A socio-technical history of the ultra-lightweight wheelchair: a vehicle of social change

The emergence of the ultralightweight wheelchair has transformed the lives of millions of disa-bled people. It has radically changed the principles and practices of wheelchair design, manufac-ture and prescription and redefined wheelchair users and wheelchair use. Designed and built largely by wheelchair users themselves it was driven initially by a desire to improve sport perfor-mance and later by a wish for improved access to the community and built environment. In this paper we draw on oral histories and documentary sources to reconstruct its socio-technical histo-ry. We employ the analytical concept of ‘boundary object’ to illuminate how the wheelchair as a technological artefact is implicated in relations of social change and show the role of wheelchair users in the development and emergence of the ultra-lightweight wheelchair. We highlight the tensions and negotiations within this history and the push and pull between different social groups. The emergence of the ultra-lightweight wheelchair helped to reconfigure ideas about wheelchairs and their users and allowed wheelchairs to gain a foothold within broader social and technological infrastructures. What makes this account powerful is that this is a success story for a group who have historically been excluded from design processes