[ryan08/06/88]

Hi there...

I am in the uk and I need a new chair.

My chair is pretty damn wrecked...It's a quickie Ti...I've had it since I left hospital just over 2 years ago...It's a quickie Ti and it shakes from side to side, rattles, it's pretty battered...and to top it all off it is way too big for me (it's an 18 inch wide cushion when I'm more a 15").

Anyways the problem is obviously chairs are bloody expensive...I knwo you can get them supplied by the wheelchair service but they are absolutely awful...

I'm 19 so I don't want something that looks too spacky either...plus I like to keep active and mobile so want something that doesn't restrict that...

Anyways, I am a ful time student and independent of my parents and am wondering about funding for a chair?

Is there anyway I can get one (that will suit my needs and not look crap) funded at all? Whether it be by Government or otherwise? I'm at a bit of a loss...

All help much appreciated!

Thanks, Ryan.

This post has been edited by ryan08/06/88: 13 March 2008 - 08:42 PM

[ems]

ryan08/06/88, on Mar 13 2008, 08:41 PM, said:

Hi there...

I am in the uk and I need a new chair.


Is there anyway I can get one (that will suit my needs and not look crap) funded at all? Whether it be by Government or otherwise? I'm at a bit of a loss...

All help much appreciated!

Thanks, Ryan.

Ok, well firstly if your needs have changed ( ie your size!), the NHS will fund another chair within the 5yr rule. You can have a chair off them for free (dont bother) or have a voucher worth anything from £0 to £2800 depending on where you live!
If your working... or even thinking of going back to work there is a government fund called Access to Work which you can claim up to £30,000 a year from to *keep you in work*, or to help you go back to work. I have had two chairs from them so far within 5 years and my laptop (cos if i get a sore etc I can work from my bed!). One of our friends fro and shipping.m basketball just got the full grant of 30K to adapt a chrysler van for joystick driving! Its always worth a go!

Charities like the Round Table and the Lions Club are also there to help people fund items like a wheelchair. I'm sure if you wrote to your local ones they would help or even part help.. say if your voucher from the NHS was only like £500 they might like to help fund the rest of the cost of the chair.

Ahem.. PLUG PLUG... I have a brand new TiLite TR for sale!!! 15" wide by 16 long!!!! ( ps. I'm in worthing). Too big for me!


Oh the other thing that is now possible seems I have set a presidence in doing this with my last two wheelchair services is to invoice them the cost of a chair from America. My Quickie Ti was from the states and only cost them £1100 with spinergy wheels and shipping, instead of costing them over £2000. It took a little pressure, but they did in the end do it. I had to buy it first, give them the invoice and 60 days later they paid me.


One more thing as your a student, do you get the disability student allowance? http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople...ation/DG_070188 They will pay for *equipment* so much like access to work, you need another wheelchair, and probable a laptop for the times when you wioll be in bed but would like to continue with your studies.... think about the course you are doing and think if you would need/want anything to help make it easier for you. Certainly a new chair would make thing easier for you, you would be more comfortable pushing round the college which for you would help you concentrate better as you wouldn't be so tired, and thus improving your ability to learn.... You need an ultralight laptop like a slim sony vaio or something like that... as you cant carry it on your lap as it would fall off, and if you were to carry things in a backpack on the back of your chair, it has to be light enough not to effect your balance. etc etc.....

This post has been edited by ems: 13 March 2008 - 11:09 PM

[ryan08/06/88]

Hi ems,

Thanks for that, that's superb!

I don't actually get DSA yet as I'm not at uni (I'm a year or so behind as I had my accident at the end of year 12) but I will be at uni next year and funny enough we got our student finance packs through and I noticed you get upto £5k for equipment So that's pretty cool!

I'll try get in touch with my wheelchair service, although last time I did that they said there was a queue for vouchers!

I have a spare chair from them in the shed and I've used it probably once and it is falling apart, it was buggared when I got it...not too mention it must be the spackiest looking chair I have ever seen!

Thanks for the help. I'll keep you posted

The thing that annoys me about it all is how slow the bloody bureaucracy of it all is!

My bungalow still hasn't been adapted and I've been out of hospital for over 2 years now!!

[Bish]

Hi Ems,

I also want to buy my wheelchair from Sportaid whilst using my Wheelchair Voucher. My wheelchair service have told me that they are not willing to do this - but I think that if I had proof that other wheelchair services were doing the same then it may persuade them.

Would you be willing to send me some details of your wheelchair service and maybe a contact number of whoever dealt with you so my wheelchair service could communicate with them?

Hopefully this way they may come round to the idea.

Thanks Ems,
Bish