Cushion Design for Wheelchair Competition

The use of wheelchair cushions to help prevent the development of pressure ulcers is well established in developed countries. A variety of commercial wheelchair seat cushions are available in the United States. One type of seat cushion cannot meet the needs of all wheelchair users; therefore, different technologies and designs are essential. These seat cushions are designed to provide a comfortable, pressure-relieving area that is durable, easy to clean, easy to maintain, and lightweight. In developing countries, pressure ulcers are the number one cause of death among people with disabilities. The resources to purchase or manufacture state-of-the-art cushions are not available. The majority of commercial seat cushions cannot be produced in these areas because they require materials or manufacturing techniques that are not obtainable. Currently, there are very few low-cost seat cushion designs for people with disabilities.

Purpose of The Competition

In order to stimulate designs for low-cost, locally-produced wheelchair cushions, an Inter- national Cushion Design Competition was started in 1996 by the RESNA special interest group on International Appropriate Technology. The first "SoreButts" Cushion Competition was held in conjunction with the Annual RESNA Conference. The purpose of the competition was to encourage the creation of inexpensive seat cushions for the prevention of pressure ulcers in people with disabilities living in developing countries or impoverished areas of the world. The competition continued in subsequent years and the test procedures and methods used to judge and compare the design and performance of the cushions improved over the years.

Contest Rules

Designs were required to be original; therefore, commercially available cushions and previously submitted designs were not eligible for the competition. Contestants completed an entry form and submitted it with their cushion. The entry form was used to obtain more detailed information about the cushion, including:
  • materials required
  • quantities of each material
  • source of each material
  • estimated cost in U.S. dollars
  • list of equipment/tools used to construct the cushion
  • step-by-step, detailed instructions on how the cushion was constructed
  • total construction time
  • weight of cushion
  • maintenance (cleaning and care)
  • special features (e.g., adaptability of size and shape)

Entries:

Nine (9) cushions were entered into the competition: six (6) from India, and one (1) each from Hong Kong, Pakistan and the US.

Winner

Country: Hong Kong
Designer: Pui Kong Cheng 1
Cost: $0
Description: Buckwheat hulls in T-shirt bag

People's Choice Award

Country: India
Designer: D. Nanda
Cost: $5.00
Description: Expanded polyfoam (packing foam)
in a rubber cloth cover

Second place

Country: India
Designer: Ritu 1
Cost: $8.00
Description: Coconut fiber `coir' base, thermocol balls in fabric, rubber cloth cover

Second place

Country: India
Designer: Sharad Dahake
Cost: $1.00
Description: Bicycle inner tube with cotton webbing and cloth


Other Entries

Country:
United States
Cost: $8.00
Description: Wood base with wood shavings in fabric cover


Country:
Pakistan
Cost: $1.10
Description: Rubber tire strips over wood frame


Country:
India
Description: Cotton waste material with a cotton cover and a rayon outer cover


Country:
India
Cost: $5.00
Description: Scooter tire inner tube wrapped with a bandage or scrap material


Country:
India
Cost: $1.25
Description: Cotton stuffing with a cotton cover and a cotton outer cover.

Adapted from: RESNA `98 International Cushion Design Competition Denise A. Chesney, Peter W. Axelson, Jamie H. Noon, Allen R. Siekman.
Beneficial Designs, Inc., Santa Cruz, California, www.resna.org