Who needs a wheelchair?
Kids who use wheelchairs usually fall into two categories: kids who use wheelchairs for a short time and kids who use wheelchairs for a long time, or permanently. A kid who uses a wheelchair short term might be someone who breaks a leg or who has surgery. Eventually, the kid won’t need the wheelchair anymore. Even though a kid who uses a wheelchair for a short time may feel frustrated or sad that he or she has to rely on others to get around. But he or she knows that someday the wheelchair won’t be necessary. For a kid who depends on a wheelchair for the long term, life is different. He or she will need to learn how to use the wheelchair in lots of different situations — from home, to school, to the beach on vacation. In some cases, it will be hard to use the wheelchair or it might take a long time. That can be frustrating, but wheelchairs are getting better all the time. Also comforting is that researchers continue to look for treatments and cures for the medical problems that lead to
