England 17/04/2013 – In recent times powered wheelchairs have moved from being specialist items to being widely available
Powered wheelchairs have been available far longer than many people realise. Rudimentary electric wheelchairs have been available since the late 1940s. The Canadian, George Klein is credited with coming up with the first powered wheelchair that could be independently operated. He perfected the electric wheelchair when he saw soldiers injured in WWII struggling to cope when using manual wheelchairs. It took a while, but today electric chairs are widely available and they are slowly but surely becoming more common. Every year hundreds of people buy powered wheelchairs from simplelifemobility.co.uk.
The fact that electric wheelchair manufacturers now distribute their products over the web has had a big impact on the number of motorised chairs now in use. Being able to buy them without leaving the home has helped many previously housebound people to buy their first electric wheelchair and gain some independence.
The media has also played a role in the increase in electric wheelchair sales. Today, people with mobility issues and their friends and family understand that with an electric chair they can regain much of their mobility. Media stories about people with severe disabilities using electric chairs has educated the general population and fuelled interest in these wheelchairs. Add to this the fact that most countries have an aging population and you can see why interest in electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters has risen sharply, over the past decade or so.
The Increase in Electric Wheelchair Users is Acting as an Enabler
This increase in interest has acted as an enabler for the wheelchair industry. Firms that have traditionally made manual wheelchairs have been able to get the necessary finance to diversify and launch electric models. The fact that there is so much choice coupled with a bigger pool of customers to serve has helped to bring the price of electric wheelchairs down. This has in turn allowed even more consumers to seriously consider buying one, driving demand still higher. Firms like Simple Life Mobility are increasingly seeing people who had previously only used manual wheelchairs opting for electric wheelchairs instead.