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The concept of a chair with wheels, for
those with no or limited use of their legs, has been around for
centuries. The earliest found image of a wheelchair is in the 6th
century. It is incised in stone on a Chinese sarcophagus. |
In the 16th century - King Philip II of Spain used an elaborate rolling chair
with movable arm and leg rests.
Around 1700, King Louis XIV used a rolling chair to get around. In the
19th century, people suffering from war injuries used chairs with wooden frames,
wicker seats and large spoke wheels. In 1869, the first patent was granted for a
wheelchair. This chair had a fixed frame, with adjustable parts, a wicker seat
and large rear wheels that you could propel forward.
- 6th century - this is the earliest found image of a
wheelchair. It is incised in stone on a Chinese sarcophagus.
- 16th century - King Philip II of Spain used an elaborate
rolling chair with movable arm and leg rests.
- 1700 - King Louis XIV used a "roulette" for moving about
while recovering from an operation.
- 18th century - the first wheelchair that resembles today's
design. It had two large front wooden wheels and one caster in rear.
- 19th and 20th centuries - following the American Civil war
and World War I, the first wheelchairs were built with wooden frames, wicker
seats, adjustable arm rests, footrests, and large spoked wheels.
- 1894 - a U.S. patent was filed for a wheelchair with a
fixed frame, adjustable surfaces, firm wicker seats, and large rear wheels for
self-propulsion.
- 1932 - Herbert Everest (an injured mining engineer) and
Harold Jennings (a mechanical engineer) collaborated to design the first
folding frame wheelchair. They went on to form the company that is today known
as Everest & Jennings or E&J.
- 1937 - a patent was filed for the x-folding frame
wheelchair. Sam Duke also marketed a folding wheelchair at same time.
- 1950s - Everest & Jennings developed the first powered
wheelchair. They followed the development of transistor-controlled motors and
adapted it to thier interest by adding a motor to their manual wheelchair
design,
- 1952 - the beginning of wheelchair sports occurred with the
first games held at the Stoke Mandeville Rehabilitation Center in England.
- 1964 - the first Paralympic games were held in Tokyo,
Japan.
- 1975 - Bob Hall competed in Boston Marathon.
- 1970/80 - revolution in lighter weight manual chairs driven
by the need and desires of wheelchair athletes.
- 1980s - microprocessor-controlled powered wheelchairs were
developed, which allowed customization of controls to meet the needs of more
user needs.
- 1980-90s - the revolution in powered wheelchair design,
control, styles, range or travel distance, suspension, maneuverability,
seating and other user options.
As you can learn from the above timetable wheelchair will continue to evolve
and improve based on one consistent goal. Everyone deserves the opportunity for
equal independence and freedom. Wheelchairs assist in making this a reality for
those who can't walk, so we can all share the experience of mobility and an
accessible and enjoyable quality of life.
Today, you can personalize your wheelchair with customized, advanced technology.
You can manoeuvre your chair with breath control if you are paralysed from the
neck down. You can even acquire power chairs that rise up on 2 wheels for access
to high places.
There is no stopping technology.
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