Hi! I'm Pecan (any/all), and this blog is where I'm going to be rating depictions of wheelchairs in comics.
While I don't claim to be an expert on wheelchairs, I'm an ambulatory manual chair user who has the power of god and autism on my side, so I'm both open to correction and feel I have enough experience to have opinions (less so with powerchairs, which I'm much less familiar with).
Submissions/asks are open if you have any particular chairs you'd like to see me get into.
More information on me, what I'm currently reading, a labeled wheelchair diagram, and wheelchair references/resources under the cut.
About Me
I'm Pecan, I use any pronouns.
I am multiply disabled. I won't provide a diagnostic list but I feel it's relevant to share - I have neuropathy in my peripheral nervous system, Tourette's, and autism.
I'm also dyslexic so if I misinterpret/mistype/misread something and don't catch it on my own, either clarify or walk away lol.
Please do not point out any typos unless it's a new, worse word.
I use a manual wheelchair! I've only used folding frames (invacare, drive, karman) until my current (beloved) rigid frame girlie (quickie qri).
My other hobbies include being tired, perler beads, sewing, and casual gaming.
Labeled Wheelchair Diagram
What I'm Currently Reading (AKA where most content is coming from at the moment)
I'm working my way through the entirety of the X Men series. So. Hope you don't mind bald men.
I'm checking out Doom Patrol.
I will sometimes grab a Babs pic since she's been depicted as a wheelchair user more consistently than almost anyone in comics, but my Batman knowledge is limited.
Wheelchair References (If You Want To Depict Them Better Than 90% Of What's Here)
Guide by fancyfade
Wheelchairs & Character Design by cy-cyborg
Wheelchair refs & what each is good for by its-cripptid
If you know more/others send them my way and I'll add 'em.
Wheelchair History: Some Starting Points
Old Time-y British Wheelchairs
A brief history of wheelchairs with further readings in links
Another brief history: this time with pictures
Power chair history with a focus on the founder
Lastly, some interesting stuff on wheelchair advocacy/issues & stuff you may not know about & just stuff that's cool
Why Can I Get a Power Wheelchair But My Friend Can’t Get a Manual Chair?
The Curb-Cut Effect
A Guide For New Wheelchair Users (I personally used this one when I started out and oof. Helpful stuff.)
Handicap ramp is totally unusable. By the looks of it, kids have been trying to slide down. And, never mind coming down, w/o rails, but how do you get up that incline?
[ID: Two pictures of Pecan, a pale person in a tank top, leggings, and an AFO, sitting in two wheelchairs, one silver folding frame and one green rigid frame. Along the top of the image is the text "Comparing Wheelchairs, Off-the-Shelf Folding Frame vs. Custom Rigid." End ID.]
In this post I'm going to compare several images of my custom rigid frame wheelchair (Quickie QRi) and my mid-end off-the-shelf folding frame (Karman Ergo s115)! You're welcome to just look at the images, though I'll also be explaining why the differences are there as I go along. I'll also be explaining why those changes work for me, and why they don't work for others, as well as why many find that a rigid wheelchair works better than a folding wheelchair (but not all!).
All differences to notice are in blue, making it easy to skip the explanations.
[ID: Two pictures of Pecan's wheelchairs side by side. In the first image both chairs are empty, and in the second Pecan is sitting in both. The green chair has blue push rims and rainbow spokes, while the silver chair has some black spokes. End ID.]
Here's the side by side without me in them. Off the bat I'll note a few key things about my Quickie QRi that are not standard for it - I added silicone push rim covers (the blue), colored the spokes (rainbow up front, black in the back), added frog leg caster forks, and you can see my smart drive dial on the front of the frame. I'm adding a section at the end where I explain my reasoning for all of that.
The things to notice here:
The Karma chair (Karma from here) is much taller, has a much taller back of the seat, has much bigger caster wheels, and has a lot more to its frame than the Quickie.
The axle of the wheels on the Karma is directly under the seat, while its several inches further forward on the Quickie.
Though subtle, the Karma has a slight difference in height from the front of the seat to the back - the Quickie has a more noticeable one (though it's still small) - this is called "dump."
The high backing to Karma makes it more accessible to people with different reasons for using a chair - I have very few positioning needs so I keep the back rest on my Quickie as low as it can get. When I was using my Karma more consistently I would keep the back folded down in "transport position" to keep it lower. This is because it's helpful for me to have my shoulders as free as possible for more powerful pushes, but for people with greater positioning needs, the back of my Quickie (and the back of my Karma) could or would be too low to provide enough support for them to use the chair at all.
The different sizes of caster wheel are more "pros and cons" than "better or worse." The huge caster wheels of the Karma meant that it can go off of the sidewalk, over grass, mud, dirt, and gravel, or other difficult surfaces with very little trouble. However, they make tight turns/maneuverability much more difficult, while the tiny casters that I have on the Quickie are great for tight turns and responsiveness, but I have to hold myself in a wheelie any time I go off of pavement. I'm great at wheelies - someone who isn't would benefit from bigger casters unless they never go off of smooth surfaces.
The axle of the wheels effects the center of gravity for the wheelchair user. The closer it is to the front of the chair, the easier it is for the chair to flip backwards (and the easier it is to reach the pushrims). Wheelies in my Karma gave me extremely strong abdominal muscles and many wheelchair users I've talked to have been surprised anyone can wheelie in them at all. In my Quickie, if I'm going up a ramp my casters might leave the ground unless I lean forward, but wheelies are a breeze. The placement of the axles in relation to the user are a balancing game between wheel accessibility and user balance.
The greater dump on my Quickie makes me feel more "in" the chair and helps me feel less fatigued while using my chair - for others it can help with minor positioning needs. Here's a better and more detailed explanation.
[ID: A picture with Pecan sitting side by side in both the Karma and the Quickie wheelchairs. The Karma has a patch on the back that says "Be kind do good." End ID.]
Things to notice:
The dramatic difference in back heights
The gap between the back and the bottom of the seat on the Karma vs the lack of it on the Quickie
The X frame of the Karma vs the solid bar on the Quickie
The push handles on the Karma vs the lack on the Quickie (though it does have a rigidizing bar)
Here's a better look at how different the back heights are - on the Karma it ends halfway up my shoulder blades, while on the Quickie it ends almost below them. I already explained it above but I feel it's worth mentioning here!
On my Karma, there's a gap between the seat and the back upholstery. I honestly do not know why this is but I can vouch for the fact that my cushions tended to fall out from under me - you can see the gray cells of my cheap air cushion. The upholstery of the back of my Quickie sticks with velcro to the bottom of the chair, making it a smooth seam.
This gives a great view of how much more frame there is on my Karma vs my Quickie. The X frame is what allows the Karma to fold - while making it much heavier. The solid tube under my Quickie houses my wheel axles and also takes up much less space, at the cost of making it less transportable than the Karma (which folds into a little square - less space than Drive or Invacare wheelchairs make when folded, one of the reasons it's "mid tier").
There's a ten pound difference between the chairs, and the vast majority of that is explained by the extra frame that the Karma needs to function. Lighter chairs are easier to both transport and push!
Lastly, my Karma has push handles, while my Quickie does not. I am pretty physically strong, and extremely independent - and I have trauma from people pushing me without permission. Because of this I chose to omit push handles on my custom chair. On my Karma, they're welded into place. You can get fold down push handles, or bold on push handles, for custom chairs, but I decided not to because of how infrequently I want or need to be pushed. Someone may desire push handles if they prefer or need help on steep inclines (especially if they have to take them often), if they sometimes do not have the energy/ability to push themselves, or just because it's a good option to have.
[ID: Two pictures of the wheelchairs facing the camera side by side. In the first they are empty, and in the second Pecan is sitting in them. End ID.]
Things to notice:
The Karma's swing away footrests are straight, while the Quickie's rigid frame slightly tapers in.
The Karma's foot plates are at slightly different angles and visually less steady than the Quickie's solid footplate.
The back of the Quickie has a cushion, while the back of the Karma is solid fabric.
The Quickie has one solid cushion, while the Karma has two piled on to the seat.
The Quickie has no armrests, while the Karma has two built into the frame.
The frame of the front of the chair on the Karma is straight - this is something many will prefer on their rigid chairs! Others like myself prefer a taper - my next chair will definitely be one with a stronger taper. As far as I am aware this mainly comes down to preference. I just prefer the taper because I feel like it leaves less room for my legs to move, and also leaves a tighter frame for my casters which I'm always in the mood for. The casters being directly behind the footrests means that the footrests have to go out much further on the Karma, which made it a lot harder to turn in tight spaces. This can be mitigated with a foot rest.
You'll also note that the casters on the Quickie "stem" off of the front of the frame, going back and at an angle, while the casters on the Karma are straight under the boxy frame, making the foot rests go out further. This is just a byproduct of the chair being foldable.
The footplates being swing away also makes them less steady at the cost of greater transportability. The chair is extremely easy to transport - when fully deconstructed I have fit it in the foot space for my passenger seat - but my legs would jostle/move very easily and the footrests would regularly shake on rough surfaces. This is less of an issue for my Quickie with its solid footplate, but in return it requires a full seat to be stowed while fully disassembled.
The back of the Quickie has a foam cushion and a zipper for it on the upholstery - the back of the karma is just fabric. Once more, this is pretty much just for the transportability, though the Karma is also more breathable for this, while I would need to go out of my way to buy a more breathable backing for my Quickie (and pay out of pocket), even if this is a more comfortable backing material.
The cushion for my Quickie was paid for with the chair and velcros into place - the cushions on my Karma were bought out of pocket and are a cheap air cushion under a fairly priced gel cushion with a cover. Both work about as well as the other for me, but the two cushions slide around very easily. I have a velcro cover I sewed by hand for outings but I've left it off in the pictures because I forgot I had it.
The Karma chair has solid armrests and for most people this is fine - many will also have them on their custom chairs. The benefits include feeling more secure in your chair, an easier way to do "chair pull ups" for repositioning, relief of pressure, and arm exercise, and just having a thing to rest your arms on. Others like myself will prefer a total lack of arm rests since it frees up your arms/elbows, and bumping my arms into them all the time tends to Really overstimulate me. I actually have swing away/removable arm rests for my Quickie but I haven't casually used them since getting them.
Silicone covers for the push rims: they make them easier to grab and they also look cool. They do make them bulkier and they make tight fits through door frames tighter.
I added colored spoke skins (plastic straws with a seam to snap them on to spokes) because I think it looks cool. That's all there is to it, I think it slaps, and I get compliments on them all the time.
I added frog leg caster forks because I have a lot of nerve pain in my legs, and they soften how much shaking I get in my chair from going over rough surfaces. They're smaller than the casters my chair came with to add maneuverability.
I have a smart drive because I live in an urban area and it greatly increases how fast/far I can go without needing a car or bus - it's not great for the local hills, though.
[ID: A collage of images of Pecan, a pale person in a tank top and leggings, as Pecan uses a green wheelchair with rainbow spokes or a silver folding frame wheelchair. Pecan's face is blurred out in all images. In two images Pecan is posing with an AFO, one standing and one seated. In the center of the image is the text "Wheelchair & AFO References. End ID.]
<<Link to the Google Drive>>
A friend lamented the lack of wheelchair reference images out there and so I went a little bit overboard.
Inside the Drive you will find various photos of me in two of my wheelchairs (my custom Quickie QRi and my off-the-shelf Karma Ergo S-115) and a few pictures of me with my AFO, moving with my cane, and three pictures of me with my foot dropped. There are also individual pics of my wheelchairs and my AFO without me in them. Some poses have me doing things, others are just me sitting neutrally in my wheelchair. There are individual pictures of some accessories such as my anti-tippers, armrests, and smartdrive.
I imagine it goes without saying but these are free to use as references - please do not repost them though.
A little more info under the cut!
All images have my face blurred, along with some other minor editing to reduce identifiable features. The front spokes are rainbow - the back spokes are black, sorry, my arthritis makes it way too hard to remove them.
Organizational notes:
All images facing the viewer are labeled "front"
All images facing away from the viewer are labeled "back"
All images at 90 degrees to the camera are "side"
All images at three quarters (3/4) are "34" with an "f" for front or "b" for back (e.x. "34b" would be facing away from the camera, halfway between side and back).
"Fixins" means it has all accessories - cushion, side guards, anti-tippers, and arm rests.
I know the DC graphic novels have a bad rep, but I recommend this one. It was a great read and I'm really happy it was created. Here's what's great about this chair:
The Frame/Chair
It's not a stretch to say Barbara's family has access to money/resources, and this chair is made very well for a person with a spinal cord injury who will be using it full time. It is rigid, making it lighter/better for full time use. The footplate is solid and the casters are small, but not tiny, making them great for things like getting around a city or grassy patches. The push rims are close to the tires, she's got a thick cushion, and even the caster wheels branching out from the footplate is a good call. On an adult chair, the footplate would be lower - but for a pediatric chair, the footplate is higher, which means this artist had a great attention to detail!
The low back is also great - Babs still has full use of her upper body, so she needs less support, and can benefit from having her shoulders/arms freed up for stronger pushes.
The Decoration
Yes!!! She is making that chair her own. Full spoke covers like that are more expensive than most, if not all other decorations, but they have practical and decorative benefits. So often wheelchairs that are depicted in comics have no decorations. I know very few people who don't like a little something on their chair to make it their own. This was a great call.
The Attitude
She can manage! This whole novel does a great job, in my opinion, at depicting internalized ableism and the medical model of disability.
I've given these tips to enough other wheelchair users that I figured I could make a post about it, and this blog is aligned enough with it that I figured I could post it here.
I've spent time as an administrator for a pre-K and school age programs, and I am also in my final year to be dual certified as a special education/general education elementary school teacher in America. I am also an ambulatory wheelchair user, but cannot safely move without a mobility aid, even when I am standing/walking. SO. Here's a guide/rundown of how I personally talk about disability with the kids I work with!
When First Meeting a Class
You do not need to explain/justify your wheelchair, and any adult who believes you do is probably doing it for their own curiosity and not an interest in the kids.
My personal recommendation is to say you are always happy to answer questions about yourself, and leave it open ended.
If the class had to be rearranged for your wheelchair and you feel comfortable saying so, I will sometimes say "I'm really grateful that you moved the furniture so I could get around. I can't wait to meet everyone!" It makes it clear why the need is there, and if a kid accidentally blocks you you can always ask them to move so you can get through and remind them.
When They Ask Questions
"Why do you use that?"
I respond by asking them what is 'that' - being careful to speak with a curious tone. For young kids, they might not know the word, and will probably point. From there you can say "oh! this is my wheelchair! have you heard that word before? i use it to get around since walking is [very hard/impossible/not something my body does]."
"Why don't you walk?"
I respond by telling them walking is something I can do for a little while, but it really hurts. Link it to a concrete example. "Have you ever gone into a super hot car, and you could do it for a little, but you wouldn't want to be in there all day?" "Have you ever tried to hold snow (or an ice cube) without gloves, and you could do it for a little but then it started to hurt your hands because it was so cold?" Make it personal, specific, and simple - developmentally they may still need support understanding that other people have different experiences (or might be totally unable to yet).
"How'd you get into that?"
I typically respond silly - "Well, I sat down!" If you want to, and you do not need to, you can make this into a (short, keep it short, their brains are so interested in everything and switch very quickly) lesson on transfers/how people get in/around with their wheelchairs.
"What happened?"
I respond by asking them what they mean. This typically leads to another question which I mentioned above. Alternatively I sometimes say "I realize a wheelchair helps me get around safely!"
"How do you use the bathroom?"
My strategy that's worked best is being calm and friendly while saying "I don't like talking about how I use the bathroom." If you can redirect after that (point out something for them to do, change the subject to something they'll find more interesting) it'll make it easier. If they ask why, you can say that everyone has stuff they don't like talking about and for you it's the bathroom.
Physical Interactions With Your Chair
They touch your chair
We had a big thing about this in my pre-K rooms - what we would do is if a kid tried to touch my chair (or did) I would tell them "It's so cool that you want to explore my wheelchair, but I want to make sure you're safe, because there's a lot of moving parts that can pinch you! Can I give you words for when you want to touch my wheelchair?" If no, then let them know you can't let people who can't be safe touch your wheelchair. If yes, give them a script to ask for permission - you will have to repeat it. A lot. Gentle repetition is your friend and within two months my kiddos were asking everyone permission to touch them at school. My script went "Teacher Pecan, can I touch your wheelchair?" "No, now it's a safe time, because [I am moving a lot/I am tired/I need a break/you have a task to do]. We can check in again [when it is a break time/when I feel better/when you finish your task." "Yes, it is safe to touch my wheelchair right now. Can you point to where you want to touch?"
They kick your chair
Every time a kid kicks/hurts your chair, say "ouch! that hurt! my wheelchair is part of my body, it helps me get around!" Repetition and speaking clearly are your friends. If a kid keeps kicking your chair, finding another thing for them to kick (for example, a ball) can help divert the kicking need into something safer for everyone :)
They (try to) sit in your lap
Gently use your hands to get them off or keep them off. Calmly say "Oops! My wheelchair isn't big enough for the two of us!" If they complain/protest, validate and then explain. My script is "I know it looks like a cool place to sit, but my wheelchair is just for me."
They (try to) push your wheelchair.
My last two chairs had no push handles, but my second one did! It can make sense to panic when I kiddo pushes you - I've had them try to push me into walls (by accident). Here's what I did that worked great: Immediately lock my breaks/grab my pushrims, and calmly say "oops! We don't push wheelchairs without permission!" If they stuck around/didn't immediately run away, I would ask them if they remember a time an adult picked them up and took them somewhere they didn't want to go (typically a car). If they say yes, and even if they say no, I explained that pushing my wheelchair feels just like that, and makes me scared. Most children never pushed it again, and everyone stopped after the second try.
Miscellaneous Tips
"Isn't that cool?" is your friend. Any time a kid is first learning about your wheelchair, end the sentence with it. Any time a kid is nervous about your wheelchair and you explain something, end the explanation with it. "It helps me get around, isn't that cool?" "These are called spokes. Aren't they cool?"
Wheelchairs can be grounding tools when you have a good handle on the class and boundaries! Only if you would like to. My spokes on my last chair were rainbow, and I would use my chair to physically get between them and the emotional trigger, and ask them questions about my spokes. "What colors are next to green?" "Can you point to which one is your favorite?" "Hmmm which color do I get if I mix red with blue?"
"Why doesn't [limb(s)] work?" My left foot is (mostly) paralyzed due to nerve damage, and my script is "My brain can't talk to my foot and tell it to move." You can say whatever you'd like, just try and keep it to basic body parts unless the kiddo is super into anatomy.
If they imply/say wheelchairs are bad, or you might be sad for being in one, you can correct them by telling them how cool your wheelchair is! Get them to compliment it too, if their attention span allows. "I don't feel sad about my wheelchair, I love it! I love the color! Do you? What color do you think I should get next?"
In conclusion - talking calmly, positively, and using repetition of the same words/scripts is a great way to not just exist in a classroom hassle free, but to get kids comfortable with disability/mobility aids at a young age. I have had kids get pinched by my chair (he grabbed my axle from behind), and luckily I had my higher ups on my side and they agreed that I made every effort to keep the kids safe (plus he learned his lesson lol, he always asked permission after that). Your mileage may vary based on admin and their attitudes, so play it by ear, and change any of my tips as needed. Feel free to send questions to this blog too. :)
i keep seeing this idea that Real wheelchair users all have custom active chairs, and that transport/standard chairs are just an embarrassing stereotype. “no one really uses those!” “stop drawing disabled characters in standard chairs!!”
well, plenty of us are a stereotype. sorry. custom chairs require MONEY and good medical support. meanwhile active chairs are unusable for some people. i used an uncomfy transport chair (the kind with tiny wheels and no way to self propel) for a year, and a standard chair for 7yrs. until i got my powerchair i was only ever pushed by a carer. a lot of disabled people will never use an active or custom chair. don’t pretend we don’t exist just because we don’t fit some cool independent ideal.
shoutout to people who use transport chairs and adaptive strollers and other chairs that need to be pushed by a carer
shoutout to people who use standard chairs that don’t fit their body
shoutout to people who use secondhand or makeshift wheelchairs
in my teens i literally felt invalid as a disabled person because i didnt have the ‘real actual’ type of wheelchair everyone talks about online. just my garbage transport chair that my mom had to push. but people with shitty wheelchairs exist and are extremely common actually
This! I see this criticism a lot in disability circles, and we really need to move away from it. Lots of real wheelchair users use hospital chairs. We can criticise movie studios/game devs/character artists for not doing proper research without throwing the people who use these chairs irl under the bus and invalidating them.
In my own art tutorial I used 2 active chairs as the first examples, because the point was to demonstrate how to make structurally similar wheelchairs distinct and reflect the characters using them, but I made sure to explain that having the money or living somewhere where the cost of the chair is paid for/subsidised was one of the things to consider when giving a character a chair like that. I'm planning to do a similar tutorial for other styles of wheelchairs (including hosptial/transport wheelchairs) soon too.
Other Aid Saturday! Because I've used a lot of mobility aids and I have opinions on all of them.
Freddy (blond kid in the middle) uses forearm crutches, and they're usually drawn great, which was what made this panel stand out to me so much.
Holding a forearm crutch backwards like that isn't just hard or useless - it's painful!
The full rant with pictures and videos is under the cut, which is much more educational than anything against the artist of this particular panel. I know it was probably just a drawing error lol
TL;DR A character that uses forearm crutches would be more mobile without crutches at all than holding a crutch backwards, even as a weapon.
What are forearm crutches for?
Forearm crutches are for weight bearing! They're better than canes in this aspect, and even better than rollators (rolled walkers) which can bear less weight before you compromise the stability of the wheels.
Why does the orientation matter?
Check it out! It's my forearm crutches! You can see the angle that the crutch takes from my elbow down to my arm - this helps distribute my full body weight between my wrist and my elbow, which is way less strain on my sensitive joints.
Here's those exact positions with my crutch again - "wow!" I can hear you say. "Pecan! That looks like such a strain!" It is! I have to bend my elbow and my arm backwards in order to hold the crutch at 90 degrees from the ground. Ouch!
Also beyond that, my crutches have a full cuff (a personal preference) but Freddy's do not. With my full cuff it pinches me - with an more open cuff it would just not stay on!
How do you move with forearm crutches forwards vs backwards?
Well. Lucky for both of us I was having a pretty good pain day a little ago and took some videos for this purchase because I kept this post in the drafts since I made this blog. Here you go!
Standing/weight bearing with a jump:
And weight bearing with a jump and backwards crutches:
It's a lot easier to put my weight on the crutches and maintain balance with them facing forward as opposed to backward.
As for walking, here's me taking a couple steps (kicking my legs for fun) with the crutches forward:
And then here's me taking a couple steps with them backwards, trying to do the same thing:
Even on my lesser-pain day it's hard to even keep my balance with the crutches backwards!
Aaand lastly,
Pecan, what if they grab it backwards and don't have time to get it on properly?
Not a concern! Look at how easy and fast it is to get a crutch flipped using just your wrist and broad hand movements!
I hope that this is educational or informational or something - this amount of explanation is not proportional to the drawing error with Freddy's crutches in that panel, so this was honestly more for the love of infodumping than a full critique of that panel. I love Freddy and this was genuinely the only error I saw in this particular run. I love my forearm crutches and I love seeing people who love theirs too. :)
Thoughts on this from The Wicked + The Divine Issue 10?
Just a silhouette, but at least a bit more practical than some comic wheelchairs.
Oh thrilling! Thank you for the wheelchair!
So I don't know this character, but I can tell a lot about this wheelchair even from the silhouette - and it shows someone who likely knows their way around wheelchairs!
So a couple things jump out at me - the first is the spoked wheels. Those are a common trait of custom wheelchairs, unless you get really fancy. [Both links lead to LoopWheels and SoftWheels listing for education purposes. Sometimes wheels will have lightweight plastic spokes but it's less common on custom chairs.]
The single piece footplate implies this person is either a full-time user or, if they are ambulatory, they use a wheelchair enough to get a custom one.
The back looks low enough that their shoulders are free, and though there are push handles that isn't an automatic problem - a lot of people opt to have them, choose them "just in case," or need them sometimes but not always.
A really neat note is that you can see that single axle running under the chair - this is a great detail! Most (if not all) rigid frame chairs have that one single axle to connect the wheels. It's kind of like homestuck troll horns in that even people who are into drawing wheelchairs will forget to put it there lmao.
So I can't give it an exact score since I don't know the context of this wheelchair user - but I can say that this is a great depiction of the silhouette of an active custom manual wheelchair! In that aspect it's a 10/10 outline lol
The push rims are so close to the tires! They're at an easy height to grip and get as much distance and force for your push as possible. My only concern is how smooth those tires are - but as I understand it she doesn't off-road it very much.
The low back gives Barbara a lot of extra maneuverability. It frees up everything above her waist which prevents unnecessary upper body strain. The wheels are also so close to the bucket (seat) that they definitely have almost all of her body weight above the axle (an ideal).
The lack of handles is a great choice! If someone can consistently self-propel and doesn't like strangers (or even non-strangers) deciding where they go, leaving off the handles is a common choice. Given Barbara is an independent person with no arm strength/paralysis issues, it's a natural option!
All of the above speaks to this being a customized and efficient chair. Exactly what Barbara would have, as someone with access to a lot of resources to get one!
While the rest of the chair isn't visible, from what we can see this is a great depiction of an active chair for an active user. Just by looking at it you can infer accurate things about her as a person!
This wheelchair is the one that made me start doing historical research! It's a bad chair.
First trouble - the push rims on this are absolute ass. They're so close to the axle that there is no way to manually push this chair effectively - never mind on grass where he is right now!
Also the lack of caster wheels! Given how far his legs go out he'd need those suckers. I think they're seen later on but even then they're super small.
The single anti-tipper on the back is interesting! You can see it on modern dance wheelchairs. But theirs are slightly off the ground to allow for extra mobility and also, critically, are used on dance floors (notorious for their butter-like consistency for chair pushers). Pretty much anywhere else it's somewhere between inconvenience and liability. Just get the man normal anti-tippers!
I try to avoid criticizing things that are more likely just drawing errors, but I do want to point out that the wheel overlaps with his armrest, meaning he has to reach his arm out even further than his arm rest to reach those little push rims. Even more shoulder strain!
The backing is also super high, but given how chairs were in the 60's that less of an issue than if this were like. A chair for Barbara Gordon in the year of our lord 2024.
Lastly, the weight of this chair is still gonna be more than commercial chairs of the time (~40 lbs/~18 kg), and those already suck weight wise. So this chair is annoying to push with the weight of it.
Points given because it's reminiscent of older wheelchairs (like this one in 1865). It also pulls from the professor's canon traits of being. Well. A professor. It's a scholarly chair.
The first things that strike me are the size of the pushrims. They're very far into the wheel, and very small. Not only would it be hard to reach down and then push them effectively, but it leads into the second problem - this wheelchair is 90% recliner. It covers the back of his shoulders entirely - you try and reach down and behind you from a recliner next time you're in one!
When it comes to wheelchairs, weight is a huge factor, because you're pushing the chair and yourself! Lay-Z-Boys are heavy as shit, and even if this chair was stuffed with the lightest metal and stuffing, it's still gonna be Heavier than a more standard frame.
His legs being out so far is also an interesting but not inherently bad design choice.
All that said, he doesn't leave the house in it. And we never even see him pushing himself. Maybe he just makes Scott, Hank, or Warren do it. They're seen doing so later in the comic so I can only assume (though I wish we got a look at how beefy the castors on that thing must be).
Ultimately still gets any points for being an eccentric rich man's recliner wheelchair. Who doesn't want to live in a recliner? It still gets a huge deduction for being extremely impractical.
