Date: Monday, June 4, 2012
Category: General

Mobility Management, a trade industry magazine serving the seating & mobility professional, highlights RESNA's new position paper on "The Application of Ultralight Manual Wheelchairs" in the June 2012 issue. The magazine interviewed RESNA volunteer and paper co-author Lauren Rosen, PT, MPT, MSMS, ATP/SMS.  

The Application of Ultralight Manual Wheelchairs is the latest of several seating & mobility-oriented position papers that RESNA has published. In addition to Rosen, the paper's authors are Carmen DiGiovine, PhD, RET, ATP; Theresa Berner, OTR/L, ATP; Kendra Betz, MPT, ATP; Tina Roesler, PT, MS, ABDA; and Mark Schmeler, PhD, OTR/L, ATP.

The purpose of the position paper is to document available research and best clinical practice to assist practitioners in supporting the appropriate application of fully customizable manual wheelchairs. Developed through RESNA's Special Interest Group on Seating and Wheeled Mobility, the paper highlights, among other things that:

• Wheelchairs should conform to the individual and not the individual to the chair;
• Wheelchairs should be as lightweight as possible while also being fully adjustable to meet the individual's needs; and
• Wheelchairs that are lightweight and adjustable cause the least amount of injury to users and increase functionality.