Chailey Heritage School

Track guided wheelchairs provide a means for individuals having complex needs to drive within their environment with greater independence from helpers. The train is intended to be a fun object and is used to introduce individuals to driving, but also to arouse natural curiosity to inspire individuals to try a new activity.  

The train allows children to try an activity in which they can exercise personal control, particularly movement through space. The driver is responsible for the transportation of his passengers and therefore has a strong sense of power and purpose. The children like being a ‘train driver’ and transporting other passengers.

The train can be operated by a single switch to control starting and stopping. Junction control select switches are provided so that an operator can select junction left or right turns. The control options can be divided to provide children with the option to control separate functions throughout the train. The driver could be responsible for start/stop control and the first passenger could be responsible for selecting the turning points. The other passenger could be given optional control over environmentally controlled devices. Additional features on the train include a whistle and a specific individual could be given control over these.