Page 19 - Mobility Management, June 2018

backrest. Not having to do extra steps really makes it much easier and faster for anyone to transport their chair.”
Will Design Make the Difference?
Folding chairs are emulating rigid chairs more and more, not just in weight but also in design. Will that evolution ever make a folding chair as easy to transport as a rigid one?
“Design for both rigid and folding chairs has come a long way,” Anderson acknowledged. “Weights can be very similar between a rigid chair and a folding chair. And I’m sure for some people, it is easier to load a folding chair in and out of a vehicle versus a rigid chair. But those users are becoming fewer and fewer. A rigid chair with many vehicles is just a much more compatible package for most users to quickly and easily transport their chair.”
So to circle back to the original question: When should weight be most seriously considered?
“A well-designed and well-con- figured chair can be easier to propel, but transport is still an issue,” Roesler said. “All recom- mendations and research show an advantage to lighter chairs, but we have to look carefully. For example, 1 lb. may not make much of a difference, but 3 to 5 lbs. can.”
“I believe,” Anderson said, “that a well-fitted and well-designed chair can be much more efficient to propel than a chair that weighs a few pounds less, but is not well fitted and well designed. Weight does make a difference, and I’m not suggesting that a chair that weighs 50 lbs. is more efficient to propel than a chair that weighs 20 lbs. But two chairs that are within a couple pounds of each other and one having a superior design that fits the individual properly — I believe that will be more efficient
to propel.”
Anderson noted his own experiences — as a longtime, active user — as an example
of which qualities can be most substantial.
“For me, chair weight is never the most important element. If we are talking about
transport, the overall geometry of the frame is more important for being able to get the chair quickly and easily in and out of the vehicle. If we are talking about propulsion, then the design of the frame and the efficiencies gained in transferring my energy into moving forward from that design are more important than the weight of the frame.
“I transfer in and out of my car three to four times per day, but I push 3,000 times per day, and that efficiency of propulsion has a much greater impact on my mobility.” m
MobilityMgmt.com
MOBILITY MANAGEMENT | JUNE 2018 19