Use of active wheelchairs in everyday life: experiences among experienced users of active ultra lightweight rigid frame wheelchairs

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the everyday life experience of being an experienced active wheelchair user in Sweden. Method: A qualitative approach, based on interviews, was chosen. Eleven active wheelchair users were interviewed; the results analysed by means of a thematic content analysis. Results: Two main categories, each with two sub-categories emerged: (1) Challenges and changes (life-course perspective); and (2) the ambassador of differentness (activities and situations). The first sub-categories: (1a) the changing self (attitudes and values); and (1b) getting older (the meaning of experiences for future expectations). The second sub-categories: (2a) the responsible representative (having to represent a general image of disability); and (2b) other's attitudes (interactants' expressions of attitudes). Conclusions: An active wheelchair user can be seen as an open person, a representative of other wheelchair users. Interactants can actively engage in solving non-existing problems, or over-estimate actual problems, i.e. over-attentiveness. The personal experience can change over time, e.g. to care less about over-attentiveness, or to engage less in situations where over-attentiveness is likely to occur, i.e. impression management. Also, regular interactants can learn to see the wheelchair as something normal, sometimes even forgetting it.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• To use an active wheelchair affects interaction in everyday life, rendering the user an open person, possible to address at will as a representative of other users as well.

• The experienced user of an active wheelchair is the expert concerning her/his present capacity in activities in everyday life; possible obstacles remain inert until defined otherwise by the user.

Keywords:

• Active wheelchair
• everyday life
• normate
• open person
• over-attentiveness

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participants in this study.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.