Mobility equipment: from first walker to powered wheels
Mobility needs change, and the equipment ladder is long: canes, walkers, manual and power wheelchairs, and the transfer and positioning gear that makes daily routines workable. Getting the fit right matters more here than almost anywhere else in AT — and so does trying before committing.
Learn the landscape
Think in two layers: the primary mobility device, and the supporting equipment around it — transfer boards, mounting systems that attach other devices to a chair, ramps, and positioning supports. The supporting layer is frequently what turns a device from technically-owned into actually-used.
The mobility products overview shows the range in one place.
Try before you buy
Wheelchairs and walkers live or die on fit — seat width, turning radius in a real hallway, whether it goes in the actual car. A loan period answers all of it.
Every US state and territory runs a federally funded AT Act program offering short-term device loans — typically two to six weeks, free or low-cost — plus hands-on demonstrations. Find your state's lending program and ask what's available to try at home.
Narrow down the options
With fit lessons in hand, the catalog can surface the candidates and the supporting gear around them.
The guided match asks a few questions about the situation and returns a shortlist from the full catalog, with plain-language notes on why each product fits. Prefer to look around first? Browse all mobility products and use the filters to work down from there.
Paying for it
Mobility equipment is one of the most established AT funding territories, and the official doors are well worn.
Four official programs are worth knowing in every state: Medicaid, Vocational Rehabilitation, AT Act financing loans, and ABLE accounts. The state-by-state funding directory lists each one with contact details and the questions to ask — including whether they require a professional evaluation before they'll consider a request.
Bring it to the meeting
Wheelchair funding in particular tends to run through formal evaluations — ask each program what documentation they want, and arrive with the shortlist already written down.
Once a shortlist exists, the match results can be exported as a PDF report — a plain family handout, or a version formatted for funding conversations with a signature block for the recommending professional. An assistive technology professional (ATP) can run a formal evaluation and confirm fit; find an ATP near you.