2nd Edition

Seating and Wheeled Mobility A Clinical Resource Guide

Edited By Michelle L. Lange, Jean L. Minkel Copyright 2025
    774 Pages 537 Color & 178 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    774 Pages 537 Color & 178 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    774 Pages 537 Color & 178 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Fully updated and expanded in its second edition, Seating and Wheeled Mobility: A Clinical Resource Guide presents clinical assessment considerations when working with a person with a mobility disability.

    The book provides a wide spectrum of information, from foundational information for those practitioners who are new to the field, to in-depth, population-specific information for practitioners who perhaps have not worked with a particular population in the past.

    The book is divided into sections, each section addressing a different area of clinical practice in wheelchair seating and mobility.

    • The first section is an in-depth presentation of the assessment process and pressure management. The range of available seating supports is presented as part of the product selection process, including matching the person’s needs with available technology.
      • The second section focuses on 24-hour postural care. Three types of sitters are presented: hands-free, hands-dependent, and prop sitters. Included is the most current method to measure and describe the seated person and related support surfaces needed when recommending a device.
      • The third section lays the foundation for clinical decision making around the selection and fit of the most appropriate wheeled mobility device – manual/power wheelchair or scooter.
      • The fourth section provides in-depth clinical applications for each mobility category. On-time mobility for the very young, power seating, and mobility skills training are addressed.
      • The fifth section provides population specific clinical application of position, pressure management, and mobility for the pediatric, geriatric, and bariatric populations, as well as persons with both degenerative and complex neuromuscular impairments.
      • The sixth section presents additional considerations when working with persons who are aging with a disability, considerations of the environment of use, safe transport of a wheelchair, and the application of wheelchair standards in the clinic.
      • Finally, measuring outcomes throughout the service provision process and a look at the past, present, and future of complex rehab technology is included.

      Richly illustrated throughout, this book has been carefully designed to support occupational and physical therapists, suppliers/distributors, and funders/payers who are interested in wheelchair seating and mobility assessment and applications.

        Introduction

        Michelle L. Lange and Jean L. Minkel

        Section I Postural Support and Pressure Management: Foundational Information

        1 Seating and Mobility Evaluations for Persons with Long-Term Disabilities: Focusing on the Client Assessment

        Jean L. Minkel

        2 Pressure Management for the Seated Client

        Jo-Anne Chisholm and Joanne Yip

        3 Seating System Categories and Clinical Indicators

        Barbara Crume and Jessica Presperin Pedersen

        Section II Postural Support and Pressure Management Clinical Applications

        4 24-7 Postural Care Management

        Guðný Jónsdóttir and Patricia Toole

        5 Postural Support and Pressure Management Considerations for Hands-Free Sitters

        Kendra Betz

        6 Postural Support and Pressure Management Considerations for Hands-Dependent Sitters

        Deborah L. Pucci

        7 Postural Support and Pressure Management Considerations for Prop Sitters

        Jill Sparacio

        8 General Positioning Strategies and Seating Interventions by Body Location

        Lindsay Alford and Cheryl Hon

        9 Standardized Measures of the Person, Seating System, and Wheelchair

        Kelly Waugh and Barbara A. Crane

        Section III Wheeled Mobility: Foundational Information

        10 The Mobility Algorithm: Clinical Decision-Making for a Mobility Device

        Cathy H. Carver

        11 Manual (Self-Initiated) Mobility Categories and Clinical Indicators

        Mary Shea-Stifel

        12 Power Mobility Categories and Clinical Indicators

        Michael Babinec and Becky Breaux, MS, OTR/L, ATP

        13 Dependent Mobility Categories and Clinical Indicators

        Sheila N. R. Buck and Stefanie Sukstorf Laurence

        Section IV Wheeled Mobility: Clinical Applications

        14 Optimally Configuring Manual Wheelchairs for Self-Propulsion

        Lauren E. Rosen

        15 Power Assist Devices and Other Alternative Drive Mechanisms for Manual Wheelchairs

        Carla Nooijen, Theresa Berner, and Carmen DiGiovine

        16 Power Mobility Assessment: Determining Readiness and Providing ON Time Mobility

        Heather A. Feldner, Andrina Sabet, and Samuel W. Logan

        17 Power Seat Functions: Putting Evidence into Practice

        Ginger Walls

        18 Power Mobility: Optimizing Driving

        Amy Morgan and Faith Saftler Savage

        19 Power Mobility: Driving Methods

        Michelle L. Lange

        20 Power Mobility: Advanced Features and Applications

        Jill Baldessari, Leah Barid, and Michelle L. Lange

        21 Training Manual and Power Wheelchair Mobility and Maintenance Skills

        Ronald Lee Kirby and Lynn Worobey

        Section V Putting It Together: Specialty Applications

        22 Considerations When Working with the Pediatric Population

        Lisa K. Kenyon

        23 Considerations When Working with the Geriatric Population

        Christie Hamstra and Deborah A. Jones

        24 Considerations When Working with the Bariatric Population

        Stephanie Tanguay

        25 Considerations When Working with Degenerative Neurological Conditions

        John "Jay" Doherty

        26 Considerations When Working with Complex Neurological and Orthopedic Presentations

        Melissa Tally and Elizabeth McCarty

        Section VI Related Content

        27 Considerations When Working with a Person Who Is Aging with a Disability

        Susan Johnson Taylor, Bonita Sawatzky, and Linda Bennet

        28 Environmental Assessment

        Cindi Petito

        29 Wheelchairs and Transportation

        Miriam A. Manary

        30 What Are Standards for Wheelchairs and Wheelchair Seating?

        Kay Ellen Koch, Kara Kopplin, and Anita Perr

        31 Documentation of the Seating and Mobility Assessment

        Julie Piriano

        32 Measuring Seating and Wheeled Mobility Outcomes

        Emma M. Smith and Paula W. Rushton

        33 Complex Rehab Technology in North America – Past, Present, and Future Perspectives

        Tom Borcherding

        Biography

        Michelle L. Lange is an occupational therapist with over 38 years of experience and has been in private practice, Access to Independence, for over 19 years. She is a well-respected lecturer, both nationally and internationally, and has authored numerous texts, chapters, and articles. She is the former NRRTS Continuing Education Curriculum Coordinator and Clinical Editor of NRRTS Directions magazine. Michelle is a RESNA Fellow and member of the Clinician Task Force. She is a RESNA certified ATP and SMS.

        Jean L. Minkel is a physical therapist and compassionate clinician well recognized for her work in Assistive Technology. Jean has a passion for insuring that people with a mobility disability have access to the products and services needed to support full participation in life. Jean is the Senior Vice President of Rehab and Mobility Services for Independence Care System. She leads On A Roll, an OT/PT private practice specializing in Seating and Wheeled Mobility services. Jean is also an independent consultant who provides educational and consulting service to all members of the A.T. team. Jean has been recognized for her expertise by being named a RESNA Fellow and awarded the Sam McFarland Mentor Award.