Hesperian Health Guides
How-to-Do-It Reference Materials for Wheelchairs, Wheelboards, and Other Seating
HealthWiki > Disabled Village Children > Chapter 64: Decisions About Special Seats and Wheelchairs > How-to-Do-It Reference Materials for Wheelchairs, Wheelboards, and Other Seating
This book only has space to show detailed building plans for a few wheelchairs, scooters, wheelboards (trolleys), and special seats. The following reference materials have more detailed plans. You can send for some of them at the addresses shown. Some may be available online or used, though many out-of-print materials are hard to find. With each reference we give one or more drawings of key designs and a few comments about their usefulness and cost.
Healthlink Worldwide (out of print)
- many good designs and plans for low-cost aids
- does not compare strengths and weaknesses or describe limitations of different designs
- no design for wheelchairs with casters in front (which are needed for many areas)
| WHEELCHAIRS | ||
| wood | metal | from a chair |
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| TROLLEYS | ||
| metal | wood | |
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| TWO-HAND DRIVEN TRICYCLE | ||
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Independence through Mobility: A Guide to the Manufacture of the ATI-Hotchkiss Wheelchair
Whirlwind Wheelchair International
2111 San Pablo Ave., Unit 2956
Berkeley, CA 94702, USA
- design for the Whirlwind or RoughRider, a high-quality middle-cost steel tube wheelchair that can be built by craftspeople with disabilities
- short training usually needed to build it effectively; welding skills and simple math required
Local Village-made Wheelchairs and Trolleys
by Don Caston
(out of print)
- simple, very low-cost aids, made mostly out of wood, using bicycle or wood wheels
- all models are based on one 3-wheel trolley design
- Instead of a standard caster, the front slides on its axle and is pushed back to center by a choice of simple methods. (This method is cheap and clever, but unstable and does not turn as well as designs with casters.)
| TROLLEYS | ||
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| SALES CART | ||
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| WHEELCHAIRS | ||
 piece of inner tube to center wheel after turning |
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Asia-Pacific Disability Aids and Appliances Handbook,
International Commission on Technology and Accessibility (ICTA)
(out of print)
- brief descriptions and non-technical drawings and addresses for information on many aids
| TROLLEYS | ADAPTED TRICYCLE |
ONE-HAND POWERED TRICYCLE |
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| “HOMEMADE” ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR USING CAR FAN MOTOR AND BICYCLE PARTS |
WHEELCHAIR TO BE PULLED OVER ROUGH GROUND |
TILT CART |
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An Accent Guide to Wheelchairs and Accessories
(out of print)
- information about different aids, features, and accessories of factory-made chairs
- basic information on cleaning and repairing
- design and building information limited to a few accessories
| LAP TRAYS | ||
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| REMOVABLE ARMRESTS |
BACKS | |
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UPKARAN: A Manual of Aids for the Multiply Handicapped
(out of print)
- many simple, practical designs for seating, wheelchairs, crawlers, standers, walkers, therapy aids, and toys
| SEATS | WHEELCHAIRS | |||
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adjustable |  |
toilet adaptation |
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| PUSH-ALONG | TRICYCLE WITH SUPPORT | WALKER-RIDER | TIRE SCOOTER |
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How to Make Basic Hospital Equipment
Practical Action Publishing
The Shumacher Centre for Technology and Development
27A Albert Street
Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 2SG
UNITED KINGDOM
- simple, attractive designs using tube steel
- welding skill required; fairly costly to make
- no designs for casters-in-front chairs
| HOSPITAL WHEELCHAIR | OUT-OF-HOSPITAL WHEELCHAIR (2 wheels only) |
BICYCLE AMBULANCE |
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| CHAIR MADE WITH WHEELS OF RATTAN (also works as a walker) |
ONE-HAND DRIVEN TRICYCLE |
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Poliomyelitis—A Guide for Developing Countries
by R.L. Huckstep
(out of print)
- detailed designs for 3 models of wheelchairs commonly used in Africa
- only casters-at-rear designs (which often may not be the most appropriate design)
| WHEELCHAIRS | |||
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| 2-HAND POWERED TRICYCLE | |||
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basic frame  |
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Positioning the Client with Central Nervous System Deficits: The Wheelchair and Other Adapted Equipment
by Adrienne Falk Bergen and Cheryl Colangelo
(out of print)
- excellent detailed discussion of specific needs of children with cerebral palsy
- many well-illustrated examples
- written for developed countries but many aids and designs are simple and can be made anywhere at low cost
| SEAT BELTS | |||
| WRONG | RIGHT | WRONG | RIGHT |
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| This child, whose hips tilt forward, needs a higher belt. |
This child, whose hips tilt back, needs a low belt. | ||
“Build Yourself” Plastic Wheelchair
Directions for assembly available from:
Spinal Research Unit
Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney
St. Leonards, NSW 2065 Australia
- plastic frame made of 9 m. of 15 mm PVC pressure pipe; plastic set of 8 mm soft PV C tubing; 2 rear 24 inch bicycle wheels; 2 front casters (15 mm)
- plastic will sag with continued use.
- uses standard bicycle axles—which will bend with the weight of an adult or large child
- relatively lightweight
- does not fold
- design plan complicated and difficult to follow
- relatively expensive
Measuring the Patient
Everest and Jennings, Inc.
Graham-Field Health Products
2935 Northeast Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30360, USA
www.grahamfield.com
email: [email protected]
tel: 770-368-4700
- good information on measurements for standard chairs
- illustrated discussion of problems with chairs that do not meet a person’s specific needs
| SEAT HEIGHT | |
 too low
unsafe |
 too high |
Functional Aids for the Multiply Handicapped
by Isabel Robinault
(out of print)
- mostly factory-built examples but some are simple and well-illustrated enough to serve as design guides
- many good wood special seats
- also support frames, standers, walkers, toys, and eating aids
| SMALL-WHEELED ADJUSTABLE WALKERS |
CHILD’S TRICYCLE WITH BODY SUPPORT BOLTED TO FRAME | |
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| SCOOTER THAT IS ALSO A WHEELED STANDER |
SUPPORT FRAME |
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