If you’re anything like me, you see your wheelchair as an extension of your body. It’s a part of you, and you want it to reflect who you are, just as your clothes reflect who you are. Thankfully, when we order our wheelchairs, we can put a little bit of our personalities into them, such as when we select our wheelchair color. But I’ve found that there are many other ways to personalize our wheelchairs. Here are a few of my favorite ways to jazz up my power wheelchair.
Change the Wheelchair Cushion Cover
Most wheelchair cushions come with a black cushion cover. It’s convenient and practical, but it doesn’t exactly scream, “I’m outgoing and fun!” One way that I like to switch things up is by changing the cover of my wheelchair cushion. Now, I am no seamstress. In fact, I am terrible at sewing. I have found that extra large pillow cases often fit over my seat cushion and are easy to switch out. I started doing this on days that I wanted to wash my cushion cover. I’d take off the standard black cushion cover and throw a pillow case on my cushion for the day. The more I’ve done this, the more I’ve enjoyed switching things up! Sometimes I’ll color coordinate my seat cushion with my outfit!
Stickers or Duct Tape
While I have grown out of my sticker phase, when I was younger I couldn’t get enough of them! I loved putting stickers on my wheelchair in the same way that I loved putting stickers on the bumper of my car! As a cat lover, I know that I had a cat mom sticker on the back of one of my power wheelchairs a few years ago. It was a great conversation starter! Similarly, a friend of mine absolutely loves zebra print, so she bought a roll of zebra print duct tape and decorated her chair with it!
Lights for Power Wheelchairs
My Edge® 3 Motorized Wheelchair with iLevel® technology came with fender lights which I absolutely love. Sometimes, I am in the mood for even more lighting! I actually bought some battery operated lights and affixed them to my motorized wheelchair last Halloween. It was so much fun! I know other people who have battery operated lights on their wheelchairs all year round. They just keep the switch near their hands so that they can turn the lights on and off whenever they want to make a bright statement!
These are just a few ways I like to personalize my chair. How do you personalize your wheelchair?
About Stephanie Woodward: Stephanie is a brand ambassador advisor for Quantum Rehab® and works as a disability rights activist. She has received many awards for helping communities become more accessible, as well as for her actions in fighting for the rights of disabled individuals as it relates to Medicaid and other support services. Click here to learn more about Stephanie.
