Want to get into the driver’s seat — or help consumers to take the wheel — regarding WC19 and WC20 standards?
Head first to rercwts.org, the home page for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Wheelchair Transportation Safety, with key personnel from the University of Michigan, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Louisville.
This RERC site is a great destination for both industry professionals and consumers… as well as equipment manufacturers and transportation organizations, such as school districts. From the home page, choose Consumers, Prescribers, Manufacturers or Transporters to more quickly navigate to the information you want.
A consumer-targeted brochure in pdf form can be downloaded from travelsafer.org. The Ride Safe illustrated brochure (pictured) explains how and why wheelchairs should be secured within motor vehicles… plus, critical information on effectively using shoulder and hip belts for the wheelchair user.
Both travelsafer.org and the main RERC site also feature lists of wheelchair and seating models that have successfully been tested to WC19 and/or WC20 standards.
For information specifically on WC20, seated devices in motor vehicles, go to rercwts.org/rerc_wts2_kt/rerc_wts2_kt_stand/Intro_WC20.html. Additional WC20-specific information and resources can be found at therafin.com/wc20transitseating.htm, and at Sunrise Medical’s education site (do a browser search for “WC20 seating”). These manufacturer sites offer information specific to their own products, as well as broader resources and information about the WC20 standard.
