Clothing designed for use in wheelchairs is generally made to accommodate any disability. This can be very important for people who suffer a lack of motor ability in their hands, therefore many manufacturers include Velcro seams with feaux buttons, making it possible to dress themselves independently. If you are able to use buttons, however, you may prefer a button-down shirt, but still want it to be designed to look good while you're in a sitting position and not when your standing as with normal clothing.

Clothing design for people in wheelchairs has been slower to evolve than wheelchair design. You can get a variety of wheelchairs to match any disability with any cause, but most wheelchair-appropriate clothing design is designed to be accessible to anyone.

Now designers are finally catching up with wheelchair fashion and especially women in wheelchairs. There still aren't many sources of fashion clothing for women in wheelchairs but the market is expanding. These designers tend to focus on simply making clothing which looks good and is comfortable while sitting down, which may make them a tempting option for people who work in an office as well.

With new wheelchair fashion designers, women in wheelchairs no longer have to feel that they can't use up-to-date, fashionable clothing which looks and feels good.

These women can get around their own homes although before this great invention they might have been restricted to their beds, but now can lead a normal life. These women in wheelchairs have been given a great deal of independence that they did not have before. These ladies might have to depend on someone completely if they wanted to get from the bedroom to their own kitchen. The lack of independence can be very demoralizing and no one wants to depend on others.

Women In Wheelchairs Get Around The Town And The World

Women in wheelchairs have increased the mobility of women outside the home and they can freely move around town, Town councils are adding more barrier free access to allow wheelchairs have increased the mobility. Women in wheelchairs can be spotted in the grocery store choosing their items on their own. Years before a disabled woman would have to burden someone else with their grocery shopping. Often their children or friends might have to go to the store for them.

Women get to malls and theaters in their wheelchairs. They get to go to a baseball game if that is something that they enjoy.

She is the current Ms. Wheelchair Texas 2008 and was duely crowned Ms.America 2009, at the Hilton Hotel in Maryland. The crowning coniside with the 18th anniversary of the signing of the American with Dsabilities Act.

Read Michelle profile for more pictures....

For more information on this event click on the offical website for Ms Wheelchair America

The chair looks much the same as the powered wheelchair with the exception that there are four bigger wheels in the back and two small wheels in the front; the four back wheelchairs are what makes the big difference. The climbing wheelchairs rear wheels have a electric lift which allows the two sets of wheels to move over the other to climb stairs or any object like a kerb. an added bonus to the climbing wheelchair is all four rear wheels will also work as four wheel drive.

This four wheel drive feature allows climbing wheelchairs to go on surfaces that ohter wheelchairs only dream off, surfaces like grass, gravel, or cement with equal ease; additionally slopes inclining or declining are no challenge for the climbing wheelchair.

Who Can Use a Climbing Wheelchair?

There are some limitations to using the climbing wheelchair as a doctor must prescribe the wheelchair to theuser and of ocourse the user needs to be properly trained as they dont want fall backwards down any stairs.

Additionally the user must haveat least arm able and have the mental ability to operate without danger.

Independence for Patients

Once the user has the ability to use the climbing wheelchair successfully their independence almost doubles over night and can enjoy everyday tasks like nature hikes, going upstair working in buildings without lifts etc.

Curbs of up to four inches are no challenge for the climbing wheelchair; this makes areas which were no wheelchair friendly now become accessible, to climb the user simply mves their weight to the back of the wheelchair which tells the climbing wheelchair to start climbing.

The climbing wheelchair also has the ability to allow the user to reach higher shelves or chat to others at eye level.

In short, the climbing wheelchair gives unparalleled independence and convenience to its users.

Used wheelchairs or second hand wheelchairs are available from a variety of sources for a huge cost saving and these are often from some medical supply stores that will have a few used wheelchairs for their customers. Other types of ultralight wheelchairs are refurbished and are available from with considerable bargains for the consumer. These used wheelchairs are often the latest models that have not been used much by the previous owner so these are in excellent condition.

Used Wheelchairs Should Be Purchased With Care

People looking for a used wheelchair will do good to check out the classified advertisements of the local newspaper to get a real bargain. These wheelchairs could be a great bargain, but they should be purchased with care. People looking for one of these used wheelchairs should try to have a good look at these bargains to make sure that they are not faulty in any way.

A used wheelchair might be cheap, but these may be discarded because the owner has upgraded and bought a brand new one which may be more light weight or even ultralight weight and with a much more favorable design. Wheelchairs can be custom designed for each user so a person in need of a wheelchair might want to have one that will suit their needs perfectly. A wheelchair that was designed for someone else might not be suitable for everyone.

Quickie GTi Titanium Wheelchair

As the title says it's Titanium! The weight of the ultra light wheelchair is less than 19-lbs amking it a high performance. Built with tough 1 1/8" titanium tubing, the GTi® responds like a sports car, struts like a model, and floats like a feather from the road to the front seat. It's smart, it's advanced, and it's loaded with the most sought after features in today's marketplace. In short, it is our top of the line performance chair.

Open-frame design
The Quickie GTi's "L" shaped design with the mono-frame is perfect for transporting around. With the optional folding push-handles and the standard folding backrest combined with the "L" frame-shape makes the Quickie GTi frame easier to move across the driver's seat than most non-folding and folding aluminum-frame chairs.

Front and Rear Optional-Suspension
The Quickie GTi titanium ultra light wheelchair features optional front Frog-Legs and rear Quickie custom suspension systems. These two systems can be purchased separately or in combination to provide the ultimate smooth ride. Add on the mountain-wheel option and 6" wide front caster-wheels and the chair is ready for an off-road adventure.

The Gti is available in 15 painted colors so if grey's not your color thats not an issue and the axle plate and caster forks are available in 6 anodized colors. So there many options to make a stylish wheelchair.

The Quickie Gti now features Schwalbe tires, Kik tires, and Natural-Fit handrims. These options, along with our fabric, plastic, aluminum, and carbon fiber side guards keep your hands clean at all times.

The new GTi backrest has some additional features you wouldn't expect from thai type of lightweight wheelchair . Along with 20° of angle adjustable, height adjustable, and a quick release folding mechanism, it also has a fold-down locking mechanism that secures the backrest in the down position during transfers.

Live in a rocky or bumpy area or like off road? No issue for this lightweight wheelchair as the Quickie GTi offers Froglegs front caster suspension, wide 6" caster wheels, rear axle elastomer suspension, and super knobby mountain wheels.

The Quickie GTi features different types of tension-adjustable backrest upholstery: standard, vented, and Jay Precision adjustment. If wicking away heat and moisture is most important, vented is an ideal choice.

Quickie ultra light wheelchair has been beefed up by having a tubing (1 1/8"), maximized the strut tube placement (sits below the user's center-of-gravity), and eliminated all non-essential structure that results in an elegant ultra-lightweight wheelchair that turns on a dime and responds instantly to the slightest push.

The GTi's "L" shaped frame design is perfect for moving in and out of the front seat. When you combine this with its low titanium weight and quick release wheels, loading becomes a pleasure not a chore.

We hope you enjoy the ultra light wheelchair made of titanium

Click here for more information on Wheelchair Reviews or Quickie Wheelchairs

A: The difference can be as much as 15-lbs. or more.

Overall weight is a large factor of consideration if the wheelchair is going to be carried in a car trunk, backseat, or propelled by an individual. Some standard steel framed chairs can weigh as much as 50-lbs. and can be too difficult to push, propel, carry, or lift. More popular lightweight wheelchairs range in weight from 28-lbs to 36-lbs and are easier to lift into a car trunk.

A person's condition may determine the weight of a chair too for example, if a patient has suffered a stroke, has limited mobility, arthritis,etc they may not be able to propel a heavier chair. However, this same patient may be able to propel a lightweight wheelchair.

Size
By using the chart in About lightweight wheelchairs you can determine the correct chair size. Seat width, seat depth, back height, and seat-to-floor height are crucial to configuring the correct wheelchair.
Seat-to-Floor Height?
Seat-to-floor height is very important if the patient is going to push themselves along by their feet. Seat-to-floor height can be lowered down approximately 2" by purchasing a "dual axle" lightweight wheelchair. On these "adjustable height" chairs with "dual axles" the front forks have several holes to allow moving the front wheels up or down a few inches. The combination of these adjustments allow for about 2.5 inches of adjustment in seat-to-floor height.

In General
Standard seat-to-floor height for a wheelchair is 18" to 20". Hemi is 17.5 to 18.5- inches and varies somewhat with manufacturers. Anything lower to the ground is either a "super" or "ultra" Hemi. Too reduce the lower seat-to-floor height the rear wheels are changed from the standard 24-inch to either a 22 or maybe 20-inch. The front casters are also changed from a standard 8-inch to a 6 or 5-inch.

Remember: if you are adding a cushion to a wheelchair allow that differential (you'll be adding approx. 2" to seat height.)

The overall widths and other measurements will vary across several categories of Ultra light Wheelchairs. All wheelchair buyers should be concerned with some of the basic dimensions such as overall width, etc.

You should begin by scouting out the basic layout dimensions of the wheelchairs. Do this by identifying the smallest and narrowest doorways, passage ways, elevators, or whatever will affect your daily life.

In general, use the formulas below to determine the overall width of a wheelchair:

• Transport Wheelchair: Seat Width + 3"
• Standard Folding Wheelchair: Seat Width + 8"
• Reclining Wheelchairs: Seat Width + 8"
• Bariatric Wheelchairs: Seat Width + 8"

How to Measure for Wheelchair Size:

Who needs to measure?
Measuring for Transport Wheelchair, standard wheelchairs and most lightweight wheelchairs need only the seat width & depth. If the person wants to propel themselves then the seat-to-floor height.

Helping you configure.
Some of the lightweight wheelchairs have detailed configuration information and require additional measurements. To help you through the configuration process we have provided the Seating Chart below to help with various menu selections and choices. In addition, this information may be needed when placing your order.

Write down your measurements as these will be required when selecting your lightweight wheelchair.