How I Funded My Powerchair

Funding my powerchair was a long and stressful process. It shouldn’t be. You should just receive one fully funded and maintained via the NHS wheelchair services. However, unfortunately I know this isn’t the case for so many people. Many fellow disabled people have had to resort parents’ support and crowdfunding to get a powerchair that meets their needs, and in some cases any type of powerchair. This is due to the strict criteria you have to meet to be eligible for a powerchair, or because of complex needs and requirements where the one size fits all approach doesn’t work.

I faced being basically housebound, but not due to poor health, due to NOT having a piece of equipment that met my needs.

My Powerchair Situation

My complex needs and height (I am very tall) meant I didn’t fit the one size fits all (wheelchair services) approach. I would have been left unable to leave the house, as due to my height the powerchair would not fit in my wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV), of which there wasn’t an alternative to. (To clarify I cannot travel by bus or train.) My life has been limited enough due to chronic illness and disability, for example spending four years in hospital, three and a half of which I was bedbound. Now I faced being basically housebound, but not due to poor health, due to NOT having a piece of equipment that met my needs.

Due to this I had the personal wheelchair budget (PWB). The downside of this is I am responsible for servicing and maintaining the chair. Furthermore, the amount that wheelchair services actually give you is the amount it costs them, and as they buy in bulk, I would not be able to buy the powerchair they would have provided with the amount they gave me.

Funding My Powerchair

I funded my powerchair through five sources:

• Mum and Dad
• Personal wheelchair budget (PWB)
• Access To Work
• Contribution from my work asked for by Access to Work
• Motability charity- Access to work scheme

Access To Work

Access To Work is a government scheme that supports disabled people to start and stay in work with the additional costs/ adaptations to making work possible.

They can help with funding a powerchair. They require three quotes for a similar specification chair. Then they want to know which one meets your needs.

Access To Work require your employer to contribute towards the powerchair/piece of equipment, how much depends on the cost of the item and size of the organisation (number of employees).

Access To Work, work out their contribution after deducting the PWB (if relevant) and the employer’s contribution, then multiply the remaining amount by the number of days you work to get what they will contribute i.e. 3/7 if you work three days a week. Your contribution (also known as the social and domestic contribution) is the days you don’t work i.e. in the example ×4/7 if you don’t work four days a week.

Personally, I find it an interesting concept as in most jobs no-one not even a non-disabled person works seven days a week! 

Unfortunately, this penalises people who don’t work as much.

Motability Charity

If you work, get a wheelchair via Access To Work and are in need of support with the social and domestic contribution, the Motability Charity have a wonderful scheme supporting disabled people with the social and domestic contribution. This is something I am very grateful for and didn’t know about. I hope it can benefit others too.

If you can’t get through on the phone, they are good at answering emails so maybe try emailing.

Charities

Apart from Motability Charity I didn’t use any of the below. However, I did some research into charities, I hope they may be useful to others.

• Motability Charity– If you work and apply to Access To Work
• Saturday Hospital Fund– up to £2000
• Florence Nightingale Aid-In Sickness Trust
• Independence At Home
• Carter Trust
• Barchester Charitable Foundation– small £100-£600
• Mobility Trust

Also check out charities related specifically to your illness/disability and any local charities to where you live.

Advice On Charities and Grants Available

Access Your Life have a grants assistance scheme service that may be able to help you find grants to assist you with your powerchair funding.

Turn2Us is also a website that can help show you what grants are available to you.

Thank You For Supporting Me In The Process Of Funding My Powerchair

Thank you to everyone who has listened, supported and guided me, including Surrey Coalition of Disabled People, who have battled my corner in the process of funding my powerchair.

If you are having to fund your own powerchair: good luck I know it is a challenge.

Hannah x

You may be interested in reading: My Wheelchair: Is It Disabiling or Enabling?