Wheelbench



A wheelbench is a wheeled mobility device in which the user lies down. The device is propelled manually. The user pushes the wheels with their hands in the same manner as propelling a wheelchair or the wheelbench can be moved by a second person pulling or pushing it by the handles. A wheelbench is constructed in a similar way to a wheelchair, except that it has a stretcher on the top instead of a seat. A wheelbench is collapsible, just like a wheelchair.

Wheelbenches are used by people for whom both sitting and walking is difficult or impossible. The term sitting disability is used to describe a condition in which sitting is difficult, painful and perhaps medically injurious and which may be due to illness, injury, or other disability. A notable symptom of sitting disability is severe back pain. While mobility impairment is widely recognised, sitting disability is rarely mentioned in research or legal documents. Hence, wheelbenches are not as well known to society as wheelchairs.

A wheelbench has some resemblance to a hospital gurney or wheel chair. The difference is that the gurney is primarily made to move patients around in a hospital and is less comfortable for long distances or outdoors. A wheelbench has bigger wheels, just like a wheelchair.

Wheelbenches are usually produced by companies producing wheelchairs.

Access for wheelbenches
During the last decades it has been a political objective of the Western world to ensure “full equality and active participation” for persons with disabilities. Volunteer organizations that represent people with back pain, have worked hard to gain equal access for people with sitting disability by integrating Universal design into society. Public buildings are asked to be made accessible, with room for wheelbenches in elevators, doors and hallways. Large chrome wheels and flashy paint jobs set some wheelbenches apart.