Consumer Information and Protection

• A Guide to Wheelchair Selection: How to Use the ANSI/RESNA Wheelchair Standards to Buy a Wheelchair
• Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability(CSADP)
• Consumer Reports® Online - nothing about rehabilitation equipment yet... but wouldn't it be nice?
• Independent Choices - Enhancing Consumer Direction For People With Disabilities - a program sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• The Federal Gateway to Consumer Information
• The National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators
• Partnership for Civil Justice - a civil rights, public rights and workmen's rights law firm with excellent links.
• Be sure and check the resources for education on wheelchair technology at Wheelchair University.

Product comparisons

• Independent Reviews - reviews of different wheelchairs by knowledgeable and "real" end users.
• "Spin Doctor runs wheelchairs through gauntlet" - Dr. Rory Cooper at the University of Pittsburgh crash-tests wheelchairs!
• Sliver Cross - research all lift products, compare common models, inform you about the availability of local funding and find a recycled or low priced lift.
• WheelchairJunkie.com - irreverent opinions about wheelchairs from Mark E. Smith, Editor and wheelchair user. The site a hot discussion area about the pros and cons of various makes and models of wheelchairs.

Product Improvements

• Johnson & Johnson: The Independence 3000 IBOT Transporter
• The Stakeholders Forum - a joint project of the RERCs on Technology Transfer and Wheeled Mobility.
  • The Proceedings of the Stakeholder's Forum - the final documents discussing the needed developments in wheelchair technology.
• Link to WheelchairNet's discussion on mobility products

Standards: What do they mean to the purchaser?

Wheelchair standards are the terms, definitions, design requirements, performance requirements, test methods and disclosure requirements of wheelchairs that are agreed upon and formalized by a national or international standards organization.

• Wheelchair and Seating Standards Development
• Application Guidelines - how to apply the standards to seating and mobility products

Scooters versus Wheelchairs

• How do scooters and wheelchairs compare?
• Link to a discussion on this topic.

Lightweight versus Standard Wheelchairs

• Research study by Rory Cooper, PhD

Indoor power mobility

• What power mobility products are available?

"Lemon Laws" and Wheelchair Warranties

• AT Lemon Laws - an article in The RESNA Technical Assistance Project which reviews all of the state laws.
• The Motorized Wheelchair Warranty Act of Pennsylvania
• New York Motorized Wheelchair Lemon Law - a guide for consumers
  • The New York Law on Motorized Wheelchair Warranties
• The Minnesota Law - on this page go to the "edit" menu, choose "find" and type "wheelchair warranties."

Last Updated: 3-2-2006