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Buying a wheelchair is not merely about providing a disabled individual a means to transport himself. It's more about integrating a disabled person into their society. And when a disabled person has the right wheelchair parts and accessories, he can continue to be a productive member of the community.

Disabled individuals who use wheelchair know that when it comes to buying a wheelchair one of the most important things to consider is the availability of spare parts. Is it easily available when you need them? Are they affordable? Because wheelchairs are used almost everyday this can cause immediate wear and tear to its parts. When this happens, it is essential that spare parts should be easily available to you.

Wheelchair parts that are often worn out include tires, upholstery, batteries and cushions. Different wheelchair tires are used in wheelchairs, so before you change your tire make sure that you are familiar with your tire type so you would not have a hard time looking for a replacement. The cushion is probably the most important accessory in a wheelchair.

Basically, cushions are used to protect the skin from pressure sores. As you are probably well aware of, pressure sores could greatly affect the person's functional activities such as reaching, forward motions or transfers. A lot of researchers have spent a large amount of money in developing cushions to make sure that wheelchair users will be comfortable in their chairs. Because of this you now have quite a choice of cushions based on your needs. Several factors are needed to consider when choosing a cushion. This includes the weight of the person, sitting balance, extent and type of deformities, duration of time he will spend in the wheelchair and skin condition among others.

To make sure that you are comfortable in using your wheelchair it is important that you check it for any signs of wear and tear everyday. You would not want to get in an accident and risk harming yourself, so make it a point to check it at least once in a couple of days if you cannot do it everyday. Remember that many different materials and combination of materials are used in a wheelchair, all of which have both positive and negative characteristics. By better understanding the features and parts of your wheelchair, you will be better able to make choices about your wheelchair. Anytime you need to change parts of your wheelchair make sure that they are compatible with you and your wheelchair needs. After all, comfort is important for a disabled person to be a net contributor in society.