June’s Wheelchair Side Guards

June shares her experience of REMAP and the support she received to add clothes guards to her wheelchair.

About two and a half years ago, I got a new wheelchair and the clothes guards on the sides were only about an inch or two higher than the cushion – ridiculously low. I saw an advert on social media for REMAP and tentatively sent off a request.

I got an email saying a volunteer could help and arranged for him to come over. He was a lovely man, retired. I’m actually always rather cautious with male staff or workmen etc, but this guy was an absolute gentleman in every way. He listened to my issues with the guards and he had an idea straight away. We chatted about the measurements and he made notes.

In a week, he got back in touch and had made a prototype in plywood which he brought over. He’d even sprayed them black so that they didn’t look daft while I tried them out! He told me to see how I got on, then came back a week later and made a few tweaks. He then made the final guards from an acrylic-type material. They’re perfect!

The chair I’d been using was faulty, so I had to have a new one ordered in a different brand. When I got the new chair, I was effectively using two chairs for months as I only had the docking station in my van for the old chair. Fortunately the REMAP chap had left the prototype as a backup, so I was able to use those on the old chair and the final version on my new chair.

These side guards may not sound like much, but I only wear dresses, so without the guards I was in danger of getting my clothes caught in my wheels. Not only that, whenever there’s an uneven camber on the pavement, they help me stay in place. Sometimes little things make a big difference!

The side guards are amazing, they are everything I needed them to be!

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