Motorized Wheel Chair

The following news item appeared in the Toronto Star newspaper yesterday.  It is interesting to what length politicians will go to test out accessibility for wheelchair users.  He performed this experiment with Pater Athanasopoulos of the Canadian Paraplegic Association of Ontario.  It was a good experiment which pointed out some of the difficulties for wheel chair users, whether they use non power or motorized wheelchairs.  I am sure that this is much the same in other large metropolises with subway systems.

Smitherman tests TTC’s accessibility

“Mayoral candidate George Smitherman gets a sense for what it’s like to try to get around in the TTC’s Royal York station in a wheelchair, alongside Peter Athanasopoulos, of the Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario.

New dad George Smitherman is now familiar with the challenges of navigating a baby stroller on the TTC. But on Wednesday the mayoral candidate took a different set of wheels to the subway, climbing into a wheelchair to stress the need for more accessibility, which he says should be a higher priority.

“People who have mobility issues deserve to be able to use 100 per cent of Toronto’s transit system,” said Smitherman, who practiced wheelies on the Kipling platform in preparation for navigating the gap onto the train.

Smitherman wheeled himself through the subway system from Kipling to Jane, accompanied by Peter Athanasopoulos of the Canadian Paraplegic Association, which held its Chair Leaders event yesterday.

CPA got about 50 politicians using a wheelchair for the day to increase their awareness of the barriers faced by people with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities.

“To map your itinerary from one place to another, you really have to be creative in figuring out where the wheelchair accessible stops are and where the wheelchair accessible buses are,” said Athanasopoulos, who regularly takes the subway from Eglinton to Union.

He says the TTC’s accessibility has improved, though some stations remain inaccessible. and the platform-train gap remains a hazard given how quickly riders must board and exit.
Years ago his chair hit the side of the train and he was thrown forward onto the subway while his chair was left on the platform. It’s made him nervous about using it without people nearby to assist him.

With an aging society, the need for accessibility is even greater, said Smitherman.

The province’s new accessibility legislation is an improvement on previous standards, “But I don’t feel they’re aggressive enough,” he said. “We have the opportunity in Toronto to be a leader.”
Twenty-nine of the TTC’s 69 subway and SRT stations are equipped with elevators, accessible gates and fareboxes, according to the TTC website.”

Accessibility is an important issue for wheelchair users everywhere. How does your city stack up? Let us know and we will publish your findings. Just leave a comment. If there is room for improvement in your city, get involved and make your politicians aware of any accessibility issues you know.

Article from The Toronto Star

Japan has come up with yet another innovative luxury for people who are stuck in a wheel chair–this time it is a wheel chair that comes equipped with a toilet. Designed as a piece of welfare support, not many of them can be found being handed out for free, however there are some on the market. The purpose of the wheel chair, developers say, is to give dignity and respect back to the elderly and disabled who would rely on others to lift them onto a toilet seat.

With a portable toilet, I would hope that the motorized wheel chair comes equipped with some method of waste removal and neutralizing the scent, because who honestly would want to carry that around with them? The concept is still fresh and innovative, though, and will be a large boon to the independance of disabled and elderly people if the wheel chairs become more widespread. A majority of users–those who cannot lift their own bodies with their own body strength–rely on automated accessories (ie: wheel chairs) to reach the toilet.

A study, taken for practical measures, was conducted in Hachinohe City to further research. Out of twenty-seven nursing care facilities that were asked to take part in the study, twenty-one facilities (with roughly one hundred participants in total) took part in the wheel chair’s further development. The aim of the study was to create a prototype based on the needs of the disabled and the elderly. Issues like hygiene standards and ease of use need to be addressed still before the wheel chair becomes more widespread on the market.