A USER ACCESSIBLE REAR MOUNTED STORAGE DEVICE FOR WHEELED MOBILITY USERS

Scott Pickett Whitmyer Biomechanix, Inc. Tallahassee, FL

ABSTRACT

Wheelchair mounted storage devices suffer from a number of shortcomings including difficulty of access for the user or unacceptable changes to the overall width or length of the chair. this paper will describe a simple method used to modify an existing box to allow full user accessibility while maintaining chair dimensions.

BACKGROUND

Our patient is an eleven year old elementary school student diagnosed with cerebral palsy, quadraplegia with mild involvement of the upper extremities, slightly more profound on the right side than the left. She is seated in a Quickie P110 power chair and drives using a proportional joystick with her left hand. An A.B.S. book box was fitted to the back canes of her chair using Miller's quick release hardware. The size of the box was such that it did not increase the overall dimensions of the chair but its location made it impossible for her to access it independently. It was decided that independent access to this device was necessary and that modification of the box was needed.

APPROACH

Attempts to relocate the box were unsuccessful because mounting the box on the side made the chair too wide for doorways. The only viable alternative was to hinge the box so that it was mounted in its present location but could be swung out for ease of access. The first attempt was to attach a single hinge directly to the back cane and the box. This resulted in limited access because the box did not come far enough forward to reach inside the box easily. The second design utilized two hinge points, one at the back cane and the other at the rear corner of the box. This method allowed the box to come much further forward and closer to the armrest.

METHODS

The hinge was made using shaft collars and 7/8" and 1" stainless tubing and the latch mechanism was fabricated in a design much like a gate latch and accessed under the right armrest. A spring was used to open the box when the latch was released so that the box could be reached for opening more easily. A stage was also added to each of the hinges to make the articulation and the latching more reliable. A stop pad was then added to the chair frame to keep the box from damaging the joystick/control box when fully opened.

RESULTS

These modifications have allowed the user totally independent use of the book box while adding nothing to the overall width of the chair when latched closed. The mechanism was tested with ten pounds of weight and still worked as described. The latch mechanism was accessible with either hand and reliably latched closed with a firm shove from the left hand. This box was later transferred to her manual chair when her power chair was in for repairs and similar results were obtained.

DISCUSSION

The single most important path to social acceptance for persons with disabilities is to achieve the highest degree of physical independence possible. Accessibility is often the key to this independence. This is especially true in the case of school age children. The modifications described in this paper have given this student total independence in her school day by eliminating her dependence on her teacher to access all of her school materials. Prior to these modifications, her teachers reported that it was common to interrupt their classes multiple times daily to attend to the special needs of this student. They now report that all of these interruptions have been eliminated by this simple form of accessibility.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank Michelle and Kelly Warren for their cooperation in preparing this paper.

David Scott Pickett Whitmyer Biomechanix Inc. 1833 Junwin Court Tallahassee, FL 32308 Phone: (904)575-5510 Fax:(904)576-4798 A User Accessible Rear Mounted Storage Device for Wheeled Mobility Users