On Thursday we got a VERY special delivery.... Ramya's first wheelchair!
Ramya has been using Madi's first wheelchair because she fit in it just fine. She was starting to outgrow it, though, and the wheels started falling apart, so it was time for her to get her own. She was very excited! She picked purple, of course.
Here are a few photos of her new chair:
Ramya has been using Madi's first wheelchair because she fit in it just fine. She was starting to outgrow it, though, and the wheels started falling apart, so it was time for her to get her own. She was very excited! She picked purple, of course.
Here are a few photos of her new chair:
As you can see, the back pad is very narrow. Because she is so very narrow in her chest/tummy (think an almost 8 year old that would still needs about a 3T waist in pants if it weren't for the fact she needs more length), they were worried if they had a wider back she wouldn't be able to get her elbows back to propel herself. This design works great! She is able to get her arms/elbows back well and it doesn't rub at all.
They built-up her seat cushion to help hold her legs in the correct position and also tilted it backwards a bit to help keep her back straight. The design helps a lot with alignment. The only issue is I can't keep her pants pulled up, high enough for long enough because she needs a size 5-6 for length, but about 3T for width (and can't wear adjustable waist jeans as they rub her tummy when she crawls), so her diaper hangs out the back when she squirms around (and let me tell you, this girl is always squirmy!). I fix it constantly and am teaching her to check it as well, but need to think of a better solution for her. I'm thinking of some kind of peace of cloth that fills the gap between her back rest and chair cushion.
They added tie-downs in case we ever need them in our vehicle and put on nice tall handles for me, which are easily adjustable. There are also adjustable anti-tippers. We did not put on a headrest because she just doesn't really need it.
The strap around the feet is for when we are out in grocery stores and the such. She was constantly kicking her legs out to propel herself, but in the processes ends up knocking things off shelves, so this will keep her safe in the store, but won't really be necessary in wide-open spaces. We also opted for a seatbelt she cannot undo by herself. She struggles with emotions and regulation and when she is unhappy, she will often do dangerous things and there's no reasoning with her, so I'd rather have her safe while I give her a little more time to mature and grow emotionally. I'm hoping to be able to switch it out soon so she can have more independence.
Oh, and the best part is she now has light up caster wheels like Madi. She is VERY proud of them! I just love how much she loves her new chair!
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