Self-Propelled Wheelchair
Date1949
Dimensions29 x 63 x 43.5 in
Credit LineTransferred from the collection of Fanshawe Pioneer Village, London, Ontario, 2013
Object number2013.030.001
Label TextSometime after the Civil War (1861-1865), the concept of wheelchairs, then known as “invalid chairs,” began to shift from transport for the disabled and immobile to a vehicle for independence. Wheelchair manufacturers started changing their designs so users could be drivers instead of passengers.
Moving the small steering casters from the rear to the front permitted users to get over curbs or other obstacles on their own. Manufacturers also changed from wooden parts to steel and other metals for greater durability.
Medical professionals and users also increasingly saw wheelchairs as part of the recovery process for the injured or infirm, as a self-propelled wheelchair could often rehabilitate injured limbs or strengthen limbs to do a new job.
The lever chair was largely abandoned with the development of quality hand rims after the Second World War (1939-1945). Hand rims are circular grips attached to wheelchair wheels so users can propel themselves without touching the tires that meet the ground.
NameWheelchair
