I'm always getting sent info about new inventions and gadgets designed to help those of us with various disabilities. Its amazing the stuff that's around, chairs that do everything and make the tea, various types of bicycle, standing chairs so you can reach that old jar of something in the cupboard. There are wheels to help you go faster, smoother and more reliably. Things for the bathroom, things for the car and things for the bedroom. All the time I look at them and go "WOW that's incredible, Id love one of those", because there are certain things Id like that really would improve life. And then I look at the price tag, and then I look again, that is of course assuming I can find a price. Unsurprisingly a lot of these are POA. Anyway then I go "WOW that's incredible", because the price tag is usually at least the cost of a brand new car, and I sigh because I know my dream is just that. So I wonder how are these prices justified, I mean really and truly justified? Yes I know some equipment is made to measure and person specific, but an awful lot is really off the shelf so to speak. So do real people afford this stuff or do they have rich benefactors somewhere or maybe only large organisations can afford it all?
Things Id like include some E-motion wheels coming in at around £3K, maybe a hand cycle coming in at under £2K, as my son would love to be taken cycling by me, I would like a sports chair with a really wide wheelbase so I can do more outdoorsy things, £3K, and then maybe if I was spending just a bit more Id go for a standing chair as well, only £5K.
So you see none of this come cheap, I know it will never be cheap but it would be nice if it were just faintly affordable to more people because just one item would make a huge difference to so many.
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