Fundraiser for new, safe wheelchair

Aim

I'm Autumn and I'm fundraising for a new wheelchair. I am a disabled student about to begin my third year of university.

Hi, my name is Autumn and I am desperately fundraising for a new custom wheelchair. I am a disabled student about to begin my third year of university. I am also a full-time wheelchair user.

I have been using my current wheelchair for four years, in that time my medical needs have progressed and changed quite drastically, so unfortunately my wheelchair has reached the end of its lifespan for me and is no longer suitable nor safe for me to use. 

The biggest development in my disabilities is that my ankles have contracted, meaning they are stuck at a 180 degree angle (permanently “pointed” or “flexed”) which means my feet no longer sit on the footplate of my wheelchair and hang off it, grazing the floor, which puts me at huge risk of getting my feet stuck underneath my chair whilst moving. Because of this, I risk breaking my ankles and doing even more damage to an already serious issue. 

Another issue I face is the sizing of my wheelchair, as I have lost 40% of my bodyweight in the last four years due to my disabilities, which means my current wheelchair is both too wide and it is also too short for me by multiple inches, which puts a lot of strain on different parts of my body. This is causing shoulder degeneration, joint and muscle pain and severe pressure sore risks.

I have spoken to various different wheelchair brands and suppliers about all of these issues, and I have had an occupational therapist evaluation, and the consensus is the only option for me is to have a wheelchair that is entirely custom built for the specialised needs I have. There is no way to make my current chair safe to use and every possible way to do so has been explored in detail.

This is unfortunately incredibly costly, and so I need help to raise the funds so that I can get a suitable wheelchair and support my body safely. The wheelchair that I would be getting is almost fully welded and built using strong materials to last well beyond the usual five year life span of a typical active wheelchair.

This new wheelchair would allow me my independence back. In my current chair, I’m relying on others to push me around and am not able to propel myself very far at all due to the size of my chair and how poorly fitting it is. This is in addition to the risk and fear of my ankles being broken under my wheelchair, or doing damage to my body just by trying to get around as I navigate my third year of university and my daily life.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I am truly grateful for any and all donations and I hope you will consider sharing this CrowdFunder to help me reach my goal and achieve more independence.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 10th July 2026 at 9:26pm