some people - even some wheelchair users - have this false dichotomy (?) in head abt wheelchair & wheelchair users
for example idea that powerchair / their users always worse off disability wise than manual wheelchair / their users. or that powerchair = easy use.
am full time wheelchair user & rn use my custom manual wheelchair with power assist all time. but in past used group 1 / 2 powerchair (a non custom powerchair w big base & big plastic leather seat that technically cushioned. mine be technically group 1 bc need the transportability n take apart (bc know eventually need get it to literal other side of globe) but it closer to group 2 powerchairs than those rly small collapsable 50 lb folding power chairs) & that manual wheelchair at same time. so have enough experience say that idea above, simply not true.
bc of my disability & seating positioning needs, sitting in that kind of powerchair be really uncomfortable n painful n exhausting.
mine have medium height backrest, which be not enough for me. even if it do have higher backrest & headrest would not be able sit in for long because it simply not supportive enough. it not keep body in place. it not designed keep off pressure on my skin n muscles n bony spots.
it also incredibly bumpy, every vibration be transport into feet n leg n rest of body to neck etc.
all these reasons mean actually need spend more energy n effort in those kind of powerchairs to keep body up n sitting, not to mention properly sitting w right posture that not give pain or worsen disability or bad pressure.
because of that, can only tolerate use it for 1-3 hours at time max.
n the collapsing easy transport 50 lb type folding powerchair, which glad help some people, simply would not work for me, even with one with technically backrest that cover entire back + headrest that be going around disability influencer instagram rn. it does not n will not work for same reason - except more intense because it even less supportive on body.
versus. my custom manual wheelchair, which not meet all my disability needs, n give me pain n symptoms, n complain abt it lots, but even with that!! it infinitely better than my powerchair n **is actually usable**.
because it built for me, the backrest high enough to support body + shaped n contoured in way that keep body in better place, including on two sides / left n right. n same for headrest!
my cushion not put as much pressure on my skin, esp bony places am prone getting pressure sores on, n (mine rn not do this well, which be bad on my body, but there options that do) shape in way that keep butt & thighs in place so not slide n friction (which can also create pressure sores) or not need significant energy keep in right place.
my wheels also be designed to keep ride as smooth as possible (sth special abt spokes), so my body not suffer as much from all the vibration.
(n even with these, still exhausted n in pain n need be in bed lots to recover from, yes, “just sitting” in wheelchair. my non ambulatory friends w complex disabilities who use custom group 3 powerchairs, aka those fancy complex rehab ones that do tilt n recline n lift etc, say same abt theirs too! being in wheelchair can be very exhausting!! especially because some of our disabilities that make us need wheelchairs.)
n yes, am someone who cant rly push self for much in manual wheelchair. need power assist and/or someone push me (often both!! bc my power assist be exhausting n heavy!) to properly get around or else not able leave house at all (not exaggerate). even with this!!! my manual chair still work better for me than power chair.
sometimes it not just manual vs power, sometimes it also about (or sometimes more about!) custom vs non custom!
some people functionally cannot use non custom wheelchairs, some people cannot use non custom wheelchairs at! all! (people have literally died directly bc airlines broke their custom group 3 powerchairs n not replaced in time!)
like, in general, wheelchair users be different, our needs be different, our disabilities be different. for some people it may be more straightforward, but also a lot of us wheelchair users have complex nuanced disability/disabilities that complicate things.
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