CARSTAIR (Wicca wheelchair)
1900
This bentwood and rattan wheelchair was designed to be lightweight to move people seen as invalids in confined spaces, including up and down stairs in asylums. Although made of a light material for manoeuvrability, this wheelchair was not designed for the individual's needs regarding safety, comfort or dignity. The chair does not allow for self-propulsion,...
Rights information: Copyright: Hastings Museum and Art Gallery
Description
This bentwood and rattan wheelchair was designed to be lightweight to move people seen as invalids in confined spaces, including up and down stairs in asylums.
Although made of a light material for manoeuvrability, this wheelchair was not designed for the individual's needs regarding safety, comfort or dignity. The chair does not allow for self-propulsion, and the individual in the chair would be held in by a wooden rod that goes through the holes in the arms.
The chair's material, although reasonably strong, would not have been strong enough for much outdoor use, restricting the patient from having any independence. The chair highlights, above all, the period's lack of understanding of people with impairments needs.
- Jack Guy, Curating for Change Fellow, Hastings Museum and Art Gallery