Chailey Heritage School

Mobility is very important for a good quality of life, particularly for those with disabilities. The purpose of the effort reduction system is to extend and provide new opportunities and enhance independence for the young people at Chailey Heritage School. 

Development work has started to provide a control system that can take the hard work out of driving. By selecting the Effort Reduction ER mode, the system removes a lot of the unnecessary work the driver has to do. For example, when driving along a corridor the new system guides the driver by detecting the walls and steering the wheelchair away when necessary. If the ground slopes or is uneven the anti-veer system will keep the wheelchair on course. This project has been funded from money kindly raised by James Hanbury. We have now received a new Spectra Plus wheelchair and work has started to apply and test the new anti-veer control system. 

The new Effort Reduction Wheelchair will soon be tried by the young people at the school. Their experiences, comments and feedback will form a valuable part of the development process. In time it is hoped that more young people will want to drive more because it is less tiring and frustrating for them.