There’s
a lot of obviously shitty things about not being able to walk. There’s
walking of course, and then you got not being about to do the Running Man anymore.
Aaaand then you got the furniture equation. Hopping on a couch
or a Lazy Boy while watching a flick is something a lot of
wheelchair-users miss out on. I mean really, who wants to lug our
deadweight asses back and forth? This is why wheelchairs cost so much.
My wheelchair is my fancy chancy version of an Ethan Allen couch. BUT -
that could all very well change thanks to my favorite home-inventor of
all time, Terry Darling, a C5-6 quad from Florida.
Terry has invented the very aptly named Wheelchair Accessible Recliner,
a modified recliner that allows manual wheelchair-users to park right
on in and enjoy. I’m in love with this thing. In all my years of using
a wheelchair (since 1993) and writing professionally about medical and
mobility products (since 1998), I have NEVER seen “wheelchair
accessible” furniture. Terry, you rule.
The low-down: The recliner is made accessible by removing the entire
base so only the back and arm rests remain. Smart? Very. And to enable
the user to lean back and actually enjoy the thing, there’s a tilting
mechanism installed in the base, allowing users to adjust how much (or
how little) they want to tilt back.
The cost for Terry Darling’s recliner isn’t cheap, ranging from $1200 - $1500, but what’s money when you haven’t been able to kick back and really enjoy a movie for years?
Also, would you use this?
- Furniture for the Accessible Home, on Disaboom
- Chairs for the Accessible Home, on Disaboom
- Preparing Your Home for Visitors with Disabilities: Accessibility Issues, on Disaboom
