Roosevelt led this country from this wheelchair

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), who was elected four times as president of the United States, serving from 1933-1945—some of the most turbulent years in U.S. history—was the very image of a strong leader. Hidden from the public was the fact that Roosevelt, a victim of polio, could not walk. He was almost never photographed in his wheelchair. Although attitudes toward disabilities had changed dramatically by the time a memorial to FDR opened in Washington, D.C., in 1997, a statue of the former president, nevertheless, depicted him wearing a large cloak that all but obscured his wheelchair. “We felt it would be unconscionable for school children for years to come to go through that memorial and have no sense that Roosevelt led this country through the Great Depression and to victory in World War II from his wheelchair,” says Michael Deland, president of the National Organization on Disability. Deland, with help from the honorary chairman, former President George H.W. Bush, launched a campaign to raise funds for a second, more honest statue. They welcomed their first donation—$378.50 from a bake sale held by a group of New Jersey schoolchildren—and went on to secure $1.65 million more from private donors. Dedicated in 2001, the second statue shows Roosevelt seated in the wheelchair that he designed and used every day. Installed at ground level, the sculpture is easily accessible. Children gravitate to it and clamber onto the lap of the bronze president. People in wheelchairs can reach out and touch it and read the inscription on the wall behind, which is also printed in Braille. “The constant refrain,” Deland says, “is from older people with disabilities or from teachers or parents saying to kids, ‘Look, Roosevelt led this country from this wheelchair. You can do anything you set out to do, disability or not.’“

Online Wheelchair Store Measuring Guide

Manual Wheelchair Measuring Guide

Seat Depth1Measure from the most posterior point of the body to the inside of the knee, minus at least two inches. Some prefer more leg overhang to make room for their hand when lifting their leg. Back Height2Measured from the seat base to the top of the wheelchair back. Depends on how much upper back support is needed, and also affects freedom for the upper body to rotate. Rear Seat to Floor3Measurement from the ground to the rear seat edge. Relative to the front seat-to-floor dimension, this determines the rearward slope ("dump" or "squeeze") of the wheelchair seat. Hanger Angle4Determines how far the toes extend away from the body, measured from the horizontal. A tighter angle allows the wheelchair to turn around in less space. Depends in part on ability of the knee to bend towards the perpendicular. Seat Width5Determined by the widest point of the body from knee to hip, plus an inch to ensure room to move. Consider bulk of clothing, particularly a heavy winter coat, if relevant. Wheel Camber6Angle of the wheel relative to the vertical. More camber improves stability and agility, but also limits ability to pass through narrow spaces. A typical daily wheelchair uses three degrees of camber. Front Seat to Floor7Measure the leg from the back of the knee to the sole of the foot. Then subtract the thickness of the cushion when it is compressed. Next, add a minimum of two inches for footrest clearance. Do not add the footrest clearance if the wheelchair will be foot-propelled.

Electric Wheelchair Powerchair and Scooter Guide

Electric Wheelchair Powerchair and Scooter Guide
A wide variety of electric wheelchairs and scooters are available in the market. This makes it easy for consumers to find the one to suit their needs not just their wants. You can start by finding what suits you by keeping in mind the answer before you go look in stores. By that you will be overwhelmed by lots of options and you can be guided to decide precisely. A good number of online electric wheelchair and scooter stores offer a large selection of both manual and powered wheelchairs. They employ experienced staff members to assist the customers in choosing wheelchairs and scooters. Service involves fitting of the correct chair to meet the individual requirements.
Electric wheelchairs and scooters are available from the following companies:Drive Medical, Sunrise Medical, Pride ,Invacare, Wheelchair in a bag, Merits, Golden Technologies,Wheelchairs Plus, Shoprider, Ranger, Palmer Industries, Wheelchairs of Kansas, Roho, Winco, Quickie, Gendron, Bruno, Silver Star, Harmar and more. You can select the ones from the latest in high quality, latest controls, highly maneuverable, light weight and extreme durability.
Your existing insurance may answer 80% to 100% towards the charge of your chair or scooter. Pride, Tuffcare, Merits, Online Wheelchair stores offer a total line of wheelchair and equipment services including new chair specification or fitting, preparation, installation of adaptive equipment for control and comfort as well as preventive and habitual maintenance. Questions regarding availability, leasing, financing, delivery or options will be answered by the online support teams.
In addition to new, used and rented powered and manual electric wheelchairs, most of the online stores have a well trained repair and maintenance staff to give routine preventive or emergency service. You can also find places with a large inventory of spare parts including tires, cushions and batteries.
All companies offer convenient shipping to destinations like US, UK, Canada and worldwide. As a result you get good prices and convenient shipping. Right there and then you can take charge of your lifestyle again.
Up to $1,000 rebate is available to aid payment for the cost of electric wheelchair or scooter lifts and ramps from the following mobility programs. Most lifts and ramps represented on most sites are qualified for reimbursement under the terms of the various mobility programs offered by Chrysler, Ford, GM, Saturn, and Volkswagen. There is also a wide variety of state, federal, and other programs that can financially assist you with your wheelchair ramp purchase.
These programs were made in order to give cash payments to disabled drivers for the installation of adaptive equipment in any new vehicle, whether purchased or leased. Customers have received rebates for multifold wheelchair ramps, lifts, and permanently mounted van ramps.
Michael D. Osbon