Some of these pieces were originally on the 'Red Squirrel Party" Blog, but I thought they might detract a little from the more political polemic there.

So I started this one.

The title, just in case the odd reader may not have fathomed it, is a deliberate mis-spelling. Because those of us who are disabled know very well how the non-disabled are all too prone to "diss" us about what we are (or or sometimes erroneously think we should be) able to do . . .

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Roulette Wheel

Selected for the Design Museum 2013 awards, wheelchair wheels that fold flat (or oval, anyway) look like a good idea. Though I've not (yet) entrusted my own folding wheelchair to a airplane hold, after the experiences of some Paralympians last summer, I think I might just stick to trains.


Yet another idea from those very inventive London design students. And I salute the cleverness. But . . .you need to be a winner at the tables to be able to afford them. According to the Morph website (the company that's selling them) they come out at 950 US dollars each!

Somehow, I think, if I have to put my wheelchair on a plane, I'll see if I can borrow a drum case from a percussionist mate to keep my wheels from getting bent into an oval by accident rather than design.

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Now That's What I (Don't) Call Style . . .


Supposedly, building this. . .device . . .took its designer 'all over the USA'. I can't think why. UK wheelchair users will, no doubt recognise a bog-standard hundred and fifty quid basic chassis to it.

Plus a bit extra for the hood off a buggy, of course.

Good god. All that money . . . when she could have got one of these.


Or got a bit more up to date, and maybe got one of these:


Not to mention my own fave carbon fibre one, of course:


The green chair I found on a 'designer' website which I damn well won't link to. That's because the article was titled: "Wheelchairs bringing a ray of hope in bleak lives of physically disabled"

Bloody hell. Once upon a time as a sub-editor I probably wrote thousands of headlines. I have to admire that one. It's beyond my skills to fathom out how it could be any more offensive. Well done.

Anyway, the wheels there are only design concepts, I suspect, and are probably all impracticable.