The first major group -- understandably the largest -- emcompasses a substantial portion of society in that many people have used a wheelchair at some point in their lives for a brief -- or relatively brief -- period of time.

The Hospital Discharge Ride

As a general rule, hospitals and medical centers have insisted as a matter of policy that patients who are being discharged ride in a wheelchair from their care area to the hospital entrance. This group of individuals has ridden in a wheelchair just long enough to travel to their vehicle or as far as hospital or medical center policies dictate. Clearly, a manual wheelchair -- pushed by a hospital employee -- is quite well suited for this purpose.

Temporary Use During Recovery From Illness Or Injury

Many people have been injured or have experienced an illness that has limited their mobility for a period of time. While some have used a walker, cane, or crutches during their recovery, others have used wheelchairs. Thus, the second group of people who have used wheelchairs on a temporary basis includes those who have used a wheelchair while recovering from an injury or illness. Sometimes this may have included using a wheelchair during a hospital stay as an inpatient while on the hospital property. On other occasions, this may have included using a wheelchair at home or out in the community on a temporary basis just long enough to recover sufficiently from the injury or illness to the point at which the individual can resume walking.

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