Adapted Wheelchair for Mulch Terrain
By Alkadhi, Yousif; Cotter, Jacqueline; Goldstein, Seth; Soneja, Sutyajeet; NSF 2004 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons With Disabilities, pp. 104-105Publication Date: 2004
Describes a modification to a Quickie II manual wheelchair to be maneuvered over mulch. The modification was made for an individual with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair and who had difficulty maneuvering around his workplace, a plant nursery where the terrain is level, but mainly mulch. Designers added custom designed wheels and tires created by a bicycle company. The wider, air-filled tires included a knobbier tread. The new tires were less prone to sink in mulch or similar terrain. A set of levers was also added, using commercial door-stops to propel the tires when stuck. The chair user pushes down on the chest-high lever to force the wheel to move. A third modification, a U-shaped bar was between the rear handles, was added to reduce the amount of required for an assistant to push the chair out of a stuck position. The approximate cost for this modification is $630.
Assistive Products Discussed: QUICKIE 2
Published by: Creative Learning Press, Inc. (Website:http://www.creativelearningpress.com)
Link to text: http://nsf-pad.bme.uconn.edu/2004/NorthCarolinaState.pdf
ISBN: 1-931280-02-9
