheelchair please call us on 0800 0556377 / 01803 872020 and we will be pleased to assist.

Inventor and engineer Amit Goffer from Israel has recently announced his plans to launch his innovative upright self stabilising wheelchair at a medical conference in Germany in October.

Amit who previously designed and released a robotic exoskeleton at his previous venture ReWalk Robotics which enabled folk with paralysis below the waist to walk. It has had some remarkable results and transformed the lives of some disabled folk.

Amit has been confined to a wheelchair since an accident in 1997 which left him with limited function in his arms and legs. His idea for an upright wheelchair has been in his mind for a long time but only recently has he had the resource to make it a reality.

Known as UPnRIDE, the wheelchair has no chair as such but will be categorised as such when it passes its two clinical tests to get regulatory approval and ensure health insurance companies can assist customers with the rather hefty price tag.

The new 4 wheel chair uses gyroscope technology similar to that in a Segway to navigate all types of terrain while keeping the user in a stable upright position. Uprigth wheelchairs as such are not an entirely new invention and can provide great assistance to those with serious spinal cord injuries. Its added benefit is that it can also help to stave off other problems that can arise in a normal wheelchair, including cardiovascular and respiratory issues.

Gabi Zeilig is the director of the neurological rehabilitation department at Israel's Sheba Medical Center, he comments "The (UPnRIDE) idea is fascinating," he said. "There are devices today to move from one place to another, but for short distances and never on a sloped ground."

He stated that the prime function of the UPnRIDE is its ability to self stabilise around the user who effectively acts as the centre of gravity for the wheelchair.

Good luck to Amit and lets hope that he is able to get the necessary certification to make the UPnRIDE wheelchair a commercial reality and that is made available to those who could truly benefit from this very unusual wheelchair.

Do you sometimes you read a news article and think what on earth and re-read it in disbelief ? So again we read about wheelchair users and the type of challenges they are faced with on a regular basis.

Take this one, which centres around a health safety issue at a disability centre in Croydon South London, where quite rightly wheelchair users are agitated after being stopped from using lifts at the disability assessment centre despite being invited along by letter.

This somewhat bizarre situation is affecting many wheelchair users each week and effectively means that nobody in a wheelchair can be seen for the fitness-to-work test and are instead being turned away at the centre door.

It all centers around the use of the lifts by folk in wheelchairs as the office in qustion is on the first floor of a multistorey office block. The restriction is in place because, as per fire regulations, all people who enter the building have to be able to exit using the stairs in the event of fire or other emergencey such as a bomb scare. So the knock-on outcome is that nobody in a wheelchair can be seen for the fitness-to-work test.

For some wheelchair users this has meant that they have travelled their as a result of a letter sent to them and have been turned away on arrival due to them being banned from using the lift in the event of emergency. But alas, there is an alternative plan, that forces those in wheelchairs to travel 7 miles away to Balham where there is a ground-floor assessment centre.

There have been many complaints from locals about having to travel out of their borough just to be put through what they describe as humiliating tests in a bid to retain their benefits - because of health and safety rules.

One wheelchair user, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "I was asked to go to Stephenson House for an assessment, but when I told them I used a wheelchair I was told to go to Balham".

"I asked why and they said it was because the Croydon assessment centre was on the first floor and that even though there are lifts, health and safety rules mean I'd have to be able to use the stairs in case of emergency".

"The whole thing is ridiculous - we have to jump through enough hoops as it is without being told be can't use lifts."

Another wheelchair user said they turned up for an assessment earlier this year only to be turned away at the door.

They commented: "I turned up at the right time and right location - and even though I told them I used a wheelchair weeks before I was turned away at the door because of the health and safety rules.

"The whole thing is a farce which makes life even harder for disabled people."

A spokesman for Maximus who operate the building in Croydon said it was being investigated why claimants had been booked to be assessed in Croydon, adding: "Whenever a customer informs us that they have mobility issues we arrange for them to be seen at another local centre that has assessment rooms on the ground floor."

The spokesman commented that changes to wheelchair access at the centre was the responsibility of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

A spokeswoman for the DWP said: "Access guidance is included in appointment letters so that alternative arrangements can be made if needed, and anyone unable to travel as a result of their condition is offered a home visit.

"If claimants are unable to use the stairs at Croydon Assessment Centre, they can be booked into centres in nearby Wimbledon or Balham instead, and a taxi is offered if required."

Its always sad to hear of infants having to cope with disability and particularly when confined to a wheelchair for the rest of their days due to any form of paralysis. However it seems that one toddler is taking all on the chin and adapting well to her new mobility thanks to her dads inventive skills and his take on a wheelchair for a toddler made from a Bumbo chair.

Evelyn was only four months old when doctors located a tumor on her spine. she then underwent eight rounds of chemo and is gladly in remission however the tumor has left her with paralysis from the chest down as the tumor had crushed her spine damaging the T4 vertebra.

Brave parents Kim and Brad wanted the same freedom for their daughter so went to town to buy some bits from a hardware store and within a day or two had build a very special wheelchair to give Evelyn as much freedom as is possible.

Now according to the Canadian press little Evelyn is zipping about and loving her new found freedom in the homemade wheelchair that cost under 100 dollars to make. Her mum says that she absolutely loves it "she went backwards first, then she went forwards, then she figured how to turn and now we have a speed bump in the middle of our living room because she goes that fast'.

Little Evelyn started using the wheelchair at just 7 months and now follows mum just about everywhere including shopping trips, although her Kim does say things take a little longer ! Evelyn is now learning to use a ZipZac, a manufactured version of her own wheelchair.

Mr Moore is proud of his little girl and wants her to know that she can achieve anything she sets her mind to.
'The willpower that she has, and how adaptable she is to her situation, is something I never really expected. And how quickly she’s grasping it has really blown me away... nothing can stop her,' he said.

What a brave girl and brilliant parents who have learned how to cope and not be put off by the use of a wheelchair.