I’m so excited to finally share this commission I did for @wittyy-name to accompany their fey klance fic LOVE ME TWICE, SAVE ME THRICE, which you should all go and read and give some love!
I feel like a lot of people do not know how much wheelchairs cost so
one that is actually designed to be used independently, rigid frame, without any fancy electronics, is a lot of money.
how much do you think the wheelchair shown below is worth?
ALT
this is $1,600. this costs one thousand six hundred dollars with no customization, on SALE. this is a SALE price. this is one of the cheapest rigid wheelchairs I could find from a reputable seller. different models cost thousands more and even basic customization can tack on a ton of money.
Bitch, itās better to get a dollie and a stick at that point then.
yeahā¦that is basically what people do. or they are forced to use pieces of crap folding wheelchairs that hurt the user because they are intended primarily for being pushed. if you have someone with you 24/7 who can push you everywhere? a wheelchair costs a couple hundred for one that might cause a little less bruising than a hospital model. want to be independent at all? you need thousands of dollars for a proper fit or be willing to constantly injure yourself.
I literally JUST purchased a properly fit wheelchair that was designed to be active, independent, and fit my needs. Nothing fancy, I think I got a tire upgrade so I can go on gravel and flip down handles so I can keep people from kidnapping āhelpingā me when I donāt want them to, but also got a less expensive cushion and backrest than standard and a $1000 discount off MSRP for paying in cash.
Turns out the price of freedom for me is exactly $2354.
My uncle bought a wheelchair after his accident, that is meant for rough terrain, itās built like a tank, the thing has treads, it can lift him upright so he can continue to pick from his orchard.
It cost more than a brand new car. Almost 60k for a wheelchair he can use to sustain his farm. JUST to sustain his farm.
Its ridiculous. Disabled people deserve affordable accommodations and mobility devices. They arenāt all fucking rich
And there is no practical reason for them to be that expensive. Similarly constructed bicycles run around 200-500 dollars new.
Itās because manufacturers think āLimited market- we can jack up the price and make more per unit. Look at the cost of anything in the US healthcare market aimed towards disabled or chronically ill peopleā
Why do you think informercial items exist? The majority of them are to make accommodative items more accessible and affordable, and sadly to do that, they market it to the ables as a convience item so they can sell it at a cost disabled people can afford them (which is why some people have such rage against these items). When viewed in that context, infomercials are really disturbing.
I want to wrap back around a second here, not to derail, but to note something.
Similarly constructed bicycles do NOT cost $200-500 new. Largely, bikes constructed with these kinds of quality materials will run you much, much more than that. (This yearās model of one of my bikes is $2000; the one of my other bike is around $5000.) Bikes that cost $200-500 new are generally heavy, less repairable, and less customizable than bikes that cost more. You can get pretty good kidsā bikes starting around $350 or so; the bike I just bought for my youngest was $459. If you want a bike that is lightweight, durable, repairable, customizable, and funā¦.you have to pay a lot for it if youāre buying it new. (Buying it used is much less expensive ā my good mountain bike cost less than the one I bought for my kid, because the frameās about 5 years old. You can get great bikes for very little if you get them used. But Iām talking about the new bike contention above.) My oldest kidās first BMX was inexpensive, and they broke it irreparably within a year. The BMX I paid 4x as much for has been broken 3 times and fixed within 10 minutes each time, and will be passed down to their younger sibling in a few months ā and Iāll probably be able to sell it in another few years, when the younger kid outgrows it. And thatās bikes ā but 5āll get you 20 that quality wheelchairs, the ones that arenāt uncomfortable hospital chairs and whatnot, are much more like good bikes than they are like inexpensive bikes.
This is not to say that I think human beings should have to pay that much money for accessibility equipment that helps them live comfortable and full lives. People who use wheelchairs SHOULD have quality materials ā those lightweight & durable materials ā and those arenāt inexpensive. Itās ridiculous that people have to pay out of pocket for these things for _accessibility equipment_, and it SHOULD make everyone angry. But comparing wheelchairs to inexpensive bikes aināt it.
ALT
