History of the Wheelchair

There are reports of wheeled chairs going back to the 6th Century in China found on stone tablets. The idea of the wheelchair has been around since the day's of King Louis XIV, who used a chair with wheels to get around his Kingdom. In 1595 the Invalid's chair was made for Philip II of Spain.  In 1655, Stephen Farfler, a paraplegic watchmaker built a self-propelling chair on three wheels. In the Mid 1700's the first recorded  wheelchairs being used to carry the disabled, interesting these chairs were called Bath Chairs, as they were made in a place called Bath.  In 1869 there was a patent registered for a wheeled chair to help people returning from the Civil War. The war spurred the production of wooden wicker chairs bound with wheels to help the injured return to their lives.  

In 1869 there was a patent registered for a wheeled chair to help people returning from the Civil War.

In 1993, Herbert Everest broke his back in a mining accident. His good friend Harry Jennings, a mechanical engineer; together they invented the first folding wheelchair, designed from steel tubes. This allowed the chair to be lighter, more comfortable and much more mobile than previous designs. E&J (Everest and Jennings) was also much cheaper, easier to product and allowed the chair to get to a much larger population. This brand is still being provided today.

In the 1950's Everest and Jennings came up with the idea of a powered wheelchair. For people who could not self propel, adding motors to a manual wheelchair frame gave the freedom of getting around. These first chairs was made from a steel frame, with attached motors, belts and pulleys, and with a hand control that activated switches in the back of the chair that told the motors what to do.

In 1952, in England, the Stoke Mandeville Games took place where War War II veterans competed in a series of wheelchair games. This was the beginning of international wheelchair games. Due to these efforts, the wheelchair was re-created, and several categories of wheelchairs were created; from basketball, rugby, racing, tennis and more.

The designs were dramatically improved in the 1970's. Motion Designs, who became Quickie, made changes in design to both folding and rigid framed wheelchairs. These enhancements made these chairs lighter, and easier to maneuver; improving access and independence.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s several new companies spawned offering a new spin on these wheelchairs.  Several materials were tried to make chairs lighter, different grades of aluminum, carbon fiber, and titanium.

Until 2010, there were continued efforts to further technology and innovation.  With the wheelchair class, there are now several manufacturers making; companion wheelchairs, standard wheelchairs, light weight wheelchairs, ultra light wheelchairs, sports wheelchairs, reclining wheelchairs, tilt in space wheelchairs, lateral tilting wheelchairs, powered wheelchairs with a joystick and powered wheelchairs with controls ranging from no effort joysticks, to eye gaze control.

Now that the world is involved, there is no stopping innovation and technology. As other industry technologies arise, with the internet and manufacturing; the ability to share technologies will make these transformation much faster. We have seen in the last few years, computer game controls adapted to control powered wheelchairs. We have seen the touch pads from laptop computers be adapted to allow the finger to move / control the powered wheelchair.The use of even lighter Aluminum and Composite products to help improve the manual wheelchair.

We are watching the smartphone and tablet market boom, and watching mounts that will hold, and in some cases integrate with the powered wheelchairs.

In 2010, in the US, the federal government has instituted legislation that has slowed innovation due to the coverage determination for Medicare and other Insurances. Hopefully this is a speed bump, as with the babyboomers aging, there is still so much more needed and demanded from these products.

Since everyone deserves the opportunity for freedom and independence, the wheelchair will continue to evolve and improve.  Wheelchairs help those who cannot walk allow individuals to experience the quality of life that so many of us take for granted.

This article was written by Carey J.Britton, Assistive/Rehab Technology Supplier and Seating and Mobility Specialist for Active Mobility Center. He can be reached at cbritton@wheelchairguys.com or (800) 326-4463.