Your Guide to Wheelchair Customisation with Active Mobility

If a wheelchair is a big part of your daily life, then it’s important for that wheelchair to be as comfortable and functional as possible. With this in mind, we offer a convenient wheelchair customisation service to ensure your wheelchair meets all of your needs and comfort requirements!

At Active Mobility, wheelchair customisation options are practically limitless — from the head and backrests to the wheels and aesthetics, we can create a wheelchair that’s 100% unique and suited to your lifestyle. To do this, we work with a team of experienced occupational therapists and wheelchair technicians who have the know-how to build a wheelchair that looks good, feels great and functions seamlessly.

Here, we’ve created a complete guide to wheelchair customisation so you can see the possibilities!

How We Plan for A Wheelchair Customisation Project

Before a custom wheelchair can be built, a lot of planning and consideration is required to ensure we create a wheelchair that meets all of your needs. This process is called a wheelchair prescription, where we actively communicate with you and our occupational therapists to get the prescription right. 

Here are a few things we take into account when designing a custom wheelchair. 

• Is pressure a problem for the client?
  
  The smallest amount of pressure can become a big problem for wheelchair users who are unable to reposition themselves properly. If you’re prone to pressure sores, we want to know about them so that we can provide the pressure relief cushions and accessories you need for comfort.
   

• What are the client’s goals?
  
  Do you want to get out and about in the community more? Do you need a wheelchair that can navigate small spaces in your home, like hallways and doorways? Do you want to be more active or need a little extra help climbing hills? Before building a custom wheelchair, we’ll learn more about your personal goals and/or NDIS plan goals to ensure your chair will make a difference in your everyday life.
   
• What is the client's condition?
  
  Your wheelchair build will be based heavily on your current condition and, if needed, your future condition. We can customise wheelchairs for users with limited upper torso and hand function, limited head or neck mobility, and various other conditions. 

Once we’ve confirmed these details (and more), we will build your new wheelchair at our workshop in Sydney or Newcastle!

Popular Wheelchair Customisation Options

As we mentioned earlier, wheelchair customisation options are limitless, but there are a few popular elements that our customers choose to customise for their individual needs. Below, we’ve shared a breakdown of parts, accessories and aesthetics that can be customised at Active Mobility!

Back and Headrest

Your wheelchair’s backrest can be customised to include flat, pelvic or thoracic support — even the upholstery can be customised! Likewise, we will add a headrest that matches the size of your head, so there’s no risk of discomfort or falling off the side. 

Seat

Correct seating is vitally important for comfort and reducing the risk of pressure sores. We can customise your seat height, width and depth to match the shape and size of your body so that you can sit comfortably at all times. We will also customise the seat frame based on your measurements to match. 

Along with sizing, we can also customise the cushions to meet your needs. For example, we can swap the cushioning for extra-thick contoured seat cushions and a vinyl insert.

Wheels

You can even customise the wheels on your wheelchair! We offer a huge range of castor wheels in various different sizes. Our front and rear castors are also available in non-marking tyres, so there’s no worry when braking. 

Tilt-in-Space

Tilt-in-space wheelchairs can help relieve pressure and provide a more comfortable seating position for the user. A higher tilt-in-space is much easier for lots of social interactions, and you can choose the degree of recline for your ultimate comfort. 

Postural Support Requirements

Various postural support options are also available if required. This helps with comfort and sitting in an upright, neutral position. You can choose from a seat belt with a plastic buckle or a buckle that’s more like what you would find in a car. 

Accessories and Aesthetics

As well as functional customisations, we can also add accessories for convenience. Here are just a few of the accessories you can choose from!

• Wool seat covers
• Crutch or cane holders
• Cup holders
• Phone holders and brackets
• Flip-up, fold-away and slide-in trays

We can also customise the aesthetics of your wheelchair to match your personality! The Glide Centro, for example, comes in four standard colours (Black Onyx, Outback Red, Island Blue and White), or you can choose from the flashy colours listed below.

• Electric Blue
• Horizon Blue
• Silver Shadow
• Emerald Green
• Acid Green
• Merlot
• Vivid Orchid
• Lemon Gold
• Fluro Pink
• Firestorm Red
• Samurai Sunset.

Even the wheels, seat rails and leg hangers can be colour matched to the rest of the wheelchair for an even bigger splash of colour!

Contact Us for Expert Wheelchair Customisation Today!

Wheelchair customisation is easy with Active Mobility! Simply get in touch to discuss your needs and book a showroom appointment. Our team will ask lots of questions to ensure we can create the perfect wheelchair for you — from the headrest to the castor wheels — then build it in-house in Sydney or Newcastle.