Designability has developed the first accessible pushchair for manual wheelchair users with mass manufacture in mind. The pushchair can be used by a disabled parent or carer, as well as people who are non-disabled. Just one pushchair for everyone.
Disabled parents who are wheelchair users have no safe way to get to the shops or the park independently with their young child. There is no widely available pushchair they can use so they either have to stay at home or rely on a non-disabled relative or friend.
Many parents choose to have their child sitting on their lap, which is often unsafe and uncomfortable.
As well as the practical difficulties, disabled parents have told us about the emotional impact of having to be dependent on others to go out with their baby or toddler, and that this means they feel a ‘lesser’ parent.
Lynn tells us why she would have benefitted from a pushchair she could use while her children were young.
Parents have told us how challenging it is to take their baby or toddler out and about while using a manual wheelchair.
Their feedback and input led to the creation of our own unique design, which will deliver an uncompromising experience for disabled users, whilst working equally well for non-disabled people.
Our design replaces the traditional rear wheels/footbrake assembly, turning any conventional pushchair into an accessible pushchair.
We carried out in-person prototype trials with parents who are manual wheelchair users, with further parents engaging online. Using their feedback and insight we were able to create our innovative final design, the first accessible pushchair designed for mass manufacture.
Thanks to support from the well-known pushchair manufacturer, Mamas and Papas, the pushchair completed safety testing in March 2023 to ensure compliance with British Safety Standard BS EN 1888.
Our design is GB patent pending and we are in the process of filing a worldwide patent for what we hope will be a life-changing product for so many people.
We now enter an exciting phase of the project as we begin our search for a commercial partner to bring the accessible pushchair to market for the very first time. Our hope is for this product to change the lives of disabled parents, not just in the UK, but across the world.
