The Most Useful Things I Have Learnt About Wheelchairs

20th November 2025

Just over 10 years ago my daughter, Emily, who was 15 at the time was struck down by a rare genetic illness that resulted her unable to walk, a severe loss of vision and unable to exercise fine motor movements using her hands. A devastating life event not just for her but for us her parents too. Our lives changed from being just parents but also to full time carers too.

What followed was a series of life adjustments in a whole new world that consisted multiple medical appointments with numerous disciplines, battles with local authority for support, Educational Health Care Plans and reluctant and unhelpful schools and equipment that we had very little of no experience of like stairlifts and wheelchairs. This was on top of managing and coping with the needs of a teenage daughter going through life changing events. I have stories to tell about many things, but I wanted to share what I have learned and am still learning about wheelchairs.

So, a few months into our new lives, after complaining to our local MP, social services arrived to assess our home for our ability to manage our daughters condition. Cutting a long story short they provided a wheelchair based on an assessment by a therapist.

The wheelchair duly arrived a week or so later but other than the manual in the box they provided no advice or training on how to use it or lift or handle the occupant in and out of the chair. Using the internet at the time I couldn’t find that much to help but have learned over time some useful tips which is what I am writing this and breaking these tips down into digestible blogs.

These are the topics I will try and cover to help you:

• Chair Type
• Weight of chair and user weight
• Comfort
• Cushions
• Adjustable Foot Rests
• Back Rest
• Measuring the chair
• Getting up steps and kerbs
• Getting down steps and kerbs
• Managing downhill
• Managing uphill
• Flying or travelling with your chair
• Trying Power Assisted Chairs

Chair Type – Lightness Matters

The first chair we were given by social services was what they term an attendant propelled chair. Chairs are usually classed at occupant propelled ie when the person in the chair reaches over and is able to push the wheels forward using a hand rim attached to the wheel. The wheel must be big so the person can reach from a seated position. They can be pushed by another person ie the attendant. The other class is attendant propelled which can only be pushed by an attendant. However occupants of both types chairs tend also to use their feet if they can to move the chair small distances.

The chair we were given had brakes on the push handles at the back of the chair, was black and made of steel. The steel made it very heavy to lift and it was 5-6kg heavier than some of the lighter ones I eventually came to try in the future. If you think 5-6kg is not a huge amount think of it like trying to lift something already awkward in shape into a car boot but adding 6 bags of sugar to that as well! Lightness matters!

Attendant propelled chairs with smaller rear wheels are lighter than self propelled ones of the same material and can fit into car boots more easily. They are also fitted with attendant controlled brakes whereas occupant propelled are usually not, a major issue going down hill! The major disadvantage of attendant propelled is that occupants cannot move it large distances independently.

I have seen chairs with the same size wheel back and front and with very unsupportive canvases these are very uncomfortable for people sat in these and they feel every bump in the road and their posture is awful in them they cannot be good longer term.

Please also check what user or occupant weight a chair can support as brakes and frames and fabrics are only designed to take weights of persons up to certain levels of they break or at worst can become dangerous. Also some chairs have crash test certification which means they have been tested with crash test dummies in etc to take the weight claimed. Don’t believe everything a manufacturer on this tells you unless there is proper certification.

Chair Type – Comfort

Some chairs have flat seats with a very tight canvas / seat cover. Some have contoured seats and also have padded seat canvases. Some canvases are water resistant and easy wipe. This is important if you have continence issues or you sit in the chair an eat as food always falls on to the seat its guaranteed! These wipeable canvases also have a disadvantage of being a bit sweaty for the person especially if they are in the chair for hours at a time.

I quickly moved away from the flat canvas as Emily didn’t have any continence issues but did find sitting for hours in the chair very uncomfortable. As parents our attitude was regardless of cost, we wanted our daughter to be comfortable as even though she hated wheelchairs it was an essential piece of equipment, so it needed to fit her needs as well ours as we had to push it and take it up and down hills etc.

It is also important to make sure the back rest of the chair supports the back properly. I have more on this later.

Our next purchase was a cushion but ended up buying a number until we found what, for us, was the right one.

Chair Type – Comfort Cushions

Cushions, there are so many! Air inflated pressure ones, cheap ones that are foam covered in a plastic cover, memory foam ones, thick ones, thin ones. We tried a lot!

Cushions are helpful as they not only make the chair more comfortable but they also insulate a bit from bumps on the pavement and roads that come with pushing a wheelchair.

This is personal choice but we found the best one to be a thin cushion about an inch high as one thing we didn’t think about is a thicker cushion meant Emily sat higher in the seat, so her arms didn’t rest as well on the chair arm rests so it made it more uncomfortable to ride in it. We eventually moved to chair with adjustable height arm rests and this solved the issue but it took us a few years and goes to get to that point! The 1 inch thick cushion was a compromise between the arm rest height issue and the comfort issue.

See curved seat it stops occupant sliding out curve at back seats the bottom and hold you in to contours of your body. The profile shots are to show a padded canvas as opposed to thin canvas. More comfort plus you can still add a cushion. Its useful when you forget as I have many time or lose the cushion. Easily done if you seat the occupant in a chair to eat and fold the chair away!

Chair Type – Adjustable Foot Rests

Fortunately for us the chair we were given had adjustable foot rests. This meant you could heighten or lower the footrest relative to the seat of the chair. We found the most comfortable position was when Emily’s legs, behind the knee, rested gently on the seat so the seat supported her legs. Adjusting these usually is by a screw and Allen key but there are many methods out there we found. But do check you can adjust a chair to fit before you purchase.

Adjust these using the holes so that legs rest on fabric of chair seat just behind the knee and don’t have knees up to your chin!

Chair Type – The Back Rest – Our 2nd Wheelchair

Imagine sitting watching TV all night in a chair that didn’t support your back properly. It would not be pleasant. Again, we found through trial and error and purchasing what we thought were good chairs tuned out to be uncomfortable! I bought our second chair mainly because we could fit it into our car better. It turned out to be very uncomfortable and despite trying to make it comfortable with cushions it was a bad purchase. I learned from that poor decision to put my daughters needs first and foremost, well I nearly did as I made another poor purchase later too!

Some chairs have contoured back rests so they offer back support similar to something that an adjustable car seat can do with a lumbar support either in the seat or a cushion. The difficulty with using a lumbar support on a wheelchair is when you come to fold it down. The angle of the back rest can make a huge difference to the comfort. We tried several chairs before ending up with one that gives a lot of comfort and support to the back. Some have contoured backrests and made with that in mind, and we found these to be best.

The backrest curves away from the small of the back – this supports the small of your back and also allows comfort for shoulders to rest on back of seat.

Chair Type – Measuring Up! – Our 3rd Wheelchair

I was starting to learn now and we are now 3 years in and poor Emily had to endure me trying my best to convince her that what I had bought her was brilliant! She was having none of it fortunately! So we looked for a new chair. What she told me though was really helpful. She wanted a black chair. Why? Because she said she felt the chair was as near invisible as possible as she hated being in a wheelchair! Also sometimes as the cushion was separate we would leave them behind in places or forget to put it on so padded was better. Also the previous bad purchase the seat width was 17 inches wide and as she is quite slim she felt no support from the sides and the arm rests too far away from her body. When we measured her we realised we needed a seat width of 15 inches. Room for her to sit without squeezing her into the seat but close enough to arm rests to support her. Also so her knees didn’t stick out too far and the seat supported her legs properly we discovered a seat depth (front of seat canvas to rear) needed to be 16 inches as she is 5 foot 6 inches (she claims nearly 5 foot 7!). The previous one was 17 inches deep and that inch made it less comfortable.

So we chose a 15 inch wide chair with a seat depth of 16 inches. We went for black, height adjustable arm rests as we also used a 1 inch thick cushion, adjustable footrests and rear brakes, as it was attendant propelled and we ended up purchasing a Lite 2. I have to say it was the best wheelchair purchase we had made and had no regrets.

It also had an advantage of being around 12kg in weight so lifting it into a car was quite easy. It also was certified as being crash tested which is an important safety consideration.

Chair Type – Our 4th Wheelchair

After having a Lite 2 for a few years we saw they brought out a Lite 2 self-propelled which is the best manual wheelchair I have ever bought!

It has height adjustable push handles so being 6 foot its easier for me to push, also for my wife who is 5 foot 10 inches tall. The seat is what the manufacture says is ‘wave’ but it means contoured so my daughter doesn’t slide forward on the seat and slump. The back angle is perfect and has slowing brakes and padded upholstery! It has an added bonus of being able to adjust the height of the arm rests so I can add a cushion of any height to it plus it has shorter arm rests so my daughter can get closer to tables but still have her arms supported. I cant believe it is also crash tested and weighs under 10kg!! It wasn’t cheap but when you sit in it for so long and depend so much on it she deserves to have one that suits her almost perfectly (I say almost as I would love somehow for it to be powered to get up those bloody hills!)

Adjustable push handles are brilliant if you are tall above 5 ft 9 and push a lot.

Navigating Steps and Kerbs – Getting Up

Getting up and down steps and kerbs allows you to cross the road where you want to so you don’t have to look for a drop kerb, often there aren’t any!

Also nearly every restaurant or bar we try always has some kind of step involved. So much for making places accessible. Even when they have lifts etc many are broken or staff don’t know how to use them. The best access method I have ever seen is in Dishoom Indian restaurant in Manchester. It is incredible! The whole section of the front steps transforms into a lift making getting in and out fun as well as easy.

So what I have I learned. First of all if you haven’t used it or don’t know what its for many chairs have a tilting or tipping lever at the back of the chair. Sometimes it’s just an extension of the frame but many, like ours, has a plastic attachment too which encourages the use. To use it place your foot on it and press down whilst tilting the chair backwards using the push handles. If your chair has rear wheel brakes I would also apply the brakes at the same time as this makes the tipping easier.

The reason to tip the chair is to get enough height so the front wheels, called castors, are above a kerb or step and then if you release the brakes whilst the chair is tipped backwards you can push the chair on to the top the kerb or step whilst lift the chair at the back using the push handles so the rear wheels also can clear the kerb.

I find this is easiest for mounting kerbs or single steps. Multiple steps are more of an issue unless they are wide enough so the whole depth of the chair can fit on them so you can repeat the above again. If they are not I find going backwards is best.

My method for going backwards is putting the rear wheel at the base of the step. Tilt the chair backwards at an angle. Keeping your arms straight and rigid grip the push handles and bend your knees. Use your legs, not just your arms straighten your legs and pull the chair upwards over the step. Repeat for additional steps.

This last method need some strength and also practice. I find keeping arms straight helps and also timing too, for example, as you straighten knees you pull too and the wheel comes up and rolls over the step. I keep the chair tilted and do the same for the next step and keep momentum. Obviously you need brakes off again.

Tipping lever at rear of chair.

Navigating Steps & Kerbs – Coming Down

Coming down is the reverse of the two methods. Come down backwards and use the push handles to take the weight and lower the rear wheel on to the step below tilting the chair as you drop down.

To come down steps forward I tilt the chair backwards so the front wheels are off the ground and hold on to push handles and run the rear wheel over the lip of the step until it reaches the bottom of the step and repeat until I am down.

Managing Down hill Slopes

Going down a slope of hill with 60 plus kg in a wheelchair can be hazardous. I have been away on holiday where they use tiles a lot on the pavements and when it rains you can feel your feet slipping from underneath you as you descend.

I have only one tip that seems to work for me and that is use a chair with a slowing brake. Its so much easier to apply a brake on the push handles that isn’t just a locking or parking brake but also has the function of slowing you down. I wouldn’t buy a chair without one ever again – simple as! It just takes away the fear of losing your footing or risking the chair pulling your arms out of the socket as you try to control your descent.

Seeing brakes at back doesn’t mean they can slow a chair down hill many are lock on and lock off only – check before you purchase one of the best features of a chair we have had.

Managing Uphill Slopes

I find pushing a chair uphill to be sometimes really difficult. When in places I don’t know I come across hills where you have the option of going back, calling a taxi or just getting on with it. Usually I, with the help of my wife just put our backs into it and up we go!

The number of times I have had to stop and let my heart get back into my chest is too many to count!

So what I have found that helps is to keep your arms straight when pushing. Get a good angle on your body and think of it a bit like a rugby scrum and use the power of your legs in short and frequent steps keeping momentum up as you push. When you are close to collapse put the brakes on and rest, better still, if you rest well before you are close to collapsing!

If there are two of you to push one of you can help by pulling the frame on one side to help. What I have found better though is using a sledge harness. One that has a shoulder harness and with straps long enough not to catch your legs as you walk in front pulling. The stronger one goes to the front and pulls whilst the other steers and pushes too. An important tip though is to make sure the harness goes round the frame and not the leg rests as they will pull off.

Flying with Your Chair

We always ask the airline or tour operator for special assistance prior to confirming a booking. It means we get help through the airport if needed and assistance to get on the aeroplane via an ambilift which avoids steps. When we book we always get asked details about the chair. We have taken a power chair away with us and that is much more difficult. Airlines hate Bluetooth operated chairs that are in their hold as it is s security risk as is lithium batteries but more on that later.

We nearly always take our manual chair and book places that are mainly flat. We always get asked the dimensions of the chair when folded and I keep these to hand. The measurements are width when folded, height when folding back is down and length. They also always ask the weight and name of the chair. We take my daughter and the chair via the ambilift right to the cabin door and then the chair is put in the hold. At the end of the flight the crew come and tell us that the chair is ready and we go via the ambilift in the landing airport through the terminal. One advantage of booking special assistance is that we also get an accessible taxi to take us to our hotel.

When I have taken a power chair the airline don’t like Lithium batteries above a certain amp so check what the current allowance is – some companies have airline sized batteries you can fit to your chair so check with the manufacturer / supplier about that. I don’t know what to say about Bluetooth as I have had experiences when I been refused to use that chair by some airlines and others not. If you can avoid it don’t get a blue tooth operated chair is my advice but I know that is difficult as they nearly all have it. I know the companies provide information for airlines but it’s the policy of the airline that dictates so check with them first is my advice.

Measuring your chair when folded height width and length.

Power Chairs or Power Assisted

My daughter has vision issues so driving it completely on her own is out of the question so we operate it in a kind of she operates it but we act as attendants. Our experience hasn’t been great to be honest but it is more down to the disabilities my daughter has rather than the chairs themselves. However as an attendant operated there is room for improvement in my opinion. Often rear controllers have slower speed settings than occupant joystick controlled. Its a pain for a fast walker like me as it take an age to get anywhere when I operate it versus my daughter controlling it. Also the brackets to put the controller on the back are poorly designed. I would prefer something that mimics the front joystick in that push forward you go forward and back to reverse etc. Sometimes the bracket is oriented on its side so its not intuitive to use and you can veer out of control if you are not careful. Chairs are heavier too with motors and batteries compared to manual ones and you have to charge them. Pushing a power chair when its battery has run out is achievable but I find that there is some resistance to pushing, more than a manual chair, and push handles are ridiculously low making pushing harder unless you are the perfect height – around 5 foot 1!!

Disadvantages of a power chair is that whilst they often come with essential safety features like anti tippers, those anti tippers make it impossible to navigate steps of kerbs easily. Also going down a kerb is hard and I found reversing down is best otherwise the weight and momentum can throw the occupant out of they are not wearing a seat belt. I have to be honest we struggled with a power chair enough to decide to go back to manual and a harness for hills as the benefits of the manual chair outweigh the negatives of attendant managed power chairs. If you are an occupant and can drive it and manoeuvre safety yourself they are brilliant – apart from steps!

We did try an add on power drive to the manual chair but we found again they had problems with steps as often the power unit fitted in between the rear wheels which also made it difficult to be an attendant and walk behind it. We did try something called ToDo Drive 5 years ago which drove the wheels at the side and was like a battery pack on the side of the chair. That was great apart from at the time it could only propel someone around 80kg including the chair so it was at the limit of its capacity. I will keep a look out for that when it improves as that will be perfect but needs to be around 100kg of user and chair weight.