How to Disable a Wheelchair

Learning to disable a wheelchair is important for safety reasons.

Being able to disable a wheelchair is very important, both if you need to use a wheelchair yourself or if you are transporting someone in a wheelchair. Health and safety regulations at all hospitals require wheelchairs to be disabled before anyone sits down in them, to prevent the wheelchair from rolling away and causing an accident. Regular wheelchair users also need to be able to disable their wheelchair if they are going to be stationary for some time, such as when they are sitting at a dinner table.

Things You'll Need

• Wheelchair

Instructions

1. Wheel the chair to the desired position. If someone is about to sit in the chair, it should be positioned on flat ground with plenty of room on either side.

2. Push forward on the lock tips. These are located above the wheel on either side of the chair.

3. Make sure the lock tips snap into position. The wheels are now locked into position, and the wheelchair is effectively disabled.

References

• St. Luke's Hospital: Wheelchair Instructions