Wheelchair Selection and Configuration

Book excerpt: This is the definitive text for everyone concerned with wheelchair selection, including physical and occupational therapists, physiatrists, and other health care providers involved with helping patients to achieve optimal seating. Chapters discuss wheelchair measurement, engineering fundamentals, biomechanics, electronics, and standards. Various types of wheelchairs are considered, including manual, powered, specialized, and sports chairs the selection of seat cushions and specialized seating systems are considered in depth, and assessment and intervention are reviewed. The audience for this book includes undergraduate and graduate students studying occupational therapy, physical therapy, rehabilitation science, and rehabilitation engineering. It also is a suitable reference for professionals in engineering and the health professions. It assumes that the reader has a working knowledge of human anatomy, human physiology, and physics. Some exposure to clinical practice also is beneficial. Each chapter opens with a set of goals that orient the reader to the material covered. For example, the goals of the chapter Wheelchair Engineering Fundamentals are: To understand mechanical and material properties To understand the relationship between technology and its environment To know how to problem-solve and integrate technical and functional information To understand the roles, constraints, and perspectives of designers and fabricators Extensive illustrations guide the reader through all concepts of wheelchair design and prescription. "