Of the 43 million Americans with disabilities, approximately 38% have limited mobility. More than two million use wheelchairs for mobility. Individuals with health conditions such as mental retardation, spinal cord injury, stroke, cancer, myocardial infarction, orthopaedic impairments, and arthritis may also have mobility restrictions. Now and in the future a larger proportion of the population will be candidates for ambulation aids of various types.

Assistive technology includes both the equipment and services that can enhance the independence of an individual with a disability.

Mobility assistive devices include tools that help overcome obstacles caused by disability or injury, including spinal cord injury.

Wheelchairs

The ancient Egyptians used hand-pushed carts for people who couldn't get around. Although wheelchairs changed and improved over the years, they still weren't anything like the ones you see today. In the 1800s, they were basically chairs on wheels that were pushed from behind. Early 20th-century wheelchairs had spoke wheels and wire wound rubber tires. They were made of heavy chrome-plated steel that averaged between 45 and 50 pounds and featured stiff, vinyl upholstery.

Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) used a wheelchair after contracting polio in 1921 at the age of 39. On January 5, 2001, former President Bill Clinton dedicated a statue of FDR at the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C. This is the first statue to depict a world leader using a wheelchair, and represents a major step forward for the disabled.

Although wheelchairs serve the same purpose today as they did many years ago, they do it farther, lighter, longer, and more comfortably than ever before. For a person who relies on a wheelchair, getting around on one's own is a critical part of being independent.

Today's wheelchairs have special gadgets to make life easier for the person operating them, and many even use computer technology. Modern wheelchairs take into account the need for back, neck, head, and leg support, and, in the case of children, their growing bones. They also include safety features such as automatic brakes and anti-tipping devices.

Power wheelchairs have many advantages for people who need them. Electronic controllers can help people drive smoothly, brake easily, and make the wheelchair move with the touch of a hand! Some hand controllers look like a joystick used to play a video game and are easy to operate.

There are many reasons why people may need wheelchairs to help them get around on their own - without the help of others, including:

• Injuries that interfere with their ability to walk
• Medical conditions such as muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy
• Missing legs and not good candidates for artificial limbs

Orthotics

Braces (orthotics) are often named for the body part they support. For example:

• An AFO brace is an ankle-foot orthosis.
• A KAFO brace is a knee-ankle-foot orthosis, or long leg brace.
• A Halo brace is a brace that surrounds the head and is held in place with small screws in the skull. It is used to stabilize the neck and prevent further damage to the spinal cord after injury.
• A scoliosis brace is a device to hold the spine in a straighter position during the growing years. The brace is prescribed by an orthopaedic specialist and is usually worn nearly full-time until bone growth has stopped.

In addition to mobility assistive devices, there are many kinds of assistive technology tools, including:

• Computer Access and Applications comprise special hardware and software to enable control of a computer.
• Environmental Control technologies make access to your home possible. This includes both devices for safety as well as those that enable you to return to your normal activities of daily living.
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) provides alternative methods or enhancements to verbal communication.
• Sensory Aids accommodate partial or total loss of hearing or vision or both.