© DDO2018
5
USING YOUR WHEELCHAIR
Moving to/ from the wheelchair
Propel the wheelchair as close as possible to the surface that
you want to move to. Apply the brake. Remove
the armrests, i f
n e e d e d
, and detach the footrests or swing them outwards. Do
not support yourself on the footplates as this may cause the
chair to tip
forwards.
Stretching and leaning
Propel the wheelchair
as
close
as
possible
.
When stretching and
bending, do always have full contact between the backrest and
the back otherwise the wheelchair
may tip over.
Stretching
behind the back is not recommended.
Propelling up a slope
Many experienced users can propel t hemselves
up
a slope. In
order not to lose control of the steering and to avoid tipping
backwards, you should always lean forwards whilst propelling up
a slope. Propel the wheelchair forwards us
in
g short, quick
strokes applied to the hand rims
,
in order to maintain speed
and steering control. Generally, help is needed on steep slopes.
If you have to stop on
a
slope, it is particularly important to
ensure that you do not make any sudden or unexpected
backward movements when you start moving the wheelchair
forwards
again.
As the wheelchair is already leaning backwards,
such a movement may cause the wheelchair to tip backwards
.
The
maximum gradient of slopes that can be
attempted is
varied between 3
°
and 13
.
5
°
depending on
the
user weight and
the adjustments of
the
wheelchairs
.
